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Skip-the-Line: Paris Catacombs Tour with VIP Access to Restricted Areas
2 h
Popular
Skip The Line
VIP
Instant confirmation
About this activity
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: The Paris Catacombs, 1 Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014 Paris France
Why wait in a long line to see less of the Catacombs? Your guide, an English-speaking local expert, will lead your group straight past the lines and down into the 200-mile labyrinth of bone-lined galleries and former quarry tunnels. An inscription at the entrance reads “Arrête! C’est ici l’empire de la mort”, or “Stop! Here lies the empire of death”. In this eerie empire, you’ll encounter the remains of such dignitaries as Rabelais and Robespierre, among more than 6 million other former Parisians.
While individual ticket holders must remain on the public routes, your guide will lead you off the well-traveled path. As well as other significant remains, like the hidden Gilbert’s Tomb, here you’ll find monuments to those who made their living in the empire of death. In the Port Mahon Gallery, you’ll see sculptures that an 18th-century quarry worker spent five years chiseling secretly from the tunnel walls, before being crushed in a cave-in. You’ll see the Quarryman’s Footbath and the Sepulchral Lamp, whose constant flame reassured the living that there was enough air in the tunnels.
As you wind your way around the Catacombs, you’ll hear all about the history of this parallel city – and the many legends surrounding it. Once you’ve seen what lies just 65 feet below the city, your view of Paris will be forever changed.
Duration: 2 hours
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Show less
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: The Paris Catacombs, 1 Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014 Paris France
Why wait in a long line to see less of the Catacombs? Your guide, an English-speaking local expert, will lead your group straight past the lines and down into the 200-mile labyrinth of bone-lined galleries and former quarry tunnels. An inscription at the entrance reads “Arrête! C’est ici l’empire de la mort”, or “Stop! Here lies the empire of death”. In this eerie empire, you’ll encounter the remains of such dignitaries as Rabelais and Robespierre, among more than 6 million other former Parisians.
While individual ticket holders must remain on the public routes, your guide will lead you off the well-traveled path. As well as other significant remains, like the hidden Gilbert’s Tomb, here you’ll find monuments to those who made their living in the empire of death. In the Port Mahon Gallery, you’ll see sculptures that an 18th-century quarry worker spent five years chiseling secretly from the tunnel walls, before being crushed in a cave-in. You’ll see the Quarryman’s Footbath and the Sepulchral Lamp, whose constant flame reassured the living that there was enough air in the tunnels.
As you wind your way around the Catacombs, you’ll hear all about the history of this parallel city – and the many legends surrounding it. Once you’ve seen what lies just 65 feet below the city, your view of Paris will be forever changed.
Duration: 2 hours
Included
- Skip-the-line access and visit to the Parisian catacombs
- Small group tour (maximum 19 people)
- Local guide
- Entry/Admission - The Paris Catacombs
- Guaranteed to skip the lines
Not included
- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible.
- We regret that we are unable to accommodate pushchairs or strollers on our tours.
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Not recommended for travelers with claustrophobia
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 19 travelers
Features
Tourism
90%
Cultural
80%
Original
15%
Reviews
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Family had a really good time. The tour guide was amazing. Learned a lot of history Even in the special rooms!!
It was great skipping the line and going straight into the catacombs. Our guide was great, though I forgot his name, he brought knowledge and British humor. It was very interesting and not that large of a group so you could hear him and keep up.
Victoire was an amazing guide. You can tell she was very passionate about the catacombs and extremely knowledgeable. We learned alot!
Awesome tour. You will not believe the size and use of the underground. Unbelievable what is still going on under Paris
Vic our tour guide did a great job! Very knowledgeable on the history surrounding the catacombs and the quarries. We got to see sections not generally accessible to the public. The tour group size was not too big. The catacombs themselves are a little creepy and sobering to realize that you are surrounded by the bones of so many people. I would not recommend for younger children but for adults it was engaging and something that you would not be able to do many other places. I was originally booked for the 10:00am tour but they moved me to 6:30pm. I was a little upset but it actually worked out better going at the end of the day. We were the last people to leave the place and it was actually closed when we left. This tour gets you to skip the line which is important since they really control the number of people in the catacombs and without it you would probably have to wait a long time in line.
Randa was our guide, she got us right in and took time explaining things we didnt know or fully understand about the catacomb and what it really was before it became just that. I would only do this tour with a guide if I did it again. It was nice not having to wait in the long lines that wrapped around the block.
MIchelle was our tour guide. She was wonderful. Very upbeat and friendly. She gave us so many insightful facts about the quarry work and the history of the catacombs. If you take this tour and need an English speaking guide -- request Michelle. My 15 year old grandson said she was "raw" so in our terms that means she was great !!!!
I would recommend this tour 100%! Our guide Vic was very knowledgeable and patient in answering our questions. She was thorough explaining the site and history behind it. I’m so glad we booked this. Kudos to her!
Our tour guide, Michelle was early to arrive and easy to find. She was informative while keeping it light and fun. We had a great time!
This is a must do tour. We had a LOT of fun walking through the catacombs and learning so much about the history.
Leo was fantastic as a tour guide and made this a wonderful experience. She is very knowledgeable and passionate
We had a great time visiting the Catacombs with John as our tour guide. It is one of the longest lines in Paris, so not only was it great to skip the line, but also amazing to learn about the history of Paris while inside the catacombs. John was very knowledgeable and did a great job teaching us about the catacombs. I would definitely recommend to anyone going.
We were soooo happy to have selected this tour!! When we arrived and saw the huge line snaking down the street I was so happy I had booked us in advance, and thrilled we got to skip the line!! We went in immediately and our guide Leo was great. She had loads of great details about the catacombs. She also told us lots of interesting stories. She also got us into some areas not available to the general public. I would highly recommend booking this your!!!!
Worth going but check the prices before you go. It seems we overpaid significantly booking through Viator.
Great tour -- got to go in a lot of areas the general tours don't go - and our guide had a lot of historical knowledge and was patient with everyone's questions....and most importantly, didn't lose anyone! Good tour to do with kids over age 7 or 8.