Rats In The Sewers Of Paris?
 

I am looking at the Paris Walks series and one that might be interesting is the Sewer Walk BUT NOT if there is any chance I will come across a rat!!

Anyone walked this walk? Any rat sightings?

Unfortunately, there are definitely rats in the Metro but fortunately they tend to stay at track level as opposed to being on the platforms so at least you won't have any trouble in THAT mode of movement!

Paris is such a beautiful and perfect city that I'm sure they don't allow rats in it, even in the sewers.

I assume they're talking about the Egouts (sewers) tours that you can take on your own - organised tours throughout the day and unlikely to see any rats probably - i've been on the sewers tour and it's really quite antiseptic. Cancelled in times of large rain.
I doubt if Paris allows folks to just walk through other sewers - must be this one near the Eiffel Tower.

Sewers everywhere have the creatures that normally congregate in sewers--which means rats and mice. Having said that, I never saw any on the Paris sewer tour. I have, by the way been on the tour twice (with a huge gap in years in between) for those of you checking credentials.

Of course, no one could guarantee what YOU would see or not see.

A sort of "horror fascination" at the thought of rats caused me to google this subject. I saw numerous references to rats in the sewers tour including this: European Sewer Safari. Call in advance to arrange for a tour in English by one of Paris' sewer ... Sewer rats are frequently seen in their natural habitat on many sewer tours. ...
www.ooze.com/sewer/howto.html - 54k - Cached - Similar pages

A rat ran under my seat in an Amsterdam movie theater, but that didn't stop me from continuing to go to the movies!
Anyway, if there was one, it would run from you.
I'll wager there are rats anywhere you go - you just don't see them...

More than you'll ever want to know:
http://www.seattleweekly.com/news/0632/rats.php

SeaUrchin, LOL. I have a French-speaking cat I could lend you.

Anselm

Funny, I have been feeding and luring a stray cat to stick around my house because I saw two rats in my orange tree!!!

I think if there is any hint of a rat in the sewers that is enough for me....nevermind....

how about the underground tour of the Opera? Maybe just a Phantom?

Maybe this is a stupid question but never having been to Paris, why would anyone want to tour the sewers?

I thought the sewer tour was kind of cool, and I didn't see any rats (although I'd bet they may have been watching me!).

Why do it? The sewer system in Paris is historic and was perhaps the first modern sewer system. It's interesting to learn about parts of civilization that we normally take for granted. Also, it was pretty short and free with the Paris Visit pass I had.

good question! I think because some of them were built in the 1300's and Jean Valjean used to hang out down there and the Phantom, maybe.

http://itotd.com/articles/432/paris-sewers/

Well, who'd a thunk it? Thanks for the info.

in her novel "almost french", sarah durham talks about rats outside her apartment. i cant remember which arrondissement they live/d in!

no biggie, but the almost frenc book is by sarah turnbull, not sarah durham.

Hmmm, so there are many French rats. How do you say rat in French? Just in case I have to scream Je vois un "rat".

You cannot tour the sewers <i>per se</i> in Paris. You can visit a small portion of the sewers specially set up for visitors from the official entrance near the Alma bridge, but you cannot go wandering on your own, nor can anyone else take you outside the area for visitors. You are unlikely to see rats.

You may occasionally see mice scampering around the tracks in the M&eacute;tro, but not on the platforms or in other areas frequented by people.

You occasionally see rats in the streets of Paris - usually emerging from the wide drains at the edges of pavements/gutters, mainly during hot weather. I've seen them quite a few times.

The word for rat is spelt the same in French as English, but pronounced &quot;rah&quot;.

Eons ago as a college backpacker i slept at the Hotel du Park Bench outside Montparnasse station ... and awoke to see the largest rat i've ever seen emerging from a sewer just under my bench!