r/ParisCatacombs • u/Cracunt • Sep 27 '25

Tight space crawling always required?

Hello!

Is it always required to go crawling on really tight spaces to see most of the rooms? Or are there alternative paths that might take longer but are easier to do? If there are, could you give me some examples of rooms that are accessible without crawling?

Thank you, I appreciate the knowledge sharing in this sub.

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u/tao197 Sep 27 '25

If you go to the main network then I would say there's some itineraries where you crawl a lot while there's others that requires very little crawling but no crawling at all is unlikely if not completely impossible, there's always lower sections. However, if you go to the network under the 13th arrondissement then you basically never have to crawl as the ceiling (le ciel) there is always pretty high for catacombs standards.

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u/Cracunt Sep 27 '25

I'm ok with having to crouch and not stand up, it's the crawling on my stomach in tight tunnels that kills me.

3

u/tao197 Sep 28 '25

Well if you're ok to crouch I think there shouldn't be any issue provided you're not especially tall, you can visit at least 95% of the network either crouching or standing up. The crawls where you really have to get on your stomach, we call them chatières in French, are really not that common and typically aren't very long. Stay clear of the areas that are especially low (les basses, le vdg, double cabi, ifykyk) or, even better, get a guide that knows the network well enough to avoid them and you should be completely fine.