Stories
Catacombs
Not for the squeamish, the Paris catacombs offers about a mile-long walk through the damp, chilly labyrinth far under the city, a former quarry and current resting place for millions of bones. Seemingly endless spiral stairs deposit visitors below ground, where the tour begins with a look at the quarry’s history. The most memorable part is surely the ossuary, where skulls and femurs from over 6 million lost deceased Parisians are arranged in neat patterns along the corridors. Signs announce the places from which the bodies were exhumed, and engravings of famous poems hail the kingdom of death.
Address: 1 avenue du Colonel Henri Roi-Tanguy
Metro: Denfert-Rochereau (14ème)
Tel: 01 43 22 47 63
By Hannah L McDonald-Moniz
