Paris Catacombs Entry & Seine River Cruise with Audio Guide
- Duration3 hours
- Departs fromParis
- Rating4.5 from 1,525 reviews
- CancellationFree cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time.
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the start time.
Below the city, then out on the river
Two set pieces, one booking
The ossuary and the Seine, bought once and used twice.
An hour on the water
Narrated, from Port de la Conférence, past Notre-Dame and the Petit Palais.
Six months to use the cruise
The two halves need not fall on the same afternoon.
Audio on both halves
Commentary underground in four languages, and on the boat.
Three museum entries
Up to three temporary exhibitions from a list of nine Paris museums.
The Catacombs half: your slot and the audio guide
The pitch is contrast. You spend an hour twenty metres under the 14th arrondissement in fourteen-degree air among the remains of several million people, and then you stand on the deck of a boat watching the same city go past in the sun. Few pairings in Paris work as well, and this one is a single purchase.
The Catacombs half is a timed entry ticket with an audio guide in French, English, German or Spanish — the same public route and the same commentary as the standalone ticket. The river half is a one-hour narrated cruise with Bateaux Mouches, boarding at Port de la Conférence, about ten minutes’ walk from the Eiffel Tower.
The useful detail is that the cruise ticket stays valid for six months. If your Catacombs slot lands at five in the afternoon and you would rather not cross Paris afterwards, you can take the boat another day entirely.
How the day fits together
- Tickets arrive by email. Between 24 and 2 hours before your Catacombs entry time — check the spam folder.
- Go to the ossuary door. 1 avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014 Paris, at your booked time. Late arrival costs the slot.
- Walk the route. About an hour underground with the headset, at your own pace.
- Surface at the far end. 21 bis avenue René-Coty, nearly 700 metres from where you went in.
- Cross to the river. Port de la Conférence, or come back another day within six months.
- One hour on the water. Notre-Dame, the Petit Palais, the Musée d’Orsay, the Eiffel Tower.
Who this suits — and who should book the two separately
Who this suits
First-time visitors with one full day, and anyone who likes the idea of the two halves of Paris in an afternoon. The six-month cruise validity also makes it a sensible buy if you are unsure how your first day will run.
Who should book something else
If what you want is a person explaining the bones, book a guided walk instead: there is no live guide on either half of this ticket. The special access tour adds a guide and opens chambers no ticket reaches. And if the river holds no interest, the plain entry ticket is a third of the price.
What the fare covers
Inside the fare
- ✓ Catacombs timed access entry ticket
- ✓ Audio guide for the catacombs in French, English, German or Spanish.
- ✓ 1-hour Seine River cruise
- ✓ Audio commentary for the Seine River cruise
- ✓ Includes access to up to 3 temporary exhibitions in Paris museums
- ✓ Musee de la Vie romantique
- ✓ Musee Cognacq-Jay
- ✓ Musee Cernuschi
- ✓ Musee Zadkine
- ✓ Musee Bourdelle
- ✓ Maison de Balzac
- ✓ Maison de Victor Hugo
- ✓ Musee de la Liberation de Paris
- ✓ Crypte archeologique de l'Ile de la Cite
Not included
- ✗ Live guide
- ✗ Transportation
Two meeting points, and the walk between them
There are two, and they are not near each other. The Catacombs half starts at 1 avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014 Paris, by Denfert-Rochereau. The cruise boards at Port de la Conférence, 75008, roughly ten minutes on foot from the Eiffel Tower and a métro ride from the ossuary exit.
Nothing connects them: transport between the two is not included, and the walk out of the Catacombs already leaves you nearly 700 metres from where you started. Budget half an hour to get across.
Know before you go
- The booked time is the entry time — arrive late at the ossuary and the ticket is lost
- Tickets come by email — between 24 and 2 hours ahead, so keep the phone charged
- The cruise keeps for six months — take the boat another day if the afternoon runs out
- 131 steps down, 112 up — the underground half is no gentler for being bundled
- 14 °C below, warm above — a layer you can take off is the whole answer
- No live guide on either half — both are audio, so bring the curiosity yourself
What travellers say about the combination
“The Paris Catacombs were fascinating, and the boat afterwards was a pleasant change of pace. The cruise commentary was hard to hear over the water, but the underground half more than carried the day.”
— Aaron T., United States · couple · August 2026 · ★★★★★
“The scale of the Paris Catacombs left us stunned — tunnel after tunnel of remains. Pleasantly cool on a hot day, and the audio guide is excellent.”
— Cory B., Australia · couple · August 2026 · ★★★★★
“Well organised and easy to find. The métro made getting between the Paris Catacombs and the river straightforward.”
— Melody K., United States · solo · July 2026 · ★★★★★
More accounts of every departure are on the reviews page.
Read all reviews for this tour →
Questions about this tour
Do the Catacombs and the cruise have to be the same day?
No. The cruise ticket is valid for six months from the date you book, so the two halves can be split however suits. The visiting guide has the ossuary’s opening hours if you are sequencing a day.
Is there a guide on this tour?
No. Both halves are audio-guided and there is no live guide underground or on the boat. For a guide, the special access tour is the one to look at.
What are the three museum entries?
Up to three temporary exhibitions chosen from nine listed Paris museums, among them the Musée Cognacq-Jay, the Maison de Victor Hugo and the Crypte archéologique. They are a bonus rather than the reason to book.
Where does the cruise leave from?
Port de la Conférence in the 8th, about ten minutes’ walk from the Eiffel Tower. It is a fair way from the Catacombs exit, so allow travel time.
Can I cancel?
Yes, in full, up to 24 hours before your Catacombs entry time. That is more generous than the plain entry ticket, which cannot be refunded at all.
Is the underground half the same route as the standard ticket?
Yes — the same 1.5 km public circuit and the same audio commentary. What it is like inside describes it step by step.
An hour under the city, an hour on the river
The ossuary and the Seine on one booking, with six months to take the cruise. Two sides of Paris in an afternoon, and three museum entries you did not pay extra for.