Beneath Paris: A Night in the Catacombs

This true story follows Pedro Arruda, the winner of an Airbnb Halloween contest, who spent the night deep inside the Paris Catacombs—surrounded by the bones of six million souls. What started as a promotional stunt became an unforgettable night marked by silence, whispers, and the unsettling feeling of being watched. With real accounts from urban explorers and viral Reddit threads, this episode takes you into one of the most haunted underground networks in Europe. Some guests make it out. Others… may never leave.

This episode is based on the true experience of Pedro Arruda, the winner of Airbnb’s 2015 Halloween contest to spend the night in the Paris Catacombs. Additional research and references include:

– PBS NewsHour: “Airbnb contest winner spends Halloween night in Paris catacombs”
– BBC News: “Paris catacombs: Airbnb stay in 'world's largest grave’”
– The Guardian: “Paris catacombs offer on Airbnb: spend the night with 6 million dead bodies”
– AP News: “Breakfast with skulls: Halloween night in Paris Catacombs”
– Time Magazine: “The Winner of This Competition Will Spend Halloween in What Is Basically the World's Biggest Grave”
– Smithsonian Magazine: “This Halloween, Who Wants to Spend a Night in the Paris Catacombs?”
– Wikipedia: “Catacombs of Paris”

All story elements are drawn from public reporting, historical records, and firsthand accounts. As always, listener discretion is advised.