St Pierre’s Spooky Guide to Paris

This St Pierre spooky places guide to Paris will take you on a bone-chilling tour of the City of Lights!

Paris is rich in history, and has no shortage of mysteries, hauntings and ghosts. So if you’re looking to celebrate the “Toussaint” (All Saint’s Day) on the spooky side, here are our five favourite haunting spots in Paris.

Spooky Places To Go In Paris

1. Go underground to Les Catacombes De Paris

One of Paris’ most famous haunts, the Catacombs are a labyrinth of tunnels 20 metres under the city filled from wall to wall with the remains of seven million people! That’s enough to send a shiver down anyone’s spine. It was created in the late 18^th Century as the overflowing cemeteries in Paris led to a decision to transfer their contents to the former mining tunnels. It took 12 years to complete the transfer of bones. During the French Revolution, it was decided to bury all the casualties directly in the catacombs, where they still remain to this day.

Would you dare to explore the underside of Paris and visit the Catacombs? Today, a mile of the tunnels are open to the public with guided tours available, or if you are of the braver kind, you can explore them solo as well.

2. Ghost hunting in Pere Lachaise Cemetery

In the 20^th borough of Paris, is the largest and most visited necropolis in the city. With over 70,000 burial plots the winding paths of the cemetery take you through gothic graves, ornate tombs and ancient mausoleums. Many famous writers, musicians, artists and politicians have the Pere Lachaise as their final resting place, including Chopin, Jim Morrison and Edith Piaf.

One of its most popular graves to visit, Oscar Wilde’s, is covered in lipstick marks from the kisses of his greatest admirers throughout the years, so even in its darker place, Paris always has a place for romance.

3. The Crypt of the Pantheon

Designed to outdo the churches of St Peter’s in Rome and St Paul’s in London, the Pantheon is located at the heart of the Latin Quarter. The former royal church is now a memorial for many well-known French writers, philosophers and politicians who shaped France’s history. If you aren’t spooked by the gruesome religious paintings in the entry head, you can make your way down the corridors to the crypts where you will find the tombs of Voltaire, Rousseau and Marie Curie to name a few. It’s debated whether the place is haunted or not, but it is definitely hauntingly beautiful.

4. Visit the Palais Garnier

Built in the 19^th Century, the Palais Garnier Opera house is one of the most beautiful and grand buildings in Paris. With golden trims and statues on its roof, it shines beautifully bright in the setting autumn sun. Real stories and myth become blurred at the Palais Garnier, as this was where the inspiration for Gaston Leroux’s Phantom of the Opera was born.  The story, which is said to be inspired by true events, tells the story of a masked figure haunting the halls of a grand opera. To his dying day, Gaston Leroux maintained the Phantom of the Opera really existed.  It’s up to you to decide whether you want to take his word for it, but just to be sure, his box number 5 remains reserved for him every night.

5. Rue des Chantres

Tucked behind the Notre Dame is said to be the most haunted street in Paris – Rue des Chantres. As disease swept through Paris in the 20^th Century, many of the sick children were sent to a hotel on the Rue des Chantres to quarantine. These children were housed in the lower parts of the hotel, locked away at night. One night, during a great storm, the Seine River broke its banks, flooding the hotel and tragically drowning the children inside. It is said that their ghosts can still be seen playing in the courtyard and many have claimed to hear the disembodied sounds of children whispering through the street. Maybe some of them hold Paris’ best kept secrets?

Did we give you an appetite for some spooky exploration for Halloween?

We hope you enjoyed our spooky places guide in Paris and wish you a happy Halloween! If you do go in one of these places, make sure to take a photo and tag @StPierreEurope on Instagram and Facebook!