Unusual Places: Musee des Egouts de Paris, France

Aside from the Eiffel Tower, the Louvre and Notre Dame Cathedral, Paris, often called the City of Romance, is also home to the Musee des Egouts de Paris, or Paris Sewer Museum. Museum visitors can tour part of Paris' extensive underground sewer system. This stretch, fortunately, is protected from raw sewage, so the smell isn't too bad. The museum, located within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower, also includes displays about the past and present of Paris' sewage system, which dates back to the 1300s. 

One of the city's quirkier tourist attractions, the Musée des Egouts (Paris Sewer Museum) affords visitors an intriguing glimpse into the historic sewer system, first developed around 1370 and extended very slowly in the centuries that followed. Comprising a labyrinthine network of over 2400 km/ 1491 miles of tunnels and "galleries", the "egouts" were not fully developed until the late 19th century, when the Baron Haussmann (known for radically reshaping the Parisian cityscape) collaborated with engineer Eugène Belgrand to create a truly modern and efficient system for managing waste and water runoff. Part of that network can today be visited, offering a genuinely unique perspective of what the city looks like from below ground. The "ick" factor is palpable on this tour: during the visit, you traipse across raised walkways and are able to see the sewage running below.

Exhibitions cover the development of Paris’ waste-water disposal system, including its resident rats (an estimated one sewer rat for every Parisian above ground). Enter via a rectangular maintenance hole topped with a kiosk across the street from 93 quai d’Orsay, 7e.

The sewers keep regular hours except – God forbid – when rain threatens to flood the tunnels. Toy rats are sold at its gift shop. This was included with the Paris Museum Pass. 

The Parisian "égouts" have long captured imaginations-- they have been referenced in great literature such as Victor Hugo's Les Misérables and Gaston Leroux's Phantom of the Opera, which inspired the eponymous (and more popular) musical. Think about reserving some time for this offbeat and under-appreciated attraction.

Looking for that uniquely different vacation destination. Call Rawhide Travel and Tours today 602-843-5100 or visit our website rawhidetravel.com. We can help!

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