Why wait in a long line to see less of the Catacombs? Your guide, an English-speaking local expert, will lead your group straight past the lines and down into the 200-mile labyrinth of bone-lined galleries and former quarry tunnels. An inscription at the entrance reads “Arrête! C’est ici l’empire de la mort”, or “Stop! Here lies the empire of death”. In this eerie empire, you’ll encounter the remains of such dignitaries as Rabelais and Robespierre, among more than 6 million other former Parisians. While individual ticket holders must remain on the public routes, your guide will lead you off the well-traveled path. As well as other significant remains, like the hidden Gilbert’s Tomb, here you’ll find monuments to those who made their living in the empire of death. In the Port Mahon Gallery, you’ll see sculptures that an 18th-century quarry worker spent five years chiseling secretly from the tunnel walls, before being crushed in a cave-in. You’ll see the Quarryman’s Footbath and the Sepulchral Lamp, whose constant flame reassured the living that there was enough air in the tunnels. As you wind your way around the Catacombs, you’ll hear all about the history of this parallel city – and the many legends surrounding it. Once you’ve seen what lies just 65 feet below the city, your view of Paris will be forever changed.