Eiffel Tower and Catacombs tickets

Hi Julie, for the Eiffel Tower tickets - book directly through the official website. Tickets go on sale 90 days in advance at 8:30 a.m. (Paris time). In my experience, they sell out very quickly (less than 30 minutes). If you miss the deadline, try a behind the scenes tour with Get Your Guide tours. There are other companies that offer this type of tour but that's the one we've used (twice) with good results. One way or the other, get advance tickets for the Eiffel Tower. We like to go near sunset to see the city illuminated.

Regarding the Catacombs, I wouldn't bother with advance tickets. We arrived an hour before opening time and were among the first in line. It took about 2 minutes to purchase tickets on site. When the gates opened, they took a few from our regular line and a few from the pre-purchased tickets line. I didn't see much benefit to buying in advance. Get there early. By the time the gates opened, there were about 600 people in line behind us. They let 200 people in at a time then the next group waits about 45 minutes to enter.

Haven't used Headout. Hope you have a wonderful time in Paris!

Why are the Catacombs so crazy popular now. We went a few years ago and there was zero line and a handful of people underground. We had trouble finding it because we expected to use the line to zero in on the entrance.
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2013/01/12/catacombs-a-creepy-paris-stroll/
It was in November, but we walked by there last November and the line was blocks long. Why the tremendous increase in interest in just a few years?

I would absolutely purchase the Catacombes tickets in advance. It's not fun standing in line for 2.5 hours, when the line is around the block. Here's the official website, and you don't need a guide. You go in directly to the roped-off place in the front.
http://www.catacombes.paris.fr/en/homepage-catacombs-official-website

janet - it was the movie that started it all...

Which movie featured the Catacombs?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt2870612/
It seems that everybody and their mother has seen it...

And it's a stupid reason for anybody to stand in the cold rain for 2.5 hours.

Thanks - never heard of the movie or anyone in it, so I guess I move in different circles.

I feel so culturally detached. I go to a lot of movies and have never even heard of it.

I visited the Catacombs during my trip to Paris last August. I think the online tickets do sell out (there are a certain number allotted for each entrance time), but there were still several options available about a week before I visited. They are more expensive than showing up and purchasing tickets on site, but it was worth it to me when my friend and I showed up for our scheduled day and time and walked right in, while folks at the back of the long line were waiting a few hours for their turn.

Yes, the Catacombs website is a bit confusing! I do suggest buying and printing your tickets at home if you buy them online, so you don't have to worry about doing that at your hotel (my mistake- live and learn!- though it all worked out thanks to fantastic hotel staff at Tres Pouissins). And the online tickets include the audio guide, which is a separate charge if you buy tickets at the entrance.

Have a wonderful time!

We are visiting the Catacombs this summer and will be pre-purchasing our tickets via 'Headout'. They are not on sale as of yet, but we are watching every week to see when we can purchase.

The advantage as well is as states on the Headout.com website:
**Bypass tediously long queues with your skip-the-line ticket and head straight into a mysterious network of tunnels, 20 meters below the streets of Paris. Wander through a labyrinth of walls lined with skulls and bones as your audio guide reveals stories and legends from the Catacombs of Paris. Your ticket includes priority access to parts of the Catacombs not open to the general public.

We will be going to the Eiffel tower as well, and instead of pre-booking tickets and waiting in the lines, we do the stairs. Cost is about $10 Euros pp, and virtually no line ups and you still can take the lift back down.

We pre-purchased our tickets for our catacombs visit his past summer and I highly recommend doing so. Saved us SO much time. We purchased right from the Catacombs site.

I speak French so if you need help navigating he site, dm me and I would be happy to help you buy the tickets online. No need to go through a tour operator at all

Definitely get tickets on the official websites for both the Eiffel Tower and the Catacombs. We were able to walk right up to entrances at both places while bypassing incredibly long lines. (We were in Paris in mid-July, so height of the tourist season).

We purchased both at the official websites. Both allowed us to walk right in. The catacombs line was around the block and we went in right at our appointed time. There was still security at the Eiffel that took a bit of time.