Catacombs of Paris Small Group Restricted Access Tour
Description
This VIP semi-private tour allows you to skip the long lines and unlock gates to hidden rooms in the Paris Catacombs. Join a small group of 7 people or fewer and an expert local guide, and discover the mysterious secrets buried under the streets of Paris.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Explore the hidden world beneath the streets of Paris, on this VIP small group tour of the Catacombs. Follow your guide more than 20 meters below street level, into the shadowy and fascinating world invisible to the locals and visitors strolling the boulevards above. Your guide will lead you along endless tunnels stacked with neat rows of millions of bones, and unlock gates closed to the general public taking into obscure rooms full of surprises. This semi-private VIP tour will ensure you get the most out of this exceptional visit, allowing you to bypass the lines and spend more time enjoying this unique and fragile site. Learn the intriguing tales of those who worked, visited and have been laid to rest here over the centuries, including some who ventured in and never came out again. Hear stories of secret societies that still visit today. Past and present Paris and its inhabitants come to life as you explore the city’s gloomy entrails concealed below the surface.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- There are 130 steps to enter the Paris Catacombs and 112 steps to exit.
- This tour is not accessible to wheelchair users or those with limited mobility.
- The tunnels can be slippery and remain at a temperature of around 14°C/57°F, even in summer. Guests are advised to wear sturdy shoes and bring warm clothing.
- Tickets for the Catacombs are non-refundable and cannot be exchanged. They must be used with the group at the booked time and their availability is limited. Entry times are also prebooked and are strictly adhered too, we must enter on time. For this reason we are unable to issue refunds to latecomers or no shows for missed tours.
- If you plan to arrive at the meeting point by taxi, please ensure you leave yourselves plenty of time, it can often take a considerable amount of time to find a taxi in Paris!
- The Catacombs are 20 meters/65 feet (and more) underground and the tunnels are narrow in places. This tour is not suitable for those with cardiac or respiratory problems, or suffering from claustrophobia.
Reviews(308)
Fantastic look into the history of the Parisian people and what they did to look after the dead, this place has been revamped and sells out very very fast, we struggled to get tickets but managed to get them for 6.15pm, no queue, lovely helpful staff, and audio comes with your ticket, you are quite far under ground and it is quite strange walking amongst all the bones which are stacked neatly but it’s an experience not to miss, and it’s just over the road from the metro and cost us €31 each.
We loved our small group guided tour of the Catacombs with Jonnie. It had been on my Bucket List for decades, and I am so glad we opted for this special experience of being in a group of only 7 people being guided around by a fabulous and friendly expert. It was a massive treat, also, to access the restricted areas of the Catacombs that other visitors don't get to enter. We felt looked after by Jonnie, and enjoyed his company very much. He is a lovely and engaging people-person, and was very happy to answer everyone's questions without any rushing, and was always offering to take photos for everyone. So glad we had this mega-upgrade on the standard experience, which in itself sounds like a bit of headache to get tickets for through the Catacombs' own ticketing system available only a few days ahead of the date you wish to visit. I would've felt I'd missed out by not experiencing the restricted areas, and would've returned home from Paris feeling that I hadn't done the Catacombs probably. Totally satisfied, now we're home, that we really did.
Jonny is right now leading the Memories family in our happy dance, so thrilled are we to read your amazing recommendation. We loved showing you the Catacombs as an "insider" and to know that it's long been a bucket list item only adds to our pleasure. Jonny is indeed a gem of a guide who knows the Catacombs like the back of his hand and comes alive at sharing that with a chosen few. Reserving with Memories is knowing that you've got an expert like him leading your expedition into Paris "from below." Thanks so much for this magnificent review, Odysseus (if I may).
Had a great visit to the Catacombs of Paris. Our tour guide, Anthony, was well-versed, fun and informative. It was an interesting visit while in Paris, and I would recommend.
Hi Kurtis, beyond its thrills and chils, the Catacombs is an way to understand Paris in a way like no other -- that is, if you've got a guide like Anthony who knows it all like the back of his hand. We love sharing that perspective on the shadows of the City of Light form below and were so glad you could join us!
Very informative and crazy to witness.
Thank you, Leanna, for the stellar recommendation. The Catacombs are indeed fantastically interesting, and when you have a Memories guide there to give you context and backstory you have a new understanding of Paris that could not be gained in any other way. We were so happy to offer that opportunity and delighted that you joined us!
Guide was fabulous but there was absolutely nothing VIP or Private access to this tour. We walked the same route as everyone getting a ticket at the door, so for the price I would skip it and just grab some audio tour headphones and enjoy the walk.
We are so sorry to hear of your disappointment. The Catacombs opened the morning of your visit after six months of closing for renovations and it was only at that precise moment that the heads of the Catacombs contacted us to let us know that the parts with only private access must remain closed a little longer. We had no advance warning at all ourselves, which we profoundly regret. From 21 April 2026 all should be open as normal. We will soon be in touch about a partial refund.
I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this tour. The tour was very respectful that this is a "cemetery". Our guide J Junohn was great! He was very knowledgeable on the history of the catacombs. If you go I highly recommend paying the extra for the VIP extra rooms. It was all around a great experience.
We love to surprise you with just how good a guided experience can be, far beyond the rote reading of guide-book explanations. A Memories guide, guides just like John, are hand selected for their excellence. And the Catacombs, we know and appreciate, are far more than just thrills and chills, but the final resting place of forbears. We do love taking you all through its spinetingling mysteries and histories but never lose sight of the fact that this is indeed a cemetery. Thanks so much for coming along with us!
Our tour guide Remy was amazing. I learned so much about the catacombs and really loved the entire experience. Definitely recommend!
Hi Tiffany - Bones are fascinating when you have a world-class interpreter there right with you to translate all the stories they have to tell! Memories guides have this gift and more and are delighted to share it with you. Thaks so much for this outstanding recommendation that we are so proud to have earned!
This tour was fantastic. John is an excellent guide and his relay of the history of the catacombs was informative and engaging. We appreciate the delicate respect he exhibited for those interred there. The ability to enter some of the restricted areas with John was well worth the investment into this tour.
Hello Jalina and thank you! John is a wonder, just the kind of talent and skill anyone should expect from a Memories guide in delicacy and depth. It's our pleasure to take you into the cordonned off spaces and we're delighted that you had such a good time!
Leo, our guide, oozed passion, knowledge and a love of the detailed history of the catacombs laced with a sense of humour. We had a fantastic tour in a small group including a young lad who asked a lot of questions which benefited all of us as we learnt so many extra things. He also spotted skulls with teeth which was also an extra for us. Leo answered all our questions with great patience and an unending knowledge. My favorite time in Paris.
Thank you so much for the kind words that we are proud to have earned through the art and skill of Leo, and to be your favorite time, is above all rewarding. We were happy to lead the expedition amongs the bones of our Paris forbears and tell you all the spinetingling tales they offer to us who have come after!
So interesting, to go down into the tunnels and see the catacombs! And learn the history! Astonishing! My husband's favorite tour!
It is our spintingley pleasure to take you round the netherworld of Paris. Once you've seen its history from below, you'll never see the City of Lights in the same way again. From Resistants to Phantoms the Catacombs are absolutly chock full of thrills and chills and we are on it to provide them to you. Thanks so much for joining in the fun!
