The Forbidden Catacombs
6 million souls beneath your feet
📱 1 to 10 phones · 1 team per phone · Independent codes
Beneath Paris stretch 300 kilometers of galleries dug since Roman times. In 1786, the bones of 6 million Parisians were transferred there from the city's overflowing cemeteries. But the tunnels hide far more than bones — occult symbols, mysterious inscriptions, and forbidden passages known only to cataphiles.
Stop! Here lies the Empire of Death.
When you descend the 131 steps that lead 20 meters underground, the air changes. The smell of damp stone replaces that of the city. The silence is total — a silence of six million souls stacked in darkness for over two centuries. The official ossuary is only a tiny fraction of the underground network. Your mission will take you beyond the authorized limits, into the galleries that cataphiles have secretly explored for decades.
« "Stop! Here lies the Empire of Death." »— — Inscription at the entrance of the Catacombs ossuary, 1786
The Catacombs — the world's largest ossuary
The underground quarries of Paris were exploited from Gallo-Roman times to extract the limestone that built the city. Over the centuries, the network expanded to over 300 kilometers beneath the current 5th, 6th, 14th, and 15th arrondissements. In 1774, a series of deadly collapses revealed the danger these forgotten cavities posed beneath the streets.
In 1786, faced with the unsanitary conditions of the Cemetery of the Innocents — so saturated that bodies overflowed into neighboring cellars — the authorities decided to transfer the bones to the old quarries. For two years, nightly convoys of carts draped in black cloth transported the remains of six million Parisians. The bones were arranged in macabre decorative patterns — skulls in crosses, tibias in friezes — by the quarry inspector Héricart de Thury.
Since then, the catacombs have never ceased to fascinate. During World War II, the French Resistance established its headquarters there. Cataphiles — clandestine explorers — organize parties, film screenings, and concerts in the most remote chambers. In 2004, police even discovered a fully equipped clandestine cinema in a secret gallery.
A game, a guided tour and a heritage guide — all in one
You're not just buying an escape game. You're carrying a living guide — historical anecdotes, forgotten legends, key monuments, hidden architecture — unfolding as you go.
At each stop, places ordinary guides miss — secret façades, sculpted crests, alleys steeped in history.
Every riddle is rooted in a real historical fact or local legend. You leave with dozens of stories to tell.
Learn to read buildings — flamboyant Gothic, Baroque, Art Deco — like a real art historian, while having fun.
Walk through the city like a novel's character — every alley becomes a stage, every square a theatre.
A voice walks with you at every step, tells the story of each place, reads clues, adds a cinematic feel.
Keep access to the guide & game for 1 year. Come back any time, share it with friends.
« You will not leave this city the way you entered it. »
How does it work?
Explore the city on foot solving puzzles based on real historical facts. No locked room — the city is your playground.
No app to download. Play directly from your browser. Guided step by step, at your own pace.
One purchase per phone is enough. Play with family, friends or as a couple — everyone participates.
Point your phone at the façade: a historical character appears and speaks to you in your language. Golden letters magically write themselves on the wall to reveal the puzzle answer.
Stuck? Progressive personalised hints. The character repeats the puzzle on demand — at your own pace.
French, English, German, Spanish, Italian + 27 other languages auto-translated by AI.
The game downloads to your phone on start. Once the "✓ Downloaded" indicator appears, everything works without data — narration, AR, GPS and puzzles. Perfect abroad without a data plan.
The Route
5 stages through the city
The gameplay: AR, camera, hidden clues
At each stop, open your phone camera: an augmented reality character appears on the façade and speaks your language. Hunt the clue — it materializes as golden letters on the real wall or floats in front of you. When you find it, the phone vibrates, an AR chest opens and reveals your answer fragment. 8 stops, 8 clues to find with the camera, 1 final code.
The stops on your route are a surprise. You'll discover them one by one, guided by your phone, starting from the meeting point.
How does it work with a group?
One phone = one team. Pick the number at checkout (1 to 10).
Solo, or a group sharing the screen. One team, one code.
Family, couple, or 2-3 teams competing. Each phone has its own code and its own score.
Friends, bachelor/bachelorette, small office outing — each their own code, each plays at their own pace. Tiered pricing then €6 flat per phone from the 6th.
- ✓All codes are independent — play at the same time OR separately, each team advances at its own pace.
- ✓Leaderboard between your teams + global game leaderboard — each score appears in the public ranking.
- ✓More than 10 phones or need a personalized quest? Discover custom tours.
Ready to live this adventure?
Get my code · 12€No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒 Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
Practical info
Why this route?
Underground ossuary
Explore the world's largest ossuary — 6 million bones arranged across 1.7 km of galleries open to the public.
Occult mysteries
Decipher alchemical and Masonic symbols carved in stone since the 18th century.
Secret network
Discover the forbidden galleries known only to cataphiles — 300 km of tunnels beneath Paris.
Total immersion
14°C constant, darkness, silence — a unique sensory experience 20 meters underground.
Beneath Paris, the Empire of Death awaits.
Descend into the darkness where 6 million souls rest in silence.
9 features nobody else has
OddballTrip combines gamified play, augmented reality and AI. All our competitors deliver 1 or 2 of these angles. We deliver all 5.
AR treasure chest
A golden chest floats in front of the monument. Tap → opening animation → reveals a secret message.
AR narrator character
Point your phone at the façade: a knight, witch, monk, sailor, detective or ghost appears full-screen and speaks to you in your language with their dedicated ElevenLabs voice (each character has their own unique voice) — your living guide.
Magic golden letters
At the puzzle climax, golden letters magically write themselves on the real wall — that's the puzzle answer. An unforgettable visual effect.
Written + audio narration
Every puzzle available as text AND voice-over: read at your own pace or listen eyes-free while walking. Great in groups and for accessibility.
360° radar + vibration
A mini-radar shows the target even behind you, and the phone vibrates when you aim in the right direction.
Heritage storytelling
Every puzzle weaves in real historical facts (architecture, era, anecdotes). You learn by playing — like a gamified audioguide.
Progressive AI hints
3 levels of AI-generated help: vibe → where to look → answer format. You're never stuck.
AR selfie memento
At the end of the game, capture a selfie with OddballTrip banner + mascot, shareable on Instagram, TikTok.
Zero app to install
PWA technology: open the link, it plays in your browser. Same quality as an app, no App Store hassle.
Frequently asked questions
Q01Do I need an app or a paper guide?
Neither. Everything plays in your browser (Safari, Chrome) after you tap your activation link. No PDF to print, no download. The trail lives in your phone, that's it.
Q02How many stops are in The Forbidden Catacombs?
Eight stops total. At each stop you find a camera clue, solve the puzzle, collect a fragment of the final code. With all eight, you've got the answer.
Q03Can we play The Forbidden Catacombs as a couple?
Great two-person format. Narration is dramatic without overdoing it, puzzles are designed to spark conversation. Ideal for new relationships or anniversaries — you discover the city and coordinate on puzzles simultaneously.
Q04What's the best time to start?
Morning between 10 and 11, or early afternoon around 2 PM, is ideal. You still have daylight ahead, Paris · Catacombs, Montparnasse & Val-de-Grâce district is less crowded, and the light is better for camera clues.
Avis des aventuriers
Soyez le premier à partager votre expérience.
Did you play les catacombes interdites? Check the email you received after your game to leave a verified review.
Your turn to play
From bones to occult symbols, from forbidden galleries to secret passages — plunge into the world's largest ossuary in an underground escape game where every tunnel hides a mystery.
1 purchase = 1 phone. Play several on the same device.
No calendar booking. Code sent immediately by email.
🔒Secure payment · Code in 5 min · Free cancellation
🪙+15 TripCoins granted with your booking
Other escape games in France
View France→More destinations, tours & urban treasure hunts across the country
Explore other cities in France
Paris
The City of Light, cradle of riddles and legends
Versailles
The Sun King's palace and its intrigues
Reims
Coronation cathedral of the kings of France
Orléans
In Joan of Arc's footsteps, between Loire and history
Rouen
Joan of Arc's city and Monet's cathedral
Blois
Royal castle and assassination of the Duke of Guise