Les Catacombes

	1, place Denfert-Rochereau 75014 Paris
	01.43.22.47.63
	Denfert-Rochereau
	Denfert-Rochereau (rer B)

Hours:

• Tuesdays thru Fridays: from 2pm to 4pm.
• Saturdays and Sundays: from 9am to 11am, and from 2pm to 4pm.
• Closed on holidays.

Admission fee:

• normal price: 27 francs.
• reduced price (students, young children, senior citizens, etc): 19 francs.
• groups with more than 15 people should reserve a week in advance.

A bit of history:

The catacombs such as you can visit them today, are the result of a project undertaken in 1786: the transfer of millions of remains formerly buried in the Cimetière des Innocents to a new site found in the important excavations of three hills: Montparnasse, Montrouge, and Montsouris, in the southern end of the city.
More than 15 months (only during the dark hours of the night) were needed to transfer the millions of bones and remains in enormous wheel barrows to their new "resting place". The catacombs have always been known to be the refuge of criminals and other persons who couldn't move around during the daytime. During WWII, they were the French Resistance's head quarters.
At the main entrance, you can read the following eery words carved in the stone : "Stop! C'est ici l'empire de la mort" (Stop! This is the kingdom of death).

Discover the cataphiles' catacombes site.