Paris was in the middle of a summer heatwave so I needed to find an activity that was indoors and not too crowded. I found the perfect place! The Paris Catacombs! Loving all things weird and macabre, I knew this was the place for me. Sitting over 60 feet under the streets of Paris, sits a labyrinth of tunnels containing the remains of several million Parisians. Needing a place to put the remains, the ossuary was built. At first the bones were haphazardly piled up, however soon enough they were carefully and meticulously rearranged into decorative walls alternating between tibiae and skulls. Neat. According to the Catacombs official website, “They encourage visitors toward introspection and a meditation on death.” I can tell you, that the entire time I was down there, all I thought about was death, particularly mine if the tunnels collapsed!

Here’s what you should no before you go:

It takes about 45 minutes to 1 hour to get through the entirety of the catacombs. Important to note: it is one way only with 131 steps down and 112 to go up. So keep that in mind if you have a fear of enclosed spaces, like me. I wish I had bothered to look up that info before I plunged down into the depths of the Paris underground bone world. So I am passing that along to y’all. Also, they keep it pretty cool down there, ya know, bones and all, so dress appropriately.

Tips, Links, and Locations:

Bone Bonanza The Catacombs 1 Av. du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014 Paris, France