From Fame to Eternity: Legendary Parisian Graves and Their Stories

1. Père Lachaise Cemetery

Location: East Paris

Famous graves: Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Marcel Proust, Frédéric Chopin, Gertrude Stein

Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 am – 6 pm, Sat 8.30 am – 6 pm, Sun 9 am – 6 pm (during winter until 5.30 pm)

Admission: free

The cemetery is filled with 70,000 graves and covers a total of 106 acres. It attracts 3.5 million visitors a year and is definitely one of the most famous cemeteries in Paris. In addition to important graves, there are also many spooky sculptures, sumptuously designed garden terrain, and intricate streets made of cobblestones. The cemetery is a mixture of several different styles: Medieval Gothic, Italian Renaissance, Art Nouveau, Romanesque style, Neoclassicism, and many others. Due to the size and vastness of the cemetery, it is recommended to get a map for easier orientation, or an audio guide, or visit the cemetery as part of a daily organized trip with a certified guide.

2. Montmartre Cemetery

Location: West Paris

Famous graves: Edgar Degas, Alexandre Dumas, Émile Zola, Hector Berlioz, François Truffaut

Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 am – 6 pm, Sat 8.30 am – 6 pm, Sun 9 am – 6 pm (during winter until 5.30 pm)

Admission: free

The gates of this cemetery were opened on January 1, 1825. It was built below street level and is now crossed by a metal bridge with a lattice pattern. This place became the eternal home of many executed monarchs during the period of the great French Revolution. Similarly, in the 18th century, approximately 40,000 people ended up here in mass graves, having lost their heads in the blade of the guillotine.^[1]

3. Montparnasse Cemetery

Location: southern Paris

Famous graves: Charles Baudelaire, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, Serge Gainsbourg, Samuel Beckett

Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 am – 6 pm, Sat 8.30 am – 6 pm, Sun 9 am – 6 pm (during winter until 5.30 pm)

Admission: free

The cemetery was created in 1824 when it was not yet part of Paris. Its area is around 18 hectares, making it the third-largest park in Paris, and can proudly be added to the most famous cemeteries in Paris. It is divided into two parts, Peti-Cimetière and Grand-Cimetière. Currently, around 300,000 people are buried here. There are around 1200 trees. Their abundance gives the cemetery a romantic atmosphere. Only people who lived in Paris or died here can be buried here. Here you can see simple tombstones, ornamental graves, and family mausoleums. Egyptian, Classical, Gothic, Renaissance, and Art Nouveau dominate the artistic styles here.

4. Montmartre St. Vincent Cemetery

Location: northern Paris

Famous graves: François Truffaut, Stendhal, Gustave Moreau, Maurice Utrillo, Marcel Carné, Théophile Steinlen

Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 am – 6 pm, Sat 8.30 am – 6 pm, Sun 9 am – 6 pm (during winter until 5.30 pm)

Admission: free

It is one of the smallest cemeteries with approximately 900 graves located on the hill of Montmartre. In addition to important public figures of cultural life, Ninette, who worked as a singer in the nearby nightclub Le Lapin Agile, is also buried here. She was also a person who survived the sinking of the Titanic. For a certain period, she was the mistress of millionaire Benjamin Guggenheim. ^[2]

5. Passy Cemetery

Location: West Paris

Famous graves: Claude Debussy, Édouard Manet, Honoré de Balzac

Opening hours: Mon – Fri 8 am – 6 pm, Sat 8.30 am – 6 pm, Sun 9 am – 6 pm (during winter until 5.30 pm)

Admission: free

Opened in 1820. A small cemetery with an entrance gate in art-deco style. It has a good view of the Eiffel Tower and the Trocadéro. Here you can find a monument dedicated to the soldiers who died during the First World War. There are approximately 2,600 graves and the cemetery covers an area of 4 acres. It was originally just a small village after which it is named. It may not belong to the most famous cemeteries in Paris but if you have enough time to stroll the old city streets you should not miss this place.

6. Saint-Denis Basilica

Location: northern Paris

Famous graves: French monarchs, including Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette

Opening hours: Mon – Fri 10 am – 6.15 pm, Sat 10 am – 6.15 pm, Sun 12 pm – 6.15 pm, (during winter until 5.15 pm)

Entrance fee: around €9

The basilica is the eternal resting place of 43 kings and 32 queens and hides approximately 1,500 years of the history of the Kingdom of France. It is named after the martyr Denis. You can find his tomb here. According to legend this martyr allegedly arrived at Saint-Denis with his head in his hands. In the late 18th century, revolutionaries moved the royal remains from their original graves and placed them in a common grave. Today, however, they are back in the basilica. Apart from Notre Dame Cathedral, this place is of incomparable importance and deserves attention and exploration, as it belongs to the supreme Gothic masterworks. ^[3]

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