Paris Catacombs close for five-month renovation

The Catacombs of Paris, a network of tunnels under the French capital holding the remains of some six million people, has closed to the public for renovations.

The public institution, which is managed by Paris Musées, closed Monday and will reopen in Spring 2026, according to its website.

French officials said the electrical system will be completely renovated, while the ventilation, climate-control, fire safety and security systems will be replaced.

The renovation is needed to improve conservation conditions in the catacombs and to accommodate the nearly 2,000 daily visitors to the underground museum.

The museum is also improving the visitor experience with improvements to the visitor reception area, a new display highlighting the walls of bones and revealing previously unseen details, and a new audio-tour experience.

This work is being led by Artemis Architects and is expected to take five months, according to the museum.

"The site was not designed to accommodate 600,000 visitors per year," Isabelle Knafou, the administrator of the Catacombs of Paris, said in a statement to France Info.

The new security systems are likely to be a welcome renovation at the French museum in the wake of last month’s Louvre Museum heist.

In the wake of the Louvre Museum heist, which exposed vulnerabilities in the security of France’s most visited cultural sites, the Catacombs’ overhaul underscores a broader push by Paris tourist attractions to modernize infrastructure, safeguard collections, and reassure the public that such landmarks are being brought up to contemporary safety standards.