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Discover the Paris Catacombs with Expert-led Guided Tours

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Your Paris Catacombs tour in a nutshell

→ Tours from: €139
→ Group size: Up to 19 people
→ Language: English
→ Entry: Timed entry included
→ Duration: Around 2 hours
→ Guide profile: Expert English-speaking guide
→ Restricted areas: Exclusive access included

​Plan your visit to the Paris Catacombs now ➡️

Skulls and bones in the Paris Catacombs, part of the underground tour experience.

Paris Catacombs guided tours...

✔️ Include timed entry

Enter the Catacombs at your reserved time and begin your 1.5-hour guided tour.

✔️ Unlock restricted areas

Access sections closed to general visitors, including a chapel filled with human remains.

✔️ Come with an expert guide

Explore with an English-speaking guide who shares the Catacombs’ history and stories.

✔️ Keep groups small

A small-group tour for a more personal experience underground.

​Book a guided tour →

🔐 There’s more to the Catacombs than you’re allowed to see

The standard route only shows you part of the story. Join an expert-led guided tour to unlock restricted areas closed to general visitors, including an underground chapel, while discovering the history, hidden details, and stories behind one of Paris’s most extraordinary underground sites—all in a small group of up to 19 people.

​Unlock the Catacombs now →

Paris Catacombs wall of bones with St. Landry Cemetery sign dated June 18, 1792.

What to expect on your Paris Catacombs guided tour

Guide explaining history to visitors inside Paris Catacombs.
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🕳️ Ever wondered what’s hiding beneath Paris?

Your adventure starts innocently enough on the streets of Paris. Meet your expert guide, then head down a winding staircase nearly 20 meters underground. With every step, the city noise fades and the temperature drops! Until you find yourself in a dark maze beneath Paris that most people walk over without ever knowing it’s there.

📍Meeting point: 2 Avenue du Général Leclerc, PARIS, FR, 75014, Café du Rendez-Vous

🔎 Plot twist: these tunnels weren’t for bones

Guess what? The Catacombs didn’t begin as a burial ground. Follow your guide through narrow passageways that were once limestone quarries and discover how the stone beneath your feet helped build the Paris above your head. Look closely. The walls still hold clues to their quarrying past.

​Dig into the Catacombs’ hidden past →

🕯️ Enter the Empire of the Dead

You’ll soon reach one of the Catacombs’ most striking thresholds, marked by the words: “Stop! This is the Empire of the Dead.” Beyond it lies the ossuary, where the remains of millions of Parisians were carefully placed. Your guide helps you understand what you’re seeing and the history that led to this extraordinary underground resting place.

🕊️ How did millions of Parisians come to rest here?

As you continue through the ossuary, your guide takes you back to 18th-century Paris, when overcrowded cemeteries had become a serious public health concern. Hear how authorities began transferring remains into the abandoned quarries beneath the city—a vast undertaking that continued for decades and shaped the Catacombs as we know them today.

🔦 What would you miss without a guide?

There are stories hidden in the smallest details. Look for inscriptions, quarry markings, carefully arranged bone displays and traces of how the underground space evolved over time. Your guide can point out details that are easy to overlook and, depending on your tour, may also take you into areas not included on the standard visitor route.

🌀 Back to Paris, but with a different perspective

After roughly 1.5km through the underground passages, you’ll make your way back to street level. You emerge away from the original entrance, returning to the bustle of modern Paris with a deeper understanding of the centuries of history—and the lives of the people—held beneath its streets.

Highlights covered on the Catacombs tour

Visitors exploring the entrance of the Paris Catacombs with a sign above.

The “Empire of the Dead” entrance

Cross the famous threshold marking the entrance to the ossuary.

Paris Catacombs corridor lined with skulls and bones, dimly lit passageway.
Paris Catacombs model of Port-Mahon carved into limestone wall.
Skulls and bones arranged in the Paris Catacombs.
Group listening to a guide in the Paris Catacombs during a tour.
Your guided tour route: Navigate the catacombs with this quick map

​Entrance at Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy → Descend 20m underground → Walk through the former limestone quarries → Reach the “Empire of the Dead” threshold → Enter the main ossuary → Explore select restricted sections → Visit the underground chapel → Follow the final underground passages → Climb back to street level at the exit

​Take the expert-led route →

Guided tour vs self-guided: Which is for you?

Compare by🎓 Guided tour👣 Self-guided visit

Experience

Explore with an expert guide

Explore independently

Commentary

Live expert insights & stories

No live guide

Restricted areas

Access included on select tours

Not included

Pace

Follow your guide and group

Explore at your own pace

Group size

Up to 19 people

No tour group

Best for

First-timers & history lovers

Repeat visitors

Why adding an expert is worth it

Are the Catacombs haunted? Well… probably not. But when you’re 20 meters underground, surrounded by the bones of millions of Parisians, having company suddenly sounds like a great idea. Don’t worry, we’re just spooking you. So what's the real reason to bring an expert along?

Guide pointing at skulls and bones in Paris Catacombs during small group tour.
  • Your expert guide will point out quarry markings, inscriptions, and details you might otherwise walk past.
  • A guide has the historical knowledge to explain how the quarries became an ossuary and why millions of Parisians came to rest here.
  • You can ask questions along the way and get answers about what you’re seeing in the moment.
  • On select tours, your guide will take you into restricted areas beyond the standard visitor route.

​Tour the Paris Catacombs with your English-speaking expert now →

Give your guide a run for their money 👀

Your guide will have plenty of stories up their sleeve, but there’s no harm in arriving with a few facts of your own. Do a little digging before you head underground and uncover the Catacombs’ strangest stories, surprising details, and things you might otherwise walk right past. Then, see how many you recognize on your guided tour—or save a few good ones to put your guide to the test.

​Brush up on Catacombs facts →

Dark corridor in the Paris Catacombs with stone walls and dim lighting.

Things to keep in mind on your guided tour

Paris Catacombs corridor lined with skulls and bones, dimly lit passageway.
  • Wear comfortable, non-slip shoes—the underground route involves uneven and sometimes slippery surfaces.
  • Bring a light layer; the Catacombs stay cool even when Paris is warm outside.
  • Keep your belongings compact, as you'll be navigating narrow underground passages.
Bones and inscription in the Paris Catacombs.
  • There are no toilets or cloakrooms along the underground route.
  • The Catacombs involve a long descent and climb back to street level. The route is not wheelchair accessible due to stairs and uneven terrain.
Tourists exploring the Paris Catacombs, viewing skulls and bones in dimly lit tunnels.
  • Treat the ossuary and human remains with respect; touching the bones is strictly prohibited.
  • Follow your guide and remain on the designated route throughout your visit.
  • Large bags and suitcases are not suitable for the Catacombs.
Underground stone passage in the Paris Catacombs with ancient support structures.
  • Arrive before your scheduled time—timed-entry slots can be strict.
  • Stay close to your guide so you don't miss explanations in the narrow passages.
  • Photography is permitted, but avoid flash and be mindful that the Catacombs are a burial site.

Frequently asked questions about Paris Catacombs guided tours

A guided tour provides access to restricted areas, interactive Q&A opportunities, and shares stories and historical details not included in audio guides, making it a richer experience. Although, audio guides do allow you the flexibility to explore at your desired pace.