Paris Catacomb Tour is one of the most exciting tours offered in the French capital. Holding back the remnants and spirits of the human body was the basic aim behind constructing this site in the undergrounds of Paris city. The site is officially known as les carrières de Paris. The Catacombs of Paris is best known for its massive collection of bones transferred from the cemeteries to these underground tunnels made of stone queries.
In the later years of the 1700s until the mid 1800s, the bones were moved from the cemetery to this tunnel. Although people gave a negative notion regarding keeping the dead bodies in the tunnel in a disrespectful way, it continued to be one of the most interesting tourist destinations of Paris. Initially many visitors claimed to have heard ghostly voices and were too afraid to re-visit. Inspite of these rumors, tourists from foreign countries go for the Catacomb tour of Paris to see the unusual and interesting pattern of the tunnel.
Tour to Paris Catacombs
The Catacombs museum is open for public viewing from Tuesday to Friday from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. the Saturday morning trip from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. and the Sunday tour from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m offer the best guided tours to this tunnel. The visitors can reach this site by availing the metro heading for Denfert-Rochereau stop in Montparnasse, Paris. The entrance to Catacombs is just opposite to the Denfert-Rochereau Metro station. Both self tours and guided tours can be enjoyed here. Walking down 130 step staircases takes 20 meters into the underground tunnel. The meandering and dimly lit tunnel directs the visitors after they reach the painted pillars. The Denfert-Rochereau
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Ossuary or "Empire of the Dead" is the first noticed site in the tunnel, loaded with stacks of bones and human skulls heaped up to several feet high on every side.
Over 6 million skeletons can be viewed in the Catacombs. Touching or moving the contents are strictly prohibited. Taking photographs are only allowed inside the museum. The contents and exhibits carry labels narrating its history. The tunnel is an enclosed place with damp atmosphere and therefore, necessary precautions should be taken by the visitors. In spite of recent renovations, the tunnel features certain parts, which retain its original form.
Prime Attractions of Paris Catacombs
The Catacombs museum lies deep beneath the city preserving seven million Parisian's dead bodies. These skeletons are neatly stacked and aligned along the walls for nearly one kilometer, allowing a wide walking passage in between. The spiral staircase leads to the dark dampen tunnel. The approaching junction divides into 2 passages. The left passage leads to the heap of rock quarries neatly placed 300 kilometers underneath Paris. The right passage is approximately 25 meters bellow the surface level. The wet floor leads to the Ossuary of Denfert-Rochereaux. A door opens up to a gallery, where the bones of millions of people rest. Paris Catacombs features burials of Les Halles district, Cemetery of St. Nicolas des Champs, Rue Meslee, bodies from the riots in the Place de Greve and many more.
Paris Catacomb tour gets more interesting with the well-maintained galleries housed within the tunnel. A bell-shaped hall, known as "Cloche de Fontis" is one of the most interesting parts of the site. Paris Catacombs undergo regular renovation and changing of exhibits.
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