The subway doesn't run 24 hours in Paris, but urban exploring in the Métro is nonetheless hazardous. Luckily for us, a group of intrepid urban explorers braved the City of Light's subterranean side and came back with awesome photos.
DSankt, an urban explorer who runs the website Sleepy City, has posted a massive guide to Paris' ghost stations with gorgeous photography. What makes these shots all the more special is that spelunking in Paris is by no means fun and games. The urban explorer must contend with guards, electrified rails, security dogs, cameras, motion sensors, and late-night trains making the rounds. Here are some of the dangers DSankt lists:
— "Being 10 seconds from running headlong into a ghost train near Vavin."
— "Sprinting out a Raccord tunnel after a robot train started up automatically just as we reached it."
— "Jumping out from a midride as the train pulls into station, way before it's safe to do so and almost collecting a dozen people standing on the platform who are totally shocked at this person materialising out of nowhere onto the platform and hurtling towards them."
You can check out this massive round-up here. Highly recommended. NOTE (12/20/10): The site may run slow due to the influx of web traffic.
[Via Geoff Manaugh's Twitter]