Paris, the City of Light, is celebrated for its beauty, its architecture, and its rich history. Yet beneath its cobblestone streets and iconic landmarks lies an equally impressive underground network: the Parisian sewers. Stretching over 2,600 kilometers, these channels are far more than a simple system for wastewater disposal; they tell the story of the city, its development, and its challenges.
A Journey Through Time
The history of Paris’s sewers dates back to the Roman era when Lutetia (the ancient name of Paris) already had canals to drain wastewater. However, it wasn’t until the 19th century that the modern sewer system, as we know it today, came into being. Under the guidance of Baron Haussmann, the Prefect of the Seine, and engineer Eugène Belgrand, an extensive underground network was designed to meet the growing needs of a rapidly expanding city.
Before this period, Paris faced severe public health issues, with frequent epidemics caused by unsanitary conditions. Wastewater stagnated in the streets or was dumped into the Seine, polluting the city’s main water supply. The construction of modern sewers not only helped clean up Paris but also marked a turning point in urban planning and infrastructure management.
A Marvel of Engineering
The Paris sewer system is a true engineering marvel. Composed of vast vaulted galleries, main and secondary collectors, it is designed to collect and channel wastewater to treatment plants located on the city’s outskirts. The network is so extensive that it is often compared to an underground « twin » of Paris, with streets, avenues, and even intersections beneath the surface.
One of the most fascinating aspects of the Paris sewers is their accessibility. Unlike in many other cities, where sewers are closed off and inaccessible, Paris has opened its underground world to the public since the early 20th century. The Musée des Égouts, located near the Pont de l’Alma, offers a unique opportunity to discover this subterranean world. Visitors can learn how the sewers function, their history, and their crucial role in maintaining the city’s cleanliness.
Visiting the sewers of Paris is like diving into the city’s entrails and exploring its hidden side. It is also a chance to uncover the history of this network, intimately linked to the evolution and architecture of the capital’s streets.
A City Beneath the City
Beneath Paris lies a city within a city, with its own streets and traffic, as described by Victor Hugo in The Intestine of Leviathan, a chapter in Les Misérables dedicated to the Paris sewers—a subject of fascination for the writer.
Today, the sewers handle over 300 million cubic meters of rainwater and wastewater. Flowing through this unified, gravity-driven network, these waters are collected, redirected, and then pumped and treated at various plants. The sewers also house other conduits and circuits: drinking water, electricity, and even fiber optics.
Despite being over a century old, the operation of this underground network remains modern and relevant. This is one of its many unique features, along with its remarkable industrial heritage, a testament to the ingenuity of those who designed and maintain it.
A Living Museum
To better understand the history of the Paris sewers, a dedicated museum has been established. Long before the creation of the museum, guided tours of the sewers were organized. Starting in 1867, the year of the Universal Exposition, these tours were an immediate hit. And with good reason: the underground world, hidden from those on the surface, has endlessly fueled the imagination of Paris’s inhabitants and artists alike. To them, the sewers are not just a network of dark galleries transporting society’s waste; they are an inexhaustible source of inspiration and fantasy—a supernatural setting, a labyrinth where one might encounter fictional characters and other fantastical creatures.
The « promenade » through the Paris sewers was guided by sewer workers and took place by boat or wagon-van. It was a highly sought-after experience, attracting a diverse audience: crowned heads, thrill-seekers, and engineers on study missions. All came to discover the modernity of the capital and its underground workings.
The tour route evolved after the construction of the first metro line. Two sections were offered via the collectors at the Center or Petits-Champs and Sébastopol: the Quai du Louvre to Châtelet was traveled by boat, and Châtelet to Arts et Métiers by wagon. The traction was now electric. The journey was made in both directions, with transfers occurring at Châtelet. Each convoy carried around a hundred visitors, who marveled at the spacious, illuminated, and nearly odorless galleries.
The wagon route beneath Paris disappeared in the 1960s. Since 1975, a museum has recounted the history of the sewers and their various tools and machines. It is housed in the Alma plant, at the starting point of the siphon, in the heart of a working site. Visitors explore it along a 500-meter route, guided by sewer workers. The museum, first renovated in 1989, now welcomes approximately 100,000 visitors per year.
Address
Alma bridge, Place Habib Bourguiba, 75007 Paris
Opening hours
Tuesday to Sunday 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (last admission 4pm)
Closed on May 1, December 25 and the first 15 days of January
Duration of the visit
Duration can last 45 min to 1hr15
Course : 500 linear meters
How to dress
Preferably flat shoes
Plan to cover yourself
