Haunted Places in Paris

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If you’ve recently gone out and about the city, whether it’s to go shopping or to simply go for a walk, you’ve probably started feeling the Halloween atmosphere! But long before this tradition from the US crossed the Atlantic, France has already had its fair share of haunting and spooky stories. From accidental tragic deaths to murders inside Parisian homes, we hope you’re in the mood for some horror stories because you’re about to find out about the city’s dark side. Here are the 8 most haunted places in Paris.

 

1. The Phantom at the Opera Garnier

Gaston Leroux’s gothic love story is well-known and loved around the world but its roots don’t exactly stem from a romantic history. Apparently, a trip to the Opera’s dark, spacious underground can explain how a phantom could live there. Another story that inspired the famous novel-turned-musical came from 1896 when a grand chandelier fell and killed one of the construction workers.

It’s hard to say what is fact and what is fiction but in Leroux’s deathbed, he claimed that the Opera Garnier ghost really existed. But perhaps there’s only one way to find out… are you ready to book your tickets yet?

Address: Place de l’Opéra, 75009

Metro Access: Chaussée d’Antin La Fayette (Line 7 / 9)

 

2. The whispers in the catacombs

You might have already heard of the famous Paris Catacombs. How could we not include an underground tunnel fortified by skulls and bones of people in this list of Paris’ haunted places, right? But as if that wasn’t creepy enough, apparently there’s a ghost that awakens each time on November 3rd. In 1793, a man named Philihert Aspairt went down the catacombs and never got out. His bones were only found 11 years later and every year since his death, he haunts visitors by blowing out their candles or by whispering in their ears. Would you still like to go down the catacombs?

Address: 1 Avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy, 75014

Metro Access: Denfert-Rochereau (Line 4 /6)

 

3. The lost children on Rue des Chantres

Rue des Chantres is also known among many as ‘the most haunted street in Paris‘. While Île de la Cité may be one of the most beautiful and historic parts of Paris, it’s also seen a lot of tragedy throughout time. The haunting of Rue des Chantres stems from when sick children who were kept in the annex of Hotel-Dieu all drowned after a terrible flood in the 1900s. People have claimed to have heard the children’s screams and to have seen their shadows on this quiet street.

Address: Rue des Chantres on Île de la Cité, 75004

Metro Access: Cité (Line 4)

 

4. The Haunted House on Avenue Frochot

Avenue Frochot is a street lined with large houses in Pigalle, found on the foot of Montmartre and just around the corner from the famous Moulin Rouge. Go and have a walk along the avenue until you get to the first house on the street which is talked about as haunted. According to neighbors, eerie footsteps have been heard all while the neo-gothic mansion was empty. Many rumors of mysterious and unsolved deaths have come out of this mansion. A couple examples: an owner being brutally murdered and a house servant killed.

Address: 1 Avenue Frochot, 75009

Metro Access: Pigalle (Line 1 / 12)

 

5. A serial killer’s lair in the 16th

The affluent neighborhood of the 16th arrondissement is known for the Eiffel Tower, beautiful Haussmannian architecture, and its peace and quiet. That may have been why a doctor named Marcel Petiot could get away with murdering 27 victims for a time in 1943. During Nazi-occupied Paris, he lured Jews to his hôtel particulier at night by telling them he’d help them escape to Argentina. The ones looking to escape unfortunately only found demise in his basement.

Petiot was eventually caught in 1944 after neighbours complained of a constant unusual smell coming out of his apartment. To this day, Rue Le Sueur is known as Paris’ most sinister street and Petiot as “Dr. Satan”.

Address: 21 Rue Le Sueur, 75016

Metro Access: Argentine (Line 1)

 

6. The deathly bridge

Seeing this bridge today wouldn’t raise any questions about its history. But sadly, this place was where several suicides were committed. Precisely why it was called ‘suicide bridge’, many people were said to have jumped off the 22-meter high bridge to end their lives. Of course when you visit the park today, all you see are carefree people enjoying the greenery. Perhaps a visit at night might be a little different?

Address: Buttes Chaumont Park, 1 Rue Botzaris, 75019

Metro Access: Concorde / Tuileries (Line 1)

 

7. Death at Disneyland Paris

In 2016, a park employee was found dead in Disneyland Paris’ famous ‘Phantom Manor’.  While there isn’t a lot of mystery surrounding the death that is believed to have been caused by an accidental electrocution, the Phantom Manor might have just gotten a bit more scary since. Would you enter the Phatom Manor at Disneyland Paris?

 

INSIDR Tip: Le Manoir de Paris

If going to the haunted places we’ve mentioned above is a bit too ‘real’ for you, perhaps a simulated haunted experience would be better. Le Manoir de Paris is an adventure escape game where you can experience the fright of a lifetime. It’s been tried and tested by us here at INSIDR and we can definitely say that it’s both frightening and fun (well, when it’s over at least)! Ghosts and monsters will chase you, scream at you, and some will even do their best to grab you!

Address: 18 Rue de Paradis, 75010

Metro Access: Château d’Eau (Line 4)

 

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