Paris Sewer Museum
Photo: Own work — CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Discover the history and evolution of Paris’s sewer system through multimedia exhibits and guided tours in the Paris Sewer Museum.
Planning your visit
The Paris sewers are a genuine engineering monument, and the museum takes visitors into them — the actual working tunnels beneath the Left Bank near Pont de l'Alma, with the water flowing past.
Haussmann's rebuilding of Paris in the 1850s and 60s included a sewer network designed by Eugène Belgrand on a scale unmatched anywhere, with galleries large enough to walk through, each carrying a plaque naming the street above so the underground mirrors the city exactly. The system now runs to some 2,400 kilometres.
The museum, reopened after renovation, covers the history of Parisian water and waste from Roman times through the cesspit era to the modern network, with the machinery used to clear the tunnels — including the boules that are floated through to scour them.
The smell is real but milder than expected, and the experience is unlike any other museum in the city.
Allow an hour. Bookable options include private tours combining it with Père Lachaise. Current availability is listed below.
Before you book
Where is Paris Sewer Museum?
Paris Sewer Museum is in Paris, France. The map on this page marks its exact location.
How long should I allow for Paris Sewer Museum?
Allow an hour. That is the time the collection itself takes at an unhurried pace, before any queue.
Do I need to book Paris Sewer Museum in advance?
Private tours are arranged for a set date and time, so they need booking in advance.
