Visiting the Reopened Paris Catacombes

UPDATE: The Catacombes have reopened on April 8th, 2026, after several months of renovations. The gift shop is still under renovations for “several more weeks”.

The Grand Reopening after Five Months of Renovations

Yesterday I was one of the first visitors to the newly reopened Paris Catacombes, which have been closed since November 2025 for renovations. I’ve been to the Catacombes many times, but the last visit was in 2011, so I decided to see how it looked and felt after its €5.5 million face lift to protect the site, manage crowds, and improve how the history is explained.

I use the term “face lift” in the French sense of making subtle-yet-flattering improvements, rather than a radical redesign. The route is the same, but the redesigned lighting is vastly improved, giving the tunnels a theatrical effect and highlighting the bones and the many hidden details throughout the tunnels (it also makes it a lot easier to take good photos without using a flash). Some of you may remember when you needed to bring your own flashlight to see anything back in the 1990s (and the horrible fluorescent lighting they installed after that)!

I also really enjoyed the new audioguide experience, which has music and sound effects as you walk, in addition to the narration by historic figures. I’ll admit this sometimes gives it a bit of a Disneyland effect, but Disney knows how to grab an audience, and it really does make the visit more engaging as well as easier to understand what you’re looking at as you walk. The sounds are automated by the modern headsets to go on depending on where you are, so there’s no control panel you have to worry about fiddling with buttons in the dark; unfortunately mine simply stopped working a bit over halfway through, either from a dead battery or malfunction.

In addition to the audioguides there are several information panels (in French, English, Spanish), and videos to watch in different spots throughout 1.5 kilometer-long circuit. There are also panels in Braille, tactile models, and andsign-language content. I do recommend taking the time to stop and read or watch them for historical context and some interesting facts that make the visit more memorable and educational. For €31 you really should get as much as you can out of the experience!

The renovations have also addressed long-standing conservation issues by improving airflow and humidity, to deal with the rising CO₂ levels from the approximately 600,000 annual visitors, which threatened the preservation of the bones. Technical upgrades have improved the moisture and air quality more effectively, but you’re still underground, so you’ll notice some dripping ceilings in certain sections (wear a hat if you’re worried about your hair).

Some things have not changed. The Catacombes are still only accessible via a long, spiral staircase (both down and back up), and there are no lockers or coat/bag check, and no strollers allowed. If you’re taller than 168cm/5’5″, you’ll have to crouch over in some of the tunnels where the ceilings are low. The flooring throughout the tunnels includes cement paving, hard packed dirt (a bit muddy in some spots), and some gravel, so choose your footwear accordingly. There are no restrooms until the exit (where you’ll also find the gift shop, although this is still under renovations through the end of April).

Overall, I think they did an excellent job of restoring the Catacombes. It feel modern, clean and well-appointed, while still making the most of the solemn, historical setting far below the city surface. The quality of the signage and lighting and other details is very similar to what I noticed when visiting the newly-renovated Bell Towers at Notre Dame Cathedral.

Click to see full-sized with captions:

Are the Paris Catacombes Worth the Price Now?

The Paris Catacombes used to be known for their long lines to get in. But, like many popular Parisian sites, today it’s only possible to visit the Catacombes with a pre-paid ticket for entry at a specific time, purchased a maximum of seven days in advance on the official website. Up until these new renovations, I wouldn’t have recommended a visit to the Catacombes because of the exorbitant price. That doesn’t mean I don’t still think it’s still expensive!

As of today, the official “skip the line” tickets (including an audio guide in multiple languages) are the same as they were before the renovations: €31 for adults, €25 for students 18-26, and €15 for kids 8-17 accompanied by an adult. Kids 7 and under are free. The discount “last-minute” tickets no longer exist. No museum passes are accepted.

Full-priced tickets were only €10 as recently as 2015, that’s a 210% rise in price over ten years. For perspective, the Louvre Museum’s full price is only one euro more at €32 for non-EU adult visitors (€22 for EU-resident adults and free for anyone under 18 or EU students under 26) and free for everyone the first Friday evening of the month. The only other major site more expensive than the Catacombes in Paris is the summit of the Eiffel Tower at €36.70 for adults (but only €14.80 for the second floor–which is still higher than almost every other building in Paris–if you take the stairs). Even the Château, Trianons, and vast gardens of Versailles are only €25 in low season (and €35 in high season, discounted for EU residents), and also completely free the first Sunday of the month November through March.

But the Catacombes are never free. This doesn’t seem to dissuade the masses, though, because tickets still regularly sell out, no matter the price. I think some people go because they believe the hype that it’s a “must see”, or they confuse its history with that of the ancient burial catacombs in Rome used by the early Christians. It also tends to be more popular with teenagers than your typical Paris museum, which I totally understand. With the recent renovations, I would say it’s worth the splurge if you’re really interested in the history. If you’re just looking for something cool and creepy you won’t find “back home”, and the weather is nice, I think you’d get just as much from a free visit of the historic Père Lachaise Cemetery (even with a guide it would cost less than the Catacombes).

Where to Purchase Your Tickets

If you’re still intent on visiting the Catacombes, the cheapest tickets are sold directly on the official website. In recent years there have been so many counterfeit tickets being sold by both fraudulent online websites and in person by scammers looking for clueless tourists who showed up without reserving tickets in advance that the Paris Catacombes website now only sells tickets up to one week in advance, so you’ll have to put a reminder on your calendar before your visit. In low season, basically anytime outside of summer, you can also check their website for last-minute tickets for a visit on the same day (using your smartphone if you don’t have access to a computer). Purchase them at this link (scroll all the way down to “Official ticket // Catacombs”).

Because all tickets sold on the official website have a specific time slot, there’s no need to pay for a “skip the line” ticket elsewhere. But if they’re all sold out and you absolutely must look elsewhere, at least check to make sure they’re on the list of “authorized sellers” (scroll down to find it). I have checked the locally-based tour companies on this list, and currently the only ones selling Catacombes tickets are Memories France VIP Tours (which are guided tours, not just entrance tickets, at €189/person).

PS: If you happen to be in the neighborhood anyway, I highly recommend visiting the free Liberation of Paris Museum, right across the street from the Catacombes. No skeletons, but you’ll learn so much about Paris and its people during the WWII Occupation and Liberation (including access to the underground bunker used as a command center by the Resistance).

Guided Tours of the Catacombes

If it’s your first time, I think the renovated Catacombes offer regular visitors enough context and background information to make it interesting and engaging (especially if you read up a bit in advance). But if you’re looking for access with a private guide to some of the additional tunnels closed to the general public (and, of course, someone to answer questions as you go along), it might be worth up to you if it’s worth the extra cost and time to take a guided tour. But don’t just pick any random tour.

Some of the guided tours being sold online use scare tactics in their marketing, implying you need a guide to avoid getting lost or to skip the lines: “Learn why the bones of more than six million people were deposited under the city in a complex maze of tunnels that you definitely need a guide to navigate.” Er…no, the parts open to the public are gated off so that you can only go one way. Another says “The lines at the Catacombs are very long and are known to make people wait for up to 3 hours.” This is no longer true since everyone now needs timed entry tickets. Even if you do shell out for a guided tour, as one site mentions in the fine print, you might still end up waiting if there’s a bottleneck of visitors: “Please be aware that at busy times there may be a long queue to enter the Catacombs.”

There are official guided tours of the Catacombes, but only in French. You can find many guides online who will do tours of the Catacombes in English for €99-€195/person for groups of 10-20 people. The independent private guides I usually recommend for Secrets of Paris readers can’t usually provide tours of the Catacombes because the huge corporate tour operators buy up all of the spots in advance in bulk for a huge discount (like the Eiffel Tower), so there are very few spots available for independent guides. But the second best option are tours with locally-based companies, and as mentioned above, the only ones I know about who are currently offering Catacombes tours are Memories France VIP Tours (from €189/person, six people max in a group). If anyone knows of any other local tour companies (ie the parent company is based in France) providing Catacombes tour, let me know.

Practical Tips for Visiting the Catacombes

There’s one entrance at the Place Denfert Rochereau (specifically 1 Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy) right across the street from the Liberation of Paris Museum and the main entrance to the Denfert-Rochereau metro station. The exit and boutique are actually a few blocks down the street, at 21bis Avenue René-Coty. Note that the entire square is a construction site through 2028 (they’re making it more pedestrian-friendly).

• There are 131 spiral steps going down at the entrance and another 112 stairs going back up at the end. The Catacombes are not wheelchair accessible, nor adapted for anyone with mobility issues. The official website also says the site is not recommended if you’re pregnant, have claustrophobia, or suffer from cardiac or respiratory conditions.
• Normally the 1.5-kilometer circuit of the Catacombes takes about an hour to walk through while listening to the official audio guide, unless you’re taking your time on lots of photos. The guided tours are usually about two hours. It’s a one-way circuit, so you can’t just wander around (or, as mentioned above, get “lost”).
• It’s usually quite cool down there, 14°C/57°F.
• There are no bathrooms until you reach the end of the visit, and there is no coat check nor baggage storage. Strollers, bags larger than 40cmx30cmx20cm, motorcycle helmets, and tripods are not allowed.
• You’re not allowed to eat, drink, or smoke in the Catacombes. You’re also not allowed to touch anything, but I hope none of the Secrets of Paris readers need to be told that. 😉
• Even though you have to purchase a timed-entry ticket, you’ll find the Catacombes the least crowded in the first and last hours of the day (so don’t hesitate getting the 7pm entry ticket if that time works for 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 (last entry 7:30pm).
Closed Mondays and on January 1, May 1, and December 25.

Bonus Video for Community Members: A Look Inside the Paris Catacombes

I filmed this 10-minute video on April 8th, 2026, the day when the Paris Catacombes reopened, to give you an idea of what to expect:

What About the “Secret” Catacombes Tunnels?

Finally, a short note to remind readers that even though there are tunnels extending much further under Paris (and many people who love to share stories of sneaking into them for “parties”), it’s only legal to visit the ones that are open to the public or with an official guide. I don’t recommend participating in illegal “tours” of them any more than I advocate breaking into museums or shoplifting. If you’re curious about them, however, you can learn more in Scott Carpenter’s article, Creeping Beneath Paris.

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