Vivienne Mackie takes us down into the sewers of Paris.
For most, Paris conjures up images of the River Seine, Notre Dame Cathedral, the Louvre, and the iconic Eiffel Tower. But, beyond these icons are many other museums and sights that in any other place would be significant attractions. Paris also has a number of off-the-beaten-track treasures, one of which is Les Égouts, or the Sewers. Apparently tours of the sewer system have been popular since the 1800s during Victor Hugo’s time, so the off-beat has been around in this city for quite a while. Tourists were moved in the sewer tunnels in carts suspended from the walkways on the tunnel walls, and later by small carriages pulled by a locomotive. Nowadays it’s much easier.
Why an interest in the sewers of Paris?

Paris street sign
It’s a slightly round-about story that’s linked to Paris street signs. We always note the street signs in the city as they are often named after people who contributed to society or somehow left their mark. They were philosophers, scientists, writers, politicians, artists and architects. (For example, Rue Cler after a military general). So, it’s an easy way to take in a bit more French and/or Parisian history. One such sign we found was rue Bruneseau in the 13th with the explanation, “Créateur des égouts”. Monsieur Bruneseau may have made one of the most significant contributions—to Paris and to the rest of the world – as modern-style sewers are one of the most important inventions that caused life expectancy to double.

Entrance to Paris sewers and museum
So we decided we had to check out the sewers. It’s actually very easy to visit this strange underground attraction. The entrance is beside the Pont de l’Alma, with a huge blue sign on the Quai d’Orsay. From the bridge is a good view of the Eiffel Tower and the boats on the river. Parisian school kids regularly come on this tour, so if possible try to visit on a day when it’s not mobbed by excited young people.
This museum is really different from your mainstream city attraction. It’s part museum, about the history and development of the sewers, and water sanitation and purification since the Romans. And it’s partly a mini-tour of a small section of the sewers here. As I walk down the steps, into the underground of these Paris sewers, I can’t help feeling overtones of Hades and the River Styx. But, it turns out not to be gloomy or scary at all. It’s a self-guided tour with a brochure, and boards in the museum section, so you can stroll at a leisurely pace, reading all the signs and really gaining an understanding of how important this complex and highly-organized underground system really is. Sometimes free guided tours are available.

Explanatory sign in Paris sewer museum
The first underground system in Paris was constructed in 1370 and kings and governments since then enlarged the system as the city population expanded. The current 1,305-mile network of tunnels was constructed during the reign of Napoleon III, and is considered one of Baron Haussman’s finest achievements. If laid end to end, the tunnels would reach from Paris to Istanbul, apparently. It’s amazing how much is underground in the city, which is apparent when looking at this, and from watching the tunnels when going on the train and metro. The sewers also house freshwater pipes, telephone wires, traffic-light cables, and other utilities, and used to have the city’s pneumatic postal network (which was shut down in 1984).

Paris sewer tunnel
The sewer tour includes a film, photographic exhibition, a museum hall, and a walk through the 18-foot-high by 14-foot-wide tunnels or on raised walkways above the actual sewage. In the past, you could do an underground boat cruise, but they were stopped after a bank heist in which the robbers made their getaway via the sewers. The museum has artifacts from way back, including old dredging boats, filters, de-sanders and work boots. We also see huge balls, used for cleaning out the tunnels.
As we wander we gain a better understanding of the history and importance of these sewers, and get a real feeling for the atmosphere down here. What hits us first is the smell. The smell is dank and musty, just off-awful, so take a deep breath and hold it a while then breathe through your mouth a bit till you adjust. Next is the sound – the sound of rushing water, glinting under the grates; some pipes dripping with condensate, shining blackly. It’s dark down there, but is well-lit, and the ventilation is good.
Short History
Before these sewers were built in the mid-1800s, the life expectancy of average Parisians was only 30 years. The Parisians dumped their waste right outside their doorsteps. All this waste eventually found its way to the River Seine, which had then to supply the city’s drinking water. Waste in the streets and filthy drinking water led to much illness and death, especially from typhoid and cholera outbreaks. One solution, which didn’t change the problem, was to build mini-sewers in the middle of the roads with a collection trough just underground (but still exposed) that let the waste flow to the Seine.

Pipes sharing a Paris sewer tunnel
In the late 1700s Paris twice refused to build an updated water system, even though scientists recommended it. Voltaire criticized this refusal, and later even Louis Pasteur lost some of his children to typhoid. Under Napoleon 1 the first big breakthrough came: the first vaulted sewer network was built. Between 1805-1812 a man called Pierre-Emmanuel Bruneseau, the city’s municipal works inspector and a friend of Victor Hugo, was commissioned to undertake the building of many miles of new sewer. He laid new lines, extended the sewer tunnels, and disinfected and purified the whole network.
It’s all described by Victor Hugo in his 1862 monumental work, Les Misérables.
The next big breakthrough came with Napoleon III. Napoleon III and his advisors made the connection between wastewater, the need for clean drinking water, and disease, so in about 1850 he commissioned a huge new sewage system that would have a double water supply, one for drinking water and one for non-drinking water. He appointed Baron Haussmann, the prefect for the Seine, and Eugene Belgrand, an engineer, to design something underground to make Paris healthy and stench-free.
What exists now is an incredibly modern, very efficient underground system that collects and cleans wastewater and storm water before it is dumped (downstream) into the Seine, which still supplies drinking water. Tout à l’égout (everything to the sewer) is now the motto (and the rule) for all water in Paris. The water eventually makes its way to enormous water treatment facilities in Achéres or Noisy-le-Grand.
What makes Paris’ Sewers Special?
An interesting feature of the Paris sewer is that it’s a complete underground network dug under streets and boulevards. No other city in the world has a sewer network quite like this one in Paris. As mega cities develop the question of waste and sewage control becomes more and more relevant and perhaps they can learn from Paris. Each street in Paris, even if small, has its own sewer. The tunnels are named for the streets that lie directly above them. That sewer collects waste only from that street. Longer streets have more than one collection basin. Victor Hugo wrote about the sewers in Les Misérables, saying there is a mirror of Paris under herself. “Paris has beneath it another Paris; a Paris of sewers; which has its streets, its crossings, its squares, its blind-alleys, its arteries, and its circulation, which is of mire and minus the human form.” (Les Misérables, Vol. V, Book II, Ch. 1)
Besides the history of the sewers, the museum also covers the current ecology of the river area. The quality of water is much better now, even compared to 20 years ago. Fish and birds are back in the river.
The tour ends with a Wallace Fountain and a bathroom (not linked!). These Wallace Fountains (named after the English philanthropist – Sir Richard Wallace – who conceived and funded them) are in the form of green cast-iron caryatids in a circle with water coming up in the middle. They are dotted around the city and have become as much a symbol of the city as the Eiffel. The water is fine to drink—I’ve seen police filling their water bottles, school kids slurping, and old Parisiennes, loaded with shopping bags, lean and fill their cups.
For a good general article see Europe for Visitors
Admission charge: €4.30 for adults, €3.50 for 6-16.
Open Saturday-Wednesday, May-September 11am-6pm, October-April 11am-5pm. Closed Christmas Day and New Year’s Day and for two weeks in January for maintenance.
Address: Quai d’Orsay and Pont d’Alma
Entrance at ground level between Quai d’Orsay and the Seine. Look for the blue and white sign and the booth behind it.
Metro: Alma-Marceau (line 9)
RER: Pont d’Alma Line C