Yes, that s right folks. One of Paris s top
tourist attractions are the sewers but please don t get any funny ideas
now. The French look at their sewers differently than us mainly due to
their historical influence on the city of Paris to this very day.
I find it a bit hard to believe but Paris has
opened their sewers to the public as part of their tourism attraction
ever since 1867! It was so popular by the end of the 19th century that
small mechanical locomotives were outfitted to cater for the growing
number of tourists. It was later replaced by boats and trolleys. It was
believed that the Paris sewer trolleys gave way to the idea of the
subway system now common everywhere in the world.
Nowadays of course, all the past trolleys and
boats are all gone and Paris has organized an even better attraction to
showcase their historical sewers. The Mus e des gouts de Paris or the
Paris Sewers Museum! It is located in the sewers (where else!) right
under the Quai d Orsay (refer to our interactive map).
In a sense, I can understand why Paris is so proud
of their sewers. It is their personal testimony of success in providing
comfort and public health safety to the community. Then again, a sewer
would always be a sewer. Don t expect Paris
sewers to be any different than yours back home. They stink! So,
enjoy their exotic aromatic heritage while you re down there.
The Paris Sewers extend
for 1,300 miles, and tours are very popular. There is also a Sewer
Museum in Paris!
