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"Stop! This is the Empire of the Dead!" warns the greeting sign at the Catacombs, Paris' ancient tunnel network turned mass tomb. Only parts of it are open to the public, and the rest is rife with Parisian rebellion, romance, and idealism!
18th century Parisian cemeteries were so full that they were spoiling the city's wine and milk! Soon after, six million bodies were transferred to the city's ancient underground quarries.
People have long believed the Catacombs to be haunted. Most accounts can probably be attributed to smugglers making ghastly noises to scare citizens into staying out!
Since the network of underground tunnels is so vast, it's hard to dig deep foundations for new buildings. That's why Paris is counted among the most low-lying capital cities.
The French Resistance used the Catacombs to hide from the Nazis, who struggled to infiltrate them since they didn't have maps. One urban legend tells of a military unit vanishing into thin air!
People often enter the Catacombs illegally to party or paint murals. An entire cinema was even discovered. The electricity had been cut, with a note saying "Don't try to find us!"
If you want to avoid waiting for hours, your best bet is to book your tour in advance and skip the ticket line. Failing that, arriving 30 minutes to an hour before it opens (Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:00AM to 8:00PM) will cut the wait significantly.
A good (legal!) tour of the Catacombs should take two to three hours.
The chances of getting dirty are high, so dress down and wear comfortable shoes. Rest assured that there'll be at least six million people down there looking worse than you do!
Our tour guide was extremely knowledgeable of the history surrounding the chateaus we were scheduled to see on our tour. He kept the drives between each destination entertaining and really knew the history of the countryside and each town we passed through. I was so intrigued to learn more at each stop. I would recommend this tour to anyone considering it! I am so glad I chose to spend my day on this tour and got to see the beauty that was Chambord and Chenonceau and the accompanying wine tastings.
It was the perfect choice to enjoy the fantastically beautiful French countryside while driving and the glimpse at the royal and aristocrat lives. Michelle explained a lot of interesting history surrounding the Loire Valley and French Renaissance. Plus the lunch in the Chateau de Nitray? was great. I felt truly happy all day long.
Ruta made the long journey fly by with her wonderful historical stories. The stop for lunch at the private castle and winery was so interesting with great local food. Both castles while very different in character were fantastic! Been to Paris six times and first time out of the city was the best tour choice U could have made!
The guides on the bus were excellent, as was the size of our groups. The day is long, but the castle locations are far from Paris. The lunch provided was terrible and should be removed from the tour. Travelers can grab food at either castle. The lunch is just a wine sales pitch!
Great one day trip - Me and my wife enjoyed it very much, Good guide - Daniel the irish man, Definitely worth it!.
