It’s Paris: there’s tourists everywhere, and there’s queues everywhere. So, naturally, we had to stand in line to get down into the Catacombs. In fact, it was so busy that I even managed to pop over to the pharmacy across the street in that time to grab some cough syrup (not that type of cough syrup…I actually had a bad cough). However, despite the throngs of people, I was surprised that I still managed to have several stretches of walkway all to myself, often for minutes at a time. I guess that’s testament to the expanse of this underground cemetery. All those who were involved in digging this: I do not envy you.

What you need to know is that actually only a small portion of this underground network is open to the public. Most areas are closed off and difficult to access, though of course that doesn’t stop everyone. People have been known to sneak down and hold full-on raves and parties; “cataphiles” host secret tours and investigations; and various societies organise art exhibitions and concerts. However, the most intricate discovery to-date surely has to be the secret cinema that was found by the police in 2004: completely equipped with giant screen and projection equipment, audience seats carved into the rock, plus a fully-stocked bar and restaurant. The people behind this set-up were never found (I would have loved to talk to them, I’m sure they had some great stories to tell!).