The Paris Catacombes are recognized for his or her lengthy traces to get in. Nobody likes losing time in traces, proper? Earlier than Covid, individuals with out tickets would try to get there very first thing within the morning to keep away from traces. However, like many in style Parisian websites, right now it’s solely doable to go to the Catacombes with a pre-paid ticket for entry at a selected time. The largest danger now’s buying an costly (or worse, counterfeit) “skip-the-line” ticket via a third-party reseller. To keep away from complications, the easiest way to go to the Paris Catacombes is by buying your timed entry ticket straight via the official web site.
The place to Buy Your Tickets
I virtually ALWAYS advocate buying tickets for museums and monuments straight via the official web site. The primary cause is that it’s often the most affordable possibility. The second cause is that you just don’t need to undergo any middlemen if there’s an issue (like strikes closing down the monument the day of your go to). And this summer time there have been so many counterfeit tickets being offered by each fraudulent on-line web sites and in individual by scammers on the lookout for clueless vacationers who confirmed up with out reserving tickets prematurely that the Paris Catacombes web site now solely sells tickets as much as one week prematurely, so that you’ll need to put a reminder in your calendar earlier than your go to. In off-season, principally anytime exterior of summer time, it’s also possible to test their web site for last-minute, low cost tickets for a go to on the identical day (utilizing your smartphone when you don’t have entry to a pc).
As of August 2022, the official “skip the road” tickets (together with an audio information in a number of languages) are €29 for adults, €27 for college students 18-26, and €5 for teenagers 4-17 with an grownup (they don’t get an audioguide). In concept children beneath 18 are all the time free, however not when tickets are pre-purchased, and in excessive season they will solely be pre-purchased. The last-minute tickets offered on-line within the low season are €13-€15, plus €5 for an audio information, and free for teenagers beneath 18 if they’re with an grownup who has a ticket.
Be aware that youngsters beneath 14 have to be accompanied by an grownup.
Guided Excursions of the Catacombes: Value it?
There are official guided excursions of the Catacombes, however solely in French. You could find many guides on-line who will do excursions of the Catacombes for €75-€95/individual for teams of 15-20 individuals.
It’s as much as you if it’s value the additional value and time to take a guided tour, however actually, it’s one of many locations I like to recommend merely studying up on prematurely (or downloading your favourite audio tour to your cellphone), as a result of there’s just one route that everybody follows, so it’s not such as you’re going to overlook something or get “misplaced” by yourself. A number of the guided excursions being offered on-line use scare techniques of their advertising and marketing, implying you want a information to keep away from getting misplaced or to skip the traces: “Study why the bones of greater than six million individuals had been deposited beneath town in a fancy maze of tunnels that you just undoubtedly want a information to navigate.” Er…no, the components open to the general public are gated off in an effort to solely go a method. One other says “The traces on the Catacombs are very lengthy and are recognized to make individuals look forward to as much as 3 hours.” That is not true since everybody now wants timed entry tickets. Even when you do shell out for a guided tour, as one web site mentions within the high quality print, you would possibly nonetheless find yourself ready if there’s a bottleneck of holiday makers: “Please remember that at busy instances there could also be an extended queue to enter the Catacombs.”
Sensible Suggestions for Visiting the Catacombes
There’s one entrance on the Place Denfert Rochereau (particularly 1 Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy) proper throughout the road from the Liberation of Paris Museum and the principle entrance to the Denfert-Rochereau metro station. The exit and boutique are literally a number of blocks down the road, at 21bis Avenue René-Coty.
- There are 131 spiral steps taking place on the entrance and one other 112 stairs going again up on the finish. The Catacombes are usually not wheelchair accessible, nor tailored for anybody with mobility points. The official web site additionally says the location will not be advisable when you’re pregnant, have claustrophobia, or endure from cardiac or respiratory circumstances.
- Usually the 1.5-kilometer circuit of the Catacombes takes about 45-minutes to stroll via whereas listening to the official audio information, until you’re taking your time on a number of images or listening to anecdotes by yourself audio tour. The guided excursions are often about two hours. It’s a one-way circuit, so you may’t simply wander round (or, as talked about above, get “misplaced”).
- It’s often fairly quiet down there, 14°C/57°F.
- The lighting is kind of dim in lots of locations. Seeing eye canines are allowed, however not white canes.
- There are not any bogs till you attain the tip of the go to, and there’s no coat test nor baggage storage. Strollers, baggage bigger than 40cmx30cmx20cm, bike helmets, and tripods are usually not allowed.
- You’re not allowed to eat, drink, or smoke within the Catacombes. You’re additionally not allowed to the touch something, however I hope not one of the Secrets and techniques of Paris readers must be informed that. 😉
- Although you need to buy a timed-entry ticket, you’ll discover the Catacombes the least crowded within the first and final hours of the day (so don’t hesitate getting the 7pm entry ticket if that point works on your schedule).
Paris Catacombes
1 Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy (Place Denfert-Rochereau), 14th
Metro/RER Denfert-Rochereau
Opening hours are Tuesday-Sunday 9:45am-8:30pm (final entry 7:30pm).
Closed Mondays and on January 1, Might 1, and December 25.
What Concerning the “Secret” Catacombe Tunnels?
Lastly, a brief word to remind readers that despite the fact that there are tunnels extending a lot additional beneath Paris (and many individuals who like to share tales of sneaking into them for “events”), it’s solely authorized to go to those which can be open to the general public or with an official information. I don’t advocate collaborating in unlawful “excursions” of them any greater than I advocate breaking into museums or shoplifting. For those who’re interested in them, nevertheless, you may study extra in Scott Carpenter’s article, Creeping Beneath Paris.
