While Paris will always be known for its beautiful landmarks and impressive museums, there’s a darker, more mysterious side to it that is secretly being experienced. Abandoned, subterranean mines are places where daring artists find walls to paint on, weekend revelers find places to party and those looking for a more haunting experience, can tour the catacombs and come face to face with 18th and 19th century skulls. (Exploring the mines is strictly prohibited, though the Catacombs of Paris is open to the public.)Who better to show us this underworld than Stephen Alvarez, the National Geographic photographer who makes it his life’s mission to explore the world’s unseen? Alvarez leads us through Paris’ dark web of tunnels, giving us unprecedented access to Paris’ magnificent playground.
“More than 180 miles of quarry tunnels snake through the foundations of Paris, nearly all of them off-limits. Parties happen anyway.” – National Geographic
