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Paris Catacombs and Seine River Cruise: Combos, Hours, Getting There

The Paris Catacombs and a Seine river cruise make a combo of contrasts, not of proximity: on foot, the Vert-Galant pier is 37 minutes from the ossuary; by Métro (line 4, Saint-Michel), the quai de Montebello is the most direct. Here is when the combo ticket is worth the price, how to get to the boat, and which order to do them in.

Combo price
from about €90, up to €130 with a guided tour
Entry alone
€31 adult, audio guide included; €15 for ages 8–17
Closed
Mondays; open Tuesday to Sunday, 9:45 am–8:30 pm
Last entry
7:30 pm
Pier on foot
Square du Vert-Galant (Pont Neuf), 37 min
By Métro
line 4 from Denfert-Rochereau to Saint-Michel: the quai de Montebello is the most direct

Updated October 17, 2026Facts checked against official sourcesContains affiliate links

Catacombs + cruise: what you can book

3 offers · Prices checked on October 17, 2026

See everything on Headout →See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Tiqets →

Closed Mondays: Catacombs hours and booking

The Paris Catacombs are open Tuesday to Sunday, from 9:45 am to 8:30 pm, with last entry at 7:30 pm. They are closed on Mondays. The entrance is at 1 avenue du Colonel-Henri-Rol-Tanguy, on the Place Denfert-Rochereau, in the 14th arrondissement.

So Monday is the day to avoid for a combo, all the more since several museums near the river, such as Orsay, also close that day. The boats sail every day: if your cruise ticket is not dated, keep Monday for the Seine and put the Catacombs on another day.

The museum strongly recommends booking online for all paid tickets; according to travel guides, slots open about a week ahead, and they can go fast in high season. That is the real reason Catacombs combos exist: when the official site has no slots left on your date, a platform sometimes still has one. Several sources also say the Paris Museum Pass is not accepted at the Catacombs, which pushes visitors toward combo tickets as well.

The late closing time, 8:30 pm, is a plus: you can do the cruise in the afternoon and the ossuary afterward, or the other way around if you start early.

Audio guide included: what you are really paying for

On the official site, a full-price ticket costs €31, and the audio guide is included in that price. The reduced rate is €25, ages 8 to 17 pay €15, and entry is free for under-8s. So a combo that advertises "audio guide included" gives you nothing more than the official ticket on that score.

Let's do the math. An adult who buys the official entry plus a one-hour cruise online pays about €48 (€31 + €17 at Bateaux Mouches); with Vedettes du Pont Neuf, at the Vert-Galant, about €46. Catacombs and cruise combos start at around €90 and go up to €130. The difference, €40 to €80, pays for an available slot, sometimes faster entry, and in one case a guided tour with a specialist.

In our view the rule is simple. If the official site still has slots on your date, buy your entry there and get the cruise separately. If everything is sold out, or if you want a guide rather than an audio guide, the combo becomes worthwhile. For a child under 8, official entry is free: only the boat needs paying for, and it is free under 4 at all four big companies. Each company's fares are on our Seine river cruise tickets page.

Catacombs and Seine cruise combos compared

Headout sells the cheapest Catacombs combo in our comparison, around €90, with a Seine cruise. GetYourGuide has four options: entry with an audio guide and a cruise, the same with the cruise as an option, a slightly pricier ticket with a cruise, and a guided tour with a specialist followed by a cruise. Tiqets has entry, the audio guide and a cruise. The table compares the same pairing on all three platforms.

Price check Catacombs + cruise on more than one platform Difference: €30
PlatformListingRatingPriceWhere
Headout Combo: Catacombs Tickets + Seine River Cruise 4.7 (799) €90 Lowest See on Headout
GetYourGuide Paris: Catacombs Entry & Seine River Cruise with Audio Guide · 3 hours 4.5 (1,622) €115 See on GetYourGuide
Tiqets Catacombs of Paris: Entry Ticket + Seine River Cruise + Audio Guide 5.0 (2) €120 See on Tiqets

Lowest adult price per person in euros, checked on October 17, 2026. Times, menus and options can differ between platforms; check before you pay.

Before you choose, check three things on the product page: the time of your Catacombs slot, the boat company (which sets the pier) and how long the cruise ticket is valid. An undated cruise lets you take the boat on another day, which solves the getting-there problem. Cancellation terms depend on the listing and are shown before you pay; to compare the platforms, see GetYourGuide, Tiqets or Headout.

See everything on Headout →See everything on GetYourGuide →See everything on Tiqets →Prices checked on October 17, 2026

Far from the Seine: getting to the boat from Denfert

The Catacombs are the farthest venue from the river among the combos we track. On foot, the Square du Vert-Galant, below the Pont Neuf, is about 3.1 km (2 miles) and 37 minutes away; the Port de Solférino, below Orsay, 41 minutes; the Eiffel Tower and Alma pontoons close to an hour. After a visit spent on your feet underground, few people feel like that walk.

Métro line 4 solves the problem. From Denfert-Rochereau it runs straight up toward the Seine: get off at Saint-Michel for the quai de Montebello, opposite Notre-Dame, or at Cité to walk across the Île de la Cité to the Pont Neuf and the Square du Vert-Galant.

At the Vert-Galant, Vedettes du Pont Neuf cruises leave daily from 10:30 am, roughly every 30 to 60 minutes, with a live guide in French and English; you reach the pontoon by a staircase from the bridge. At the quai de Montebello there are two options: the Batobus "Notre-Dame" stop, and, from April to September only, the Bateaux Parisiens Notre-Dame & Champagne cruise. For the Eiffel Tower pontoons, take the Métro or the Batobus. Every quay is on our Seine piers page.

Île de la Cité and Île Saint-LouisÎle aux CygnesPont amontPont NationalPont de TolbiacPasserelle Simone-de-BeauvoirPont de BercyPont Charles-de-GaulleViaduc d’AusterlitzPont d’AusterlitzPont de SullyPont de la TournellePont MariePont Louis-PhilippePont Saint-LouisPont de l’ArchevêchéPont au DoublePont d’ArcolePetit-PontPont Notre-DamePont Saint-MichelPont au ChangePont NeufPont des ArtsPont du CarrouselPont RoyalPasserelle Léopold-Sédar-SenghorPont de la ConcordePont Alexandre-IIIPont des InvalidesPont de l’AlmaPasserelle DebillyPont d’IénaPont de Bir-HakeimPont RouellePont de GrenellePont MirabeauPont du GariglianoPont avalupstream · Bercy →← downstream · JavelRight bankLeft bankBnF libraryBercyJardin des PlantesÎle Saint-LouisNotre-DameHôtel de VilleConciergerieInstitut de FranceLouvreMusée d'OrsayTuileriesConcordeNational AssemblyGrand PalaisInvalidesPalais de TokyoTrocadéroEiffel TowerStatue of LibertyMaison de la Radio Bercy Austerlitz1 cruises Rapée Arsenal · Bastille1 cruises Jardin des Plantes Henri IV Hôtel de Ville Notre-Dame1 cruises Pont Neuf2 cruises Pont des Arts Louvre Orsay · Solférino10 cruises Champs-Élysées Invalides Pont de l'Alma18 cruises Debilly1 cruises Eiffel Tower35 cruises Suffren9 cruises Île aux Cygnes Beaugrenelle Grenelle Passy9 cruises Javel5 cruises Javel Bas

PierBridgeIsland

Schematic: positions follow the river kilometre, not to scale. Right bank above, left bank below.

Underground, then on the water: planning the day

The first plan, the simplest: the Catacombs on the first slot, at 9:45 am, then Métro line 4 to Cité, lunch on the island or in the Latin Quarter, then the afternoon cruise from the Vert-Galant. You end up in the heart of the city, by the water, with no clock to watch.

The second plan, for summer evenings: the Catacombs in the late afternoon, then the Bateaux Parisiens Notre-Dame & Champagne cruise from the quai de Montebello, at 7 pm, 8:30 pm or 10 pm. It lasts an hour, with a live guide in French and English and a glass of champagne, a beer or a soft drink. The ticket is dated, timed and non-refundable, and the boat is not wheelchair accessible. It only runs from April to September; out of season, an evening cruise from the Pont Neuf or the Eiffel Tower takes over. See our Seine river night cruise page.

The third plan, if your combo includes a cruise from the Eiffel Tower: take the boat on another day, together with the tower, and keep the Catacombs for a morning. Our Eiffel Tower and Seine river cruise page explains the two pontoons. Whatever you do, wear good shoes: the whole visit is on foot.

When the Catacombs combo is worth the price

The combo pays off in three situations. First, when the official site shows sold out for the dates of your stay: paying €40 more beats missing out. Second, when you want a guided tour with a specialist, which the official ticket does not offer. Third, when you would rather have a single purchase and a single voucher for a busy day.

Otherwise, two separate purchases cost half as much and leave you more freedom: the official entry with its audio guide, and a one-hour cruise, whose ticket is valid for a year when bought on the Bateaux Parisiens or Bateaux Mouches website. The four sightseeing companies are compared on our one-hour Seine river cruise page.

One last point for families: entry is free under 8, but we cannot tell you how a young child will take a visit to an ossuary; that is your call. The other museum + boat pairings, closer to the water, are gathered on our museum and cruise combos page, starting with Orsay and museums with a cruise.

Our picks

Our pick

1

The cheapest

Entry to the Catacombs and a Seine river cruise, for around €90.

2

Cruise if you want it

Entry with an audio guide, and the boat only if you choose to add it.

3

With a specialist

A guided Catacombs tour, then a cruise: the only combo that adds a guide.

Frequently asked questions

Are the Catacombs open on Mondays?

No. They are open Tuesday to Sunday, from 9:45 am to 8:30 pm, with last entry at 7:30 pm. The boats, on the other hand, sail every day.

Do you pay extra for the audio guide at the Catacombs?

No: it is included in the €31 official ticket. A combo sold as "audio guide included" gives you nothing more on that score.

Can I walk from the Catacombs to the boat?

You can, but it is a long way: 37 minutes to the Pont Neuf. Métro line 4, from Denfert-Rochereau to Cité or Saint-Michel, is much simpler.

Why is a Catacombs combo so expensive?

You are mostly paying for an available slot, often sold out on the official site, and sometimes a guided tour. If the official site has space, two separate tickets come to about half the price.

Do I have to do the cruise on the same day?

Not necessarily: the combo's product page states how long the boat ticket is valid. An undated cruise can be done on another day.

Keep exploring

Private & combosPrivate cruisefrom €80 Private & combosProposal cruisefrom €399 Private & combosBachelorette & birthdayfrom €80 CombosMuseum + cruise combosfrom €29 CombosEiffel Tower + cruisefrom €18 CombosLouvre + cruisefrom €44 CombosMoulin Rouge + cruisefrom €13 CombosOrsay & museums + cruisefrom €29