Above the Catacombs in Lupin’s footsteps: A Paris Walking Tour

The Catacombs of Paris are world famous, but did you know that an episode of Netflix’s Lupin series was shot there? Some of the iconic scenes about the fictional fan of the ‘gentleman thief’, Arsène Lupin, were filmed in the Catacombs’ touristy sections, but others took place in private no-access tunnel networks. If you’ve ever dreamed of learning about the out-of-bounds parts of Paris’ underground tunnels without breaking the law or having to deal with bones and claustrophobia, then this walking tour through the city’s 14th arrondissement is for you.

We’ll stay above ground at street level, where the various scenes from the show's season 2, episode 4 were shot, and I’ll even show you the real location of Lupin’s secret staircase. I’ll also point out the Parisian neighbourhood where Lupin's temporary home was set. But this tour isn’t only about the gentleman thief. I’ll share plenty of interesting historical facts, like why six million cadavers ended up deep in the Catacombs. I’ll also tell you how the city created its own meridian line to try and rival the universal time standard based on Greenwich.

On this tour, you’ll have the opportunity to:

• Take in impressive buildings with over 400 years of layered history, including the Congrégation des Sœurs de Saint-Joseph de Cluny (the Convent of the Order of St. Joseph of Cluny) and the Cochin Hospital
• Hear true stories about jailbreaks from the Centre Pénitentiaire de Paris la Santé (the Santé Prison), some worthy of Lupin, some a tad more violent
• See actual buildings that members of the Resistance accessed via the Catacombs to avoid detection by the Nazis during WWII
• Find out about the Société des Gens de Lettres, or Literary Society, housed in Hôtel de Massa (Massa Hotel) where Maurice Leblanc worked before penning his Lupin short stories
• Follow a small stretch of the Paris Meridian
• Learn about François Arago’s invisible statue and where in the Jardin de l’Observatoire de Paris (the Paris Observatory) you can see a real statue of him

Allow up to an hour for this fun-filled walk where sound effects are used to reveal what lies behind certain tall walls, or deep under your feet. There are several stops along the way with benches for you to rest and free, public restrooms nearby.

Join me on this walk and together, we’ll dive deep into Paris’ macabre past!

Image credits: 1-3, 14, 16-18, 23, 33, 34 : © walk.Paris; 4 : C. Lansiaux, 9 : J Marlet , 12, 19 : A-H Collard, 15 : J-N Sobre. 21 : Anonyme / JL Prieur, 22 : PJ Maillart, 25 : Gaillard fils, 26: F Lix, 27 : E Bourdelin, 35 : H Godefroy CC0 Paris Musées / Musée Carnavalet - Histoire de Paris; 5 : Ordifana75 CC-BY-SA-3.0; 7 : N. E. Maurin CC BY 4.0, Wellcome Library, London; 8 : H Mitton CC-BY-SA-2.5; 10 : besopha, CC-BY-SA-2.0; 13 : Kos, Public Domain; 20 : Coyau / Wikimedia Commons CC BY-SA 3.0; 24 : François Mademba-Sy CC-BY-SA-4.0; 28: LPLT/ Wikimedia Commons CC-BY-SA-3.0; 29: Mbzt CC-BY-SA-4.0; 30: C Marville Public Domain; 31 : C Montard Public Domain; 32 : L Fontan Public Domain

Sound credits: 4 : M Marais - Chaconne, No. 82 by New Comma Baroque - MC Cataldi, Baroque violin, L Daihl, Baroque flute, PW Serna, viola da gamba & EJ Morlan, historical keyboards with Guest Artists M Bookout, viola da gamba & R Bookout, viola da gamba & lute CC-BY-SA-3. 05 : Church bells F Blume, Blackbird sounds naturenotesuk, CC0; 13: F Blume, CC0; 15: Hackney coach Gurek, CC0, Gregorian chant S Ramallo, CC BY 4.0; 17: kevp888/ K Luce, www.freesound.org, CC BY 4.0; 18: C Saint-Saëns - Danse Macabre, by K MacLeod, CC BY 3.0; 23: jvafi1, CC-BY-4.0; 26: richardemoore, CC-BY-4.0.