Tour of Montparnasse in Paris: tower, cemetery and catacombs

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< Up	Travel / Tours / Paris / Montparnasse
Visit the Montparnasse area in Paris (14th/15th arrondissement)


Sections:	Introduction
	Montparnasse Station (Gare Montparnasse)
	Montparnasse Tower (Tour Montparnasse)
	Montparnasse Cemetery (Cimetière Montparnasse)
	Catacombs (Carrières et Catacombes de Paris)
	Further information
	Links

INTRODUCTION

This page describes some of the places to see in the Montparnasse quarter in Paris.

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MONTPARNASSE STATION

The focal point of the area is the train station: Gare Montparnasse.

MONTPARNASSE TOWER

The Montparnasse Tower ("Tour Maine-Montparnasse"; nearest Metro: Montparnasse-Bienvenüe) was built between 1969 and 1972. It is 209m high (the tallest skyscraper in France) and is visible from most parts of central Paris. The building is mainly used for offices, but you can take the lift to visit the 56th floor to enjoy panoramic views of Paris on three sides of the building (there is also a restaurant on this floor). You may also go up to the 59th floor to walk outside on the roof (also used as a helipad). There is an entrance charge.

Montparnasse Tower:
209m tall

Entrance for the 360-degree viewing area
(on the side near Montparnasse station)

The lift to the 56th floor
takes only 40 seconds

Panaramic views from the 56th floor

Walk up to the 59th floor for open-air views

Enter a coin in the telescope for close-up views:

The Eiffel Tower

The dome of Les Invalides

Montparnasse Cemetary

MONTPARNASSE CEMETERY

Montparnasse Cemetery (Cimetière de Montparnasse) is one of the largest cemeteries in Paris, covering about 18 hectares. The main entrance is at 3 boulevard Edgard Quinet, and the nearest Metro station is Montparnasse-Bienvenüe. Ask for a free plan at the main gate (there are also maps on boards near the entrances). The cemetery is organised in divisions numbered 1 to 30.

Some of the famous people who are buried here include the following:
- Samuel Becket (Irish playwright, author of "Waiting for Godot") (division 12)
- Jean-Paul Sartre & Simone de Beauvoir (existentialist writers) (division 20)
- Charles Baudelaire (poet, 1821-67, author of "The Flowers of Evil") (division 6)
- Serge Gainsbourg (singer and composer, married to Jane Birkin) (division 1)
- Jean Seberg (American actress) (division 13)
- André Citröen (founder of the French car company Citröen) (division 28)
- Charles Pigeon (inventor and industrialist) (division 22)
- Guy de Maupassant (novelist) (division 26)
- Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi (sculptor of the Statue of Liberty) (division 28)

View of the cemetary from the Montparnasse Tower ...

... and view of the tower from the cemetary

Jean Seberg
(American actress)

Serge Gainsbourg
(French singer/songwriter/actor)

Breathless [1959] (DVD)
Starring: Jean Seberg
Studio: Optimum Home Entertainment
Date: October 2000

Initials Sg (music CD)
Artist: Serge Gainsbourg
Label: Island
Date: February 2003

Sartre: The Philosopher of the 20th Century
Author: Bernard-Henri Levy
Publisher: Polity Press
Date: July 2003

The Complete Dramatic Works of Samuel Beckett
Author: Samuel Beckett
Publisher: Faber and Faber
Date: January 2006

"The Kiss"
(cubist sculpture by Brancusi, division 22)

Memorial to Frédéric Auguste Bartholdi
(the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty)

"Genie du Sommeil Eternel" by H. Daillion:
the "Angel of Eternal Sleep" (near division 1)

CATACOMBS

The Paris Catacombs ("carrières et catacombes de Paris") are a series of underground tunnels which were originally used as a limestone quarry in the time of the Romans. Towards the end of the 18th century there was a spread of disease in the city because of poorly buried bodies, and it was decided to remove the remains from some of the cemeteries and place them instead inside some of these tunnels. Thousands of skulls and bones were brought here and stacked on top of each other.

A section of the catacombs is open to the public (there is an entrance charge). The entrance is at 1 Place Denfert-Rochereau (nearest Metro: Denfert-Rochereau). Once you are inside you need to walk down about 100 steps to reach the tunnels, and climb a similar number at the end to return to the surface.You walk for about 500m through the tunnels. The exit is at 36 rue Rémy-Dumoncel (nearest Metro: Alesia or Mouton Duvernet). Allow about 1 hour for your visit.

The sign above the entrance door reads:
"Stop - here is the empire of death"

Skulls and bones are stacked up together ...

... lining the walls of the tunnels

FURTHER INFORMATION

Book a trip to Paris:
Anderson Tours: Travel/Tours/Company/AndersonTours
International Friends: Travel/Tours/Company/InternationalFriends

Useful websites:
Montparnasse Tower: http://www.tourmontparnasse56.com
Montparnasse Cemetery: http://www.v1.paris.fr/EN/Visiting/SITE.ASP?SITE=12002
Catacombs: http://www.v1.paris.fr/en/visiting/SITE.ASP?SITE=02027
(full information in French: http://www.paris.fr/portail/Culture/Portal.lut?page_id=6468&document_type_id=5&document_id=19970&portlet_id=14628)

Independent travel to Paris:
To book a Eurostar train ticket from London to Paris: Shop/Company/Eurostar
To book a Eurolines coach ticket from London to Paris: Shop/Company/NationalExpress
To book a flight to Paris: Travel/Transport/Air

Hostels/hotels in Paris:
Click here for: Accommodation in Paris

Weather forecast for Paris:
See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/weather/5day.shtml?world=0040

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LINKS

Visit Paris: Travel/Tours/Paris
Visit other parts of France: Travel/Tours/France

Home page: Home

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