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Observatoire

The observatory was erected by Claude Perrault from 1667 to 1672 by order of Colbert. The building is oriented to the four cardinal directions. It is crossed in the centre by the Paris meridian (2° 20′ 14″ east of Greenwich). The observatory is not open to the public.

Address: 61, av de l'Observatoire, entrance: 77, av Denfert-Rochereau
Getting there: RER B: Denfert Rochereau, Métro: Royal Port(Bearing) or Denfert-Rochereau.
Website: obspm.fr (opens in a new tab)

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Listing from Wikivoyage: Paris/14th arrondissement, CC BY-SA 4.0.

Updated 28 Sept 2026. Something wrong? Tell us.

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Port-Royal Abbey
Famous people who stayed here include Marie de Rohan, intriguer during the Fronde; Jeanne Baptiste d'Albert de Luynes, future mistress of a duke of Savoy; Marie Angélique de Fontanges, mistress of Louis XIV, died here giving birth to his child who also died. Today its main cloister (illustration) forms part of the modern Hôpital Cochin.
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Lion of Belfort
This is a bronze replica in smaller scale of a monument created by Bartholdi, the sculptor of the Statue of Liberty, in order to commemorate Denfert-Rochereau, who defended the city of Belfort in the Franco-Prussian war of 1870.
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Catacombes de Paris
Used to store the exhumed bones from the overflowing Paris cemetery. The bones of more than 6 million bodies lie here.
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Les Catacombes de Paris
Catacombs of Paris
One of the most eye-popping sights of Paris, the catacombs represent a network of labyrinthine tunnels, first excavated in the Roman period, that now house the remains of over 6 million burials removed here from the various overcrowded cemeteries and charnel houses all over Paris in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. Well worth a visit: the atmosphere is suitably morbid and gloomy (without being too scary), the dark tunnels containing neatly stacked piles of skulls and long bones. There is a limit to the number of visitors allowed within the Catacombs at one time (200 persons). So, if you arrive just after opening, you must wait until someone exits, approximately 45–60 minutes, before anyone is admitted. Steep stairwell on the exit of the catacombs. Can be challenging for the elderly or the unfit. Tickets can be purchased online which allows you pick a date & time and to skip the long line.
Tue-Sun 09:45-20:30; last admission 19:30; closed Mon and public holidaysAdults (audioguide incl.): EUR 31, Reduced rate (audioguide incl.): EUR 25, Children (8 to 17 yo): EUR 15; Adults (same day “last minute”): EUR 15, Reduced rate (same day “last minute”): EUR 13, Children (under 18): free; Audioguide: EUR 5