Before I Die… explore the forbidden Catacombs of Paris

‘Before I Die…‘ is a series of posts about all the (feasible) things I personally want to experience and the places I want to see… before I die. – view the list

*THE CATACOMBS OF PARIS, FRANCE

“I’ve got less than 15,000 days before I die to explore the 197,000,000 square miles of Earth and try its infinite experiences.” -John Cain

Also known as the “Underground City Of Death”, “The Gateway to Hell” and “The World’s Largest Grave”. The latter being an actual description as some of the Catacombs of Paris is an ossuary of 6,000,000.

So the remains of six million of the departed occupy it. But it’s more like a city than a cemetery because they’re not encased out of sight in coffins but in plain view as if they were wallpaper and decorations.

Constructed over 200 years ago, The Catacombs of Paris have yet to be (and probably never will be) fully charted or even explored as it stretches on for untold miles upon miles under the streets of the city.

No surprise it’s the Holy Grail of urban exploration.

I don’t have an obsession with death or a particular interest in macabre but I can’t help be fascinated by this monstrous structure hidden beneath Paris.

I can’t believe it exists, but it does, therefore I must see this underworld of death before my own death.

I said I want to explore the “forbidden” Catacombs of Paris because a vast majority, or actually almost all of it is restricted and even illegal to access.

But it’s forbidden for good reason as it’s an incredibly complex two century old underground maze of horrors that has no source of light or cellular reception.

With that in mind, even without the millions of dead people literally laying and hanging around, the Paris Catacombs sounds like a thrilling adventure.

Needless to say, you can’t just find a hole in Paris and trek on through the Catacombs. When the time comes, I’ll have to find an experienced explorer to guide me through this hell. Being that’s it’s illegal, finding someone will be the first part of the journey.

For those who want less danger in an adventure, there’s a legitimate tour that gets great reviews.

Although it’s been renovated, modernized and only covers a small fraction of the Catacombs, I plan on taking this tour before venturing into the “forbidden”.

I’ll see you in hell, I mean France.

Before I Die…
Explore the forbidden Catacombs of Paris.