Paris Catacombs Entry Ticket & Audio Guide

Descend into the ossuary of six million Parisians

The Paris Catacombs are a vast underground ossuary holding the remains of around six million Parisians. What began as a network of limestone quarries running for hundreds of kilometres beneath the city was repurposed in the late 18th century, when Paris's overcrowded cemeteries forced officials to move the dead underground. The tunnels and chambers, where bones and skulls are arranged into walls, columns and patterns, are solemn yet strangely beautiful and have fascinated visitors for generations.

Walk the old quarry corridors 130 steps below

Your pre-booked timed ticket takes you straight to the entrance on Avenue René Coty, where you collect your audio guide headset. Descend 130 steps into the former limestone quarries beneath Montparnasse; about 20 metres below street level, a dimly lit network of corridors leads to the ossuary itself.

See walls of bones and skulls and carved inscriptions

Inside the ossuary, the bones and skulls of around six million Parisians are stacked into walls, columns and decorative patterns, with carved inscriptions and memorial plaques along the way. The atmosphere is quiet and reflective rather than theatrical.

Explore freely with an audio guide in four languages

The audio guide in English, French, Spanish and German explains why the quarries were dug, how the city's cemeteries were emptied into them in the late 18th century, and what the inscriptions and arrangements you pass mean. Rather than following a group, you walk about 2 km at your own pace for around an hour, finishing with a 112-step climb back to the surface. Timed entry keeps visitor numbers low, so you're rarely rushed.