palette

My dil and I are taking my 11 yr old g-daughter to Paris this April. We are considering seeing the catecombs, but dil suffers from a mild case of claustrophobia and is concerned she won't make it through without hyperventilating. Has anyone actually walked the tour; how dark, dank, closed in, scarey is it? And how long does it take to complete? I recall reading that no photos are allowed; still so? [email protected]

Patrick

It took us about an hour to go through. Yes it is all you say, dark, damp, sometimes cramped. I'm 6' and had to duck frequently. Here and there it opens into wider chambers and there are some lights all the way -- never pitch dark. But coupled with the sight of thousands of human bones, I would not think it is a place for the claustrophopic or the squeamish.<BR><BR>Yes, pictures are still forbidden (but don't tell anyone) I know for a fact that many are taken.

palette

Thanks, Patrick. Just what I needed. I thought I had read that it took about an hour, and this may be too long for dil. Maybe we will leave her at a cafe while g-d and I give it a try.

londongirl

I didn't find it to be at all cramped, the passageways are all quite wide, but with low cielings as Patrick mentioned. The only part I would worry about is the staircase as you climb back to street level- It's quite steep and narrow. But if her claustrophobia is mild, I wouldn't think it would be too much- keep climbing and its over quickly.<BR><BR>Have fun- this was one of the most interesting places we visited in Paris.

DiAblo

The Catacombs were indeed interesting and one of the highlights of my trip. The other posters are on the nose, but for an added opinion I would say, no, this is not a place for the claustrophobic. It would be easy to say it “isn’t bad,” but a person who is truly claustrophobic might well have problems. That’s a shame of course in that once one finishes the walk one realizes that there was nothing to fear or worry about; but then one doesn’t know that till it’s over. I was slightly disappointed that the walking tour isn’t longer. I've read that there are over 200 miles of passageways and corridors but that slightly over 2 miles is all the public is allowed access to. A few years back the National Geographic ran a wonderful pictorial about the Catacombs, you might call your local library and ask if they have it available or check on line.

elston

We took our son through the Catacombs several years ago - he must have been 11 or 12 at the time - what a mistake! He freaked out totally and we had to run around and find a guard to let us out an emergency exit. Cant say I minded having to escape myself as I was getting pretty creeped out as well. My husband, on the other hand, loved the place. It's dark, damp, kind of stinky and really close quarters - amazing place actually, but not for the easily spooked!

Amy

I also found the catacombs fascinating. I'm not fond of enclosed spaces (the CuChi tunnels in Vietnam were pretty interesting, for example) but I'm not sure if it would be considered a degree of claustrophobia. It really just depends on her usual level of tolerance, I guess.<BR><BR>Another site that might be interesting for the 11 year old is Les Egouts--the sewers. They have quite high vaulted ceilings (better for the claustrophobic) and are well known to most kids from Disney's Hunchback of Notre Dame or the more sophisticated who have seen Les Miz. Of course the gross-out value is usually an extra bonus for that age!

palette

Thanks for the nice mix of opinions. The sewers are going to be out &quot;test run&quot; for dil - if she manages that, she might just do the catacombs. Last visit we climbed to the top of Sacre Couer; I didn't realize at the time but the enclosed stairs were really difficult for her, even knowing that at some point they would end. I just wish they had mileposts on the wall - another 100 steps, another 50, you are here...so you would know how much more torture you faced!!