Catacombes

Advantages: Its incredible
Disadvantages: Do not wear sandals

Now having finally gotten to see the Notre-Dame Cathedral we then headed out via a brief lunch stop for possibly one of Paris’s strangest and most unsettling tourist attraction. In Montparnasse deep under the city streets lies the evidence of one of the most massive projects undertaken in the history of Paris. In 1786 the graveyards of Paris were filled to overflowing. Disease was rife and the primary cause was discovered to be Paris’s places of ...
...move the millions of corpses in the graveyards of Paris to a specially prepared site and inter the bodies there. Hopefully helping in the process to create a healthier environment within Paris. In total six million bodies were packed (and I do mean packed) in catacombs covering an area of about ½ mile square. This mammoth project took over 15 months and over the years has become on of the hidden treasures of Paris. Over the years I had heard about ... Read review

Advantages: Interesting, unique
Disadvantages: Cold, creepy, damp

The Catacombes can be found just along the road from Montparnasse cemetry in place Denfert-Rochereau (formerly known as place d'Enfer or Hell Square). Entry costs nothing if under 18, 17 francs for those under 26 and about 27 francs for those older. It is a fairly popular attraction but shouldn't really involve any queueing. I would advise wearing sensible shoes as the ground can get marshy and take a torch if you have one (if not they can be hired ...
...what exactly the catacombes is. Basically it is a series of underground tunnels with many of the walls made out of human skeletons, bones and skulls piled in different patterns. The tunnels get older as you progress, beginning with some normal tunnels which lead you down into the dark. It gradually gets colder and damper as you descend, small drops of water begin to drop from the ceiling of the chambers. The huge network of tunnels used to spread ... Read review

Advantages: funny
Disadvantages: dank, not exciting

...in Paris... I saw the Catacombes 2 years ago, and I don't think I'll try it again. Imagine you are in a big cemetery, it's dark, gloomy, there are some strange writings. No, it isn't the Blair Witch Project, you are under the earth, not lost in a wood. It is a bit hard to find the entrance, it looks like a very small and ancient warehouse, but in fact, when you see everybody holding a walled, you guess that's here. The entrance is near Vincennes, ...
...great parcs all around. It is a rather chic area, though also a rather boring since chic often goes with "no shop at all" in Paris. When you have your ticket, there are very long stairs, it gets quite dank, and you feel excited. But I was very deceived. I thought I would see skeletons. That is what usually lies in cemeteries. But there I learnt the human body was composed of 2 bones : the skull and the femur. That's quite strange. And it is uninteresting, ... Read review

Advantages: Great if lots and lots of bones give you a thrill...
Disadvantages: Cold, wet, dark, dim, creepy and ultimately dull

If you're looking for something unusual to do on your trip to Paris, you might be tempted by a trip to the Catacombs - but be warned, this isn't one for nervous types! It's popular, though: queues regularly form outside the tiny entrance, and you probably won't be alone as you descend the many stairs into the subterranean depths. The Catacombs were created many years ago when the ancient cemeteries of Paris became just too smelly for comfort, and ...
...areas and transport the bones here. Now the remains of literally millions of Parisians are stored here, neatly stacked in pile after pile of bones and skulls - many arranged in macabre little patterns by someone with a warped sense of humour. A tip: if you're determined to check it out, wear stout walking-shoes; it's very dank and even wet down there as you tramp down miles of dimly-lit gravel passages. And it's cold - VERY cold - so bring a sweater, ... Read review