Six million Parisians, 20 meters down, 45 minutes end to end. Book it before you fly, not the day of.
The short version
- Book a timed slot at catacombes.paris.fr as soon as your dates are fixed. Slots sell out days ahead in season, and the museum says plainly that booking is the way in.
- €31 for adults and €25 reduced, both with the audio guide included; €15 for ages 8 to 17, free under 8. Children under 14 need an adult with them.
- Closed Mondays. Open Tuesday to Sunday 9:45 to 20:30, last entry 19:30, and the evening slots are the easiest to get.
- 131 steps down a spiral staircase, 1.5 km on foot, 112 steps back up. No lift, no way out mid-route, no toilets below.
- It is 14°C down there all year. Bring a layer, and shoes that don’t mind damp stone.
- You come out at 21 bis avenue René-Coty, a ten-minute walk from where you went in. Plan the rest of the day from there.
Getting in
The entrance is the small green pavilion on place Denfert-Rochereau, right above the metro and RER B. The time on your ticket is the time you join the line at the pavilion; the descent starts when the group ahead has cleared the staircase.
The audio guide is in the price and worth keeping on; without it the route is a long corridor of bones with no story. Free tickets don’t include it, and the desk sells it on the day.
No cloakroom, no luggage. Bags have to be smaller than 40 by 30 cm and carried in front of you or in your hand. The museum advises against the visit for anyone with claustrophobia, a heart or breathing condition, or trouble on stairs, and a wheelchair cannot go down.
Or start the day with us and end it underground: our private Paris tour by car is four hours with a driver-guide from your hotel and can drop you at Denfert-Rochereau for a slot you have booked.
The visit
The bones came from the city’s cemeteries, starting with Les Innocents in 1786, when the overfilled graveyards next to the markets became a public health problem. They were moved at night by cart into the old limestone quarries under Montrouge and stacked by workmen who arranged skulls and femurs into walls. About six million people are here.
The route is one way. A long gallery at the bottom of the stairs, then the doorway with the line about the empire of death, then the ossuary, which is most of the 1.5 km. Forty-five minutes at a walk; an hour if you stop for the audio guide at every point.
Nadar, Inventing Paris, from the Depths to the Sky, an exhibition on the photographer who first lit and shot these galleries in the 1860s, runs September 29, 2026 to January 31, 2027 and is in the ticket.
The museum’s renovation program ran until April 2026 and the route is fully open. Tripods are not allowed; phones are fine.
When to go
An evening slot. The museum is open until 20:30, and after 18:00 the slots are easier to get and the line at the pavilion is short. It is 14°C down there whatever the month, so the season doesn’t matter underground.
Book the week before in spring and summer, the day before in winter. Weekends sell out first; a Tuesday or Wednesday is the easiest day to find a slot.
Closed Mondays, January 1, May 1 and December 25. Open July 14, August 15, November 1 and November 11.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to book the Catacombs in advance?
Yes, in practice. The museum sells timed slots online and strongly recommends booking; in season the day’s slots are gone before the day starts. Book when you book your flights.
How many steps are there?
131 down and 112 up, with no lift and no way to turn back once you have started. The route is 1.5 km and takes about 45 minutes.
Is it suitable for children?
Children under 8 are free and under 14 need an adult with them. It is dark, cool and all bones for most of the route; most children over 8 handle it well, and the audio guide keeps them busy.
Where do I come out?
At 21 bis avenue René-Coty, about ten minutes on foot from the entrance on place Denfert-Rochereau. The shop is at the exit. Metro Mouton-Duvernet on line 4 is close to the exit if you don’t want to walk back.
Is there a tour that includes the Catacombs?
Not of the Catacombs themselves; the museum runs its own audio guide and the slot is yours to book. Our private Paris walking tour is eight hours with a guide and built around your list, so put Montparnasse and the Catacombs slot in the afternoon and the guide walks you to the pavilion.
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Louvre, Montmartre and Notre Dame in eight hours with a private driver-guide.
