Paris Catacombs official website — how to use it
The official Paris Catacombs website is catacombes.paris.fr, with booking handled through a separate ticketing platform, billetterie-parismusees.paris.fr. Both cover practical visitor information, hours and history, but only the ticketing site sells timed entry slots, which release exactly seven days ahead at 10am Paris time and sell out fast. Booking direct is usually cheapest; a reseller ticket often has more available dates and skip-the-line convenience once official slots have gone.
If you search for the Paris Catacombs, you’ll land on two official-looking sites rather than one, and it’s easy to get confused between them. One is the museum’s own site, run by Paris Musées, and the other is the dedicated booking platform where the actual tickets are sold.
Neither is a scam or a reseller in disguise — they’re both genuinely official, just split across two purposes. This guide explains what each one is for, how the ticket release actually works, and when it makes more sense to book through a reseller instead.
Paris Catacombs Websites at a Glance
| Site | What it’s for |
|---|---|
| catacombes.paris.fr | History, practical visitor information, opening hours, accessibility notes |
| billetterie-parismusees.paris.fr | Buying the official timed ticket (the only place official tickets are sold) |
| A reseller (e.g. GetYourGuide) | Skip-the-line tickets and tours, often with more dates available |
What’s on the Official Museum Site
The main site, catacombes.paris.fr, is where you’ll find the Catacombs presented as a museum rather than a checkout. It covers the history of the site — how the ossuary came about from 1786, the quarrying of Lutetian limestone beneath Paris, and the story of how the bones were arranged into the walls you see today. There’s also a section aimed at families and a page of practical information: address, opening hours, accessibility notes and rules for visitors.
What it doesn’t do is sell you a ticket directly. Every “book now” link on the site redirects you to the separate ticketing platform, so treat catacombes.paris.fr as the place to read up on the history of the Catacombs and confirm the current opening hours before you book.
What’s on the Ticketing Site
Official Paris Catacombs tickets are sold only through billetterie-parismusees.paris.fr, the Paris Musées booking platform. It shows a calendar of available dates and time slots, current adult and reduced prices, and lets you select a specific entry time. It’s a straightforward checkout process, but it only shows the small number of dates currently released — it won’t show a date until that day’s slots have opened.
This is the site to bookmark if you plan to buy direct. It shows real-time availability for the days currently on sale, current pricing (adult tickets from around €31, with reduced rates for ages 18–26 and children), and confirms your specific entry time once you pay. The confirmation arrives as a QR code or PDF ticket, which you show at the entrance alongside ID if you’ve booked a reduced rate.
The catch is that it only ever shows a narrow window of dates. If the day you want hasn’t been released yet, the site simply won’t offer it — there’s no waiting list or notification feature built in, so you need to know when the next batch of tickets goes live.
How the 7-Day Release Works
Official Paris Catacombs tickets release exactly seven days ahead, at 10am Paris time, on a rolling daily basis. So on any given morning, the site opens up tickets for the date one week later. Popular dates — weekends, school holidays and the run-up to Halloween — can sell out within hours of release, which is why many visitors either set a reminder for 10am or book through a reseller instead.
This rolling release is the single most important thing to understand about booking direct. There’s no bulk release of a whole month at once; instead, each day at 10am, one new date becomes bookable, exactly a week out. If you’re planning a trip more than seven days in advance, you simply can’t lock in an official ticket yet — you can only note the date and come back to try at 10am on the right morning.
For visitors who want certainty well ahead of their trip, that’s the main appeal of a reseller ticket: it can usually be booked months in advance rather than one week out. Our guide to how to book Paris Catacombs tickets walks through both routes in detail.
Booking Direct vs Booking Through a Reseller
Booking direct through billetterie-parismusees.paris.fr is usually the cheapest option, at around €31 for an adult ticket including the audio guide, but it only opens seven days ahead and sells out quickly. A reseller ticket costs a little more but can typically be booked far in advance, offers more date choice once official slots have gone, and still gives skip-the-line entry.
Neither route is “wrong” — it depends on how far ahead you’re planning. If your trip is a week or less away and you can catch the 10am release, booking direct saves money. If you’re planning further out, travelling during a busy period, or you’ve already missed the official window for your dates, a skip-the-line ticket from a reseller is the more reliable option, and it still gets you the audio guide and a timed slot with no live queuing.
Whichever way you book, the same visit rules apply once you’re inside: the same 131 steps down, the same 14°C tunnels, and the same route through the ossuary. Choosing a quiet slot matters more for comfort than which website you used — see our guide to the best time to visit for timing advice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the official website for the Paris Catacombs?
The main official site is catacombes.paris.fr, run by Paris Musées, covering history and visitor information. Tickets themselves are sold on a separate official platform, billetterie-parismusees.paris.fr. Both are genuine official sites; the split simply reflects that the museum content and the ticketing system are run as two connected but distinct platforms.
Is billetterie-parismusees.paris.fr safe to buy from?
Yes. It’s the official Paris Musées ticketing platform used for the Catacombs and several other Paris museums, and it’s the only place official tickets are sold. Always check the URL matches exactly, since unofficial-looking copycat sites do sometimes appear in search results and charge inflated prices for the same tickets.
Why can’t I find tickets for the date I want on the official site?
Official tickets release only seven days ahead, on a rolling basis, at 10am Paris time. If your date is further away than that, it simply hasn’t gone on sale yet. Note the date, return at 10am a week before, or book a reseller ticket that can typically be secured much further in advance.
Can I buy Paris Catacombs tickets on arrival?
It’s very unreliable. Walk-up availability is minimal since entry is by timed slot and numbers underground are capped, so tickets for the day are usually gone well before you’d reach the entrance. Booking online in advance, whether direct or through a reseller, is the only dependable way to guarantee entry.
Does the official website show current opening hours?
Yes, catacombes.paris.fr lists the current schedule, which is Tuesday to Sunday, 9:45am to 8:30pm, with last admission at 7:30pm and Mondays closed. See our full opening hours guide for the complete picture, including annual closing dates.
Is the Paris Museum Pass accepted through either site?
No. The Paris Museum Pass is not valid at the Catacombs, whether you book through the official ticketing site or a reseller. You’ll need a dedicated ticket either way, so factor that into your Paris itinerary if you’re relying on the pass elsewhere.
Does the official site sell guided tours?
No, the official platform sells only standard timed entry with the audio guide. Live guided tours, small-group experiences and combined tickets with other attractions are sold through third-party operators. Our guide to guided tours rounds up the options if you’d prefer a live guide over the self-guided audio commentary.
Is it cheaper to book through the official site than a reseller?
Usually, yes. The official ticket is the base price, currently around €31 for an adult including the audio guide, while reseller tickets typically add a modest premium for the extra booking flexibility and further-ahead dates. If price is your main concern and you can catch the 10am release, book direct.
