Inside the Catacombs of Paris

The catacombs of Paris is the final resting place of millions of bones. Due to overpopulation and lack of sanitary conditions around cemeteries, the water became contaminated and became a source of infections around the area. In the 18th century the bones of Paris' dead were moved from their cemeteries to this abandoned stone mine.

We visited the Catacombs of Paris during our April 2011 travel. I was nervous at first because it's underground and I've recently I was claustrophobic after I did the Scavi tour in Rome. It was something different. It wasn't scary at all, nor did I feel claustrophobic. There were plenty of space and enough light to see.

What I felt wasn't fear. In fact it felt tranquil and serene in the catacombs. Layers and layers of skeletons were piled high and wide along the walls and you can't help wonder who these people were. I felt sadness that this is the resting place of so many, and to be unknown in a pile of millions.

Music by Kevin MacLeod

Category:

Travel & Events

Tags:

• Paris
• catacombs
• ossuary
• skulls
• bones
• skeletons
• tour
• tourism
• travel
• vacation
• exploration
• crypt
• adventure
• married2travel
• mine
• tomb
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• France
• walkthrough
• cemetery
• explore
• catacombes

[OperaGhostette]

Ahh thank you so much for this vid! I'm going to Paris in a couple weeks and am kinda OCD about *needing* to know what to expect in some degree, especially in places that can be considered unnerving like this. You saved me from having a panic attack here haha! I REALLY hope I have time to see the catacombs in person x.x

[Married2Travel]

@OperaGhostette Thanks for viewing it. Definitely worth a visit. You'll probably get more of the history if you go with a tour. Whatever I know about it, is from reading online. I was hesitant at first, just because of all the skeletons and I thought it was going to be narrow. It wasn't narrow if you suffer from claustrophobia. I hope you enjoy Paris.

[templarsoul]

Very cool! Guessing you may have done the tour. My son and I went solo. Only guard contact was the guy who yelled to turn the light off the camera and the one at the end (top of the stairs) who checked our bags for any possible stolen bones. He had a skull there he'd taken off someone only a few hours earlier!

[Married2Travel]

@templarsoul Actually we didn't do a tour. I wished we did so we could have learned more about the history. I'm guessing the guard in te catacomb must have been bored and lonely when we came that day. We also noticed some bones on the table on the way out. Kinda disturbing and disrespectful of people to do that.

[templarsoul]

Wow! Was there in July, 2010 and they made a HUGE thing about no lights (we had to sneak a few pics and vids), guess they changed the rules. You're very fortunate!

[Married2Travel]

@templarsoul I guess we were lucky. We didn't have any problems. Also one of the guards inside allowed us to take flash photos and showed us skulls with gunshot

[Married2Travel]

@trimalz There's no smell. It's just bones.

[trimalz]

what's the smell like? :)

[gturner38]

@sapin88100 It's no sadder than any other cemetary. A bit creepy? Yes, especially when you don't have the benefit of extra light and water is dripping through the ceiling, but not sad.

[BrunoMarsLover1999]

@Married2Travel Thanks so much. :)