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The Catacombs of Paris
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- Name
- The Catacombs of Paris
- Continent
- EUROPE
- Alt Name:
- Les Catacombes de Paris
- Country:
- France
- Period:
- Early Modern (1500AD-1800AD)
- Sub-Region:
- -
- Date:
- 1700AD - 1799AD
- City/Town:
- Paris
- Figure:
- -
- Resorts:
- Paris,
Versailles,
- Related:
- Pere Lachaise Cemetery, Catacombs of Kom ash-Shuqqafa,
Catacombs of San Callisto, Catacombs of the Capuchins,
about The Catacombs of Paris
The Catacombs of Paris (Les Catacombes de Paris) came into use as a burial place for Parisian bones in the eighteenth century following the overpopulation of Parisian cemeteries and the closure of the Cemetery of Innocents (Les Innocents).
The Catacombs are underground quarries encompassing a portion of Paris’ old mines near Place Denfert-Rochereau and, at the time, were outside the city gates. The official decision to use the quarries was made on 9 November 1785 and they were blessed on 7 April 1786, following which bones from the Saint-Nicolas-des-Champs cemetery were moved there. Further remains were amassed at the Catacombs of Paris over the years, including those who died in several riots during the French Revolution. Overall, approximately six million human skeletons lie within the Catacombs of Paris.
A fascinating, unusual and somewhat haunting tourist attraction, The Catacombs of Paris are well worth a visit for those who are not claustrophobic or easily spooked. A tour of the Catacombs takes approximately an hour and involves climbing 83 steps.
Just as empires rise and fall so do entry fees and opening hours! While we work as hard as we can to ensure the information provided here about The Catacombs of Paris is as accurate as possible, the changing nature of certain elements mean we can't absolutely guarantee that these details won't become a thing of the past. If you know of any information on this page that needs updating you can add a comment above or now.
contact details
Address: Les Catacombes de Paris, 1, Place Denfert-Rochereau, 75014 Paris, Fran
Phone: +33 (0)1 43 22 47 63
useful information
Directions:
To get to the Catacombs of Paris you can take both the Metro and the RER B to Denfert-Rochereau station. Buses 38 and 68.
Ticket Information:
The Catacombs of Paris are open 10am-5pm daily. Last entry at 4pm. Closed Mondays and public holidays. Entry costs €8 full, €6 reduced, €4 for youth ticket, free for 13 years and under. Guided tours cost €4.50 full, €3.80 reduced for individuals on top of entry fee. Group/school discounts available. Long queues make arriving well before the closing time advisable.
Local Amenities:
-
Links:
http://www.catacombes-de-paris.fr/english.htm
http://www.carrieres.explographies.com/indexus.htm
http://www.paris.fr/viewmultimediadocument?multimediadocument-id=83132
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USER COMMENTS
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Unfortunately I can't review this site as I never got to see it but thought I'd share this - we got there at 3pm and were told that the queue was more than an hour long so we wouldn't get in. So, this is one to see in the morning, especially as it's quite out of the way.