Paris Catacombs Tour with VIP Access to Restricted Areas

Recommended by 91% of travelers

Paris, France

High interest

Booked 3 times today.

2 hours (approx.)
Offered in: English

Why travelers loved this

4.6

· James_H ·

Oct 2025

This experience was almost impossible to describe. Our tour guide was a lovely Indian woman who was very knowledgeable and did a great job of managing the group. The tour was amazing. It was stunning beyond description. We will do it again! Fantastic!!!!

· Kathy_D ·

Oct 2025

Riti guided us on an excellent and informative tour of the quarries and catacombs beneath the streets of Paris, providing the historical context that brings the real value to this event.

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Overview

Discover the darker side of the City of Light on a small-group tour of the famed Paris Catacombs. Explore these fascinating underground passageways lined with the bones of thousands of former Parisians, and learn the history of the mesmerizing and macabre labyrinth. Get special access to restricted areas that the general public cannot usually enter. Enjoy the personalized attention of a small-group tour, and the chance to ask questions.

No getting lost in the underground passages: A guide leads the way
A must for travelers interested in history and the macabre
Small group sizes keep the tour friendly and intimate
Choose an afternoon or evening tour to suit your schedule

What's Included

Guided visit of the Paris Catacombs
Small groups to ensure an intimate experience
Local English-speaking expert guide
Special access to restricted areas closed to general public

Gratuities
Hotel pick-up/drop-off
Food/Beverages

Meeting and Pickup

Meeting point

Catacombs of Paris
1 Av. du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014 Paris, France
Meet at the entrance to the Catacombes de Paris. He/She will be holding a sign. To arrive at the Catacombs by Metro please take Line 4 or Line 6 to the Denfert-Rochereau metro stop and exit using “Sortie 1”; the entrance to the Catacombs can be found directly across the street from this exit.

End point

This activity ends back at the meeting point.

Itinerary

Make your own way to the Paris Catacombs and meet your guide and small group outside. Avoiding the sales line for tickets, you’ll head straight inside to begin exploring the skeleton-bedecked tunnels that stretch beneath the city.

As you work your way underground, hear how the macabre corridors came to be used out of necessity in the late-18th century, when the cemeteries of Paris were overcrowded. Walking in a small group capped at 14 people, you’ll catch the commentary clearly as you go.

You’ll pass bone-lined walls of bygone Parisians and hear their stories, and discover some of the sites that many standard catacombs tours don’t visit. The Port Mahon Gallery and Gilbert’s Tomb are among the highlights. After around two hours underground, you’ll return to street level where your tour ends.

The Paris Catacombs

2 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
Near public transportation
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
Not wheelchair accessible.

We regret that we are unable to accommodate pushchairs or strollers on our tours.
Please note that Special Access areas may be closed on some days.
Not recommended for travelers with claustrophobia
This tour/activity will have a maximum of 15 travelers

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Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 2 days in advance of the experience for a full refund.

Traveler Photos

Gallery picture 1 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 2 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 3 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 4 (from a traveler's review)

Gallery picture 5 (from a traveler's review)

Reviews

4.6

based on 1,078 reviews

Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor

We perform checks on reviews

Top Notch Experience!

Linsly_D, Oct 2025

Rita / Rhita was a wonderful guide, storyteller and host to us in the private VIP area Catacombs tour! Her deep knowledge and engaging storytelling brought this tour to life. Thank you!

Unique

Kathy_D, Oct 2025

Riti guided us on an excellent and informative tour of the quarries and catacombs beneath the streets of Paris, providing the historical context that brings the real value to this event.

In awe of this tour

James_H, Oct 2025

Loved this your

Tracey_P, Oct 2025

I am mildly claustrophobic and was worried about this this tour but this was AMAZING! Vic was one of the best tour guides on trips I have booked with Viator

Great trip

Michael_F, Oct 2025

Very informative, small group worked out great. Lawrence had great historical knowledge that really made the trip exciting and he was very friendly and inviting.

Go for the Bones. Stay for the history and stories.

Andrew_K, Sep 2025

Yes there are bones. Yes you will be underground. All this you expect. What you don’t yet know is how entertained you will be. Our guide, Vic was a story teller par excellence. Smart as a whip, too. Highly recommend this tour and ask for Vic.

It’s a long tour and once...

Matthew_B, Aug 2025

It’s a long tour and once you’ve seen a skull and femur that’s basically it. Pretty expensive tour for what it is.

Excellent guide and tour

Susan_F, Aug 2025

Really interesting and informative guide. Very helpful and the special access option was a great choice! Highly recommend and it us worth the extra cost :)

Fantastic Tour with Vic

Laurie_K, Aug 2025

Vic was an amazing tour guide! Such a fascinating place and she made it come alive. Very knowledgeable and entertaining!

It was amazing and i...

Cristobal_S, Aug 2025

It was amazing and i loved it. the special access is so amazing. Seeing the restricted areas is so cool and really worth this tour alone

Great guide

kendra_s, Jul 2025

The tour guide was great and the catacombs were fascinating. The only issue was that the VIP area was closed. I understand that it being closed was not the fault of the tour guide or tour company, but it was disappointing since we had paid a premium price for that experience.

Fascinating Tour

Corie_H, Jul 2025

A interesting tour that explains why the Paris catacombs are filled with human remains and what other things have happened and continue to happen in the catacombs. .

Great tour but too expensive.

David_B, Jul 2025

Riti our guide was very knowledgeable. The problem is not the guide it is the price. At about 350€ for two people it is too expensive.

Laurence is the best catacombs tour guide ever

Sandy_M, Jul 2025

Laurence was absolutely amazing. He was knowledgeable about the catacombs and truly all of Paris. Also he was super kind to our 7 year old.

Catacombs bucket list done!

Hoang_N, May 2025

Lawerence was a great guide giving us awesome unique stories behind the Catacombs. It was worth getting this tour and one of our bucket list items in Paris checked off. The spectacle and magnitude of how they developed and moved 6 million bodies to be housed there is unimaginable.

Lawrence was a great...

Jen_H, Apr 2025

Lawrence was a great guide - we were able to go in a special section and seen some extra carvings, he had a deep knowledge and passion for the history, and he paced the tour well. It’s about a mile of walking, and the stairs are a little tough on the way back up, but it was absolutely fascinating.

Sam was an awesome tour...

Dylan_N, Mar 2025

Sam was an awesome tour guide. Had tons of great information to share about an interesting piece of French history.

Awesome visit and historically interesting

Isabelle_S, Mar 2025

Best guide this city has! Our tour went flawlessly, and Saeed was knowledgeable and really loved his job. I recommend this tour, and especially this guide, because it made it even more interesting. A must see if you visit Paris. Thanks !

Take the guided tour over...

Jerome_B, Mar 2025

Take the guided tour over the audio. Saeed did a wonderful and very enjoyable tour. He was worth every cent

Do It !

Brett_M, Feb 2025

What a wonderful and yet eerie experience. I totally loved it. Our guide was knowledgeable and great. It was well worth doing the small group tour. Highly recommend.

Great tour overall

Daniel_L, Jan 2025

Saeed was great and the tour was really interesting. Having a guide to explain Parisian history made all the difference as it really is intertwined in the history of the catacombs. I would definitely recommend going with Saeed if given the chance

Sam is amazing and the catacombs were too!

Marilyn_S, Jan 2025

This was an excellent tour but what made it so good was Sam, our guide! She was so knowledgeable but also reverent. Sam had a way of presenting history that was so effortless and engaging. Highly recommend this tour. I would do it again for sure!

Would recommend

Jessica_L, Jan 2025

Very informative and cool experience. VIP gave access to areas that were once public but since have been sectioned off due to graffiti.

Awesome Time with Awesome Guide

Jason_W, Jan 2025

It was awesome and the guide was awesome as well. She really gave us some great insight and explained the history of not only the catacombs but the city itself. 5 Stars!!!!⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Saeed was a great guide....

Tammy_B, Jan 2025

Saeed was a great guide. Very knowledgeable. Great stories that helped us understand the history and background.

Interesting and unusual!

Kristin_T, Dec 2024

Saeed was absolutely fantastic. He was entertaining while still providing historical context. An unusual tour worth every minute and one my son will never forget.

Worth seeing with a guide but…

Chris_M, Nov 2024

Overall enjoyed the tour. However there were 20 people which is not a small group as advertised. We could not hear our guide half the time. She was too far away and couldn’t really speak loud enough without disturbing others. Mainly though the gutsy 30-45 min was spent on the pillar support’s and all the different inspector generals. BORING!!! 2 hours is too long for the content of this tour.

Excellent

Kim_W, Oct 2024

Our guide was awesome! She was very knowledgeable and made it fun! She was from the US so her English was great. We had a wonderful time learning about the history.

Spooky

5q4wvhtyrt, Oct 2024

Samantha was great and we really enjoyed her recommendations. She was knowledgeable about the history and a little of the folklore. This would not have been enjoyable for a self guided tour.

Very memorable experience!

Jennifer_M, Oct 2024

Our guide was wonderful and very knowledgeable. The experience was worth every penny. I recommend this tour to everyone wishing to learn more about Paris.