Paris: Pere Lachaise Cemetery Guided Tour
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With its 44 hectares and 80,000 graves, Père-Lachaise is by far the most visited cemetery in the world.
Built in 1804 to remedy the lack of burial places in Paris, the Pere Lachaise cemetery was for a long time snubbed by Parisians, who did not want to bury their loved ones far from their residence.
Today it is a place of pilgrimage for tourists from all over the world because of the many famous people who rest here, including Jim Morrison.
But the Pere Lachaise Cemetery is also a very atmospheric place to walk around: it has a subtle Gothic charm thanks to its grandiose 19th-century sculptures, the twisted and sinister century-old trees, the often dilapidated tombs covered in moss and vegetation, all of which contribute to giving this place a decadent and mysterious atmosphere.
The most popular cemetery in Paris, Père-Lachaise, is also the most coveted and many personalities have the honour of spending their eternity there. Thus, a walk among the tombs immerses visitors in a truly atypical exploration of French and international cultural heritage. The list of personalities resting in these places is impressive: more than 40 singers, 40 composers, 75 painters and many prominent figures from world history and culture.
The cemetery is also the bloody scene of the repression of the Paris Commune in 1871: the anarchist Federates set up their artillery there and were caught in a vice between Thiers’ Versailles troops and those of the Prussians. The 147 survivors of the battle were shot right here, at the foot of the ‘Fédérés wall’, on 28 May 1871.
The capital’s largest green space owes its fame as much to the celebrities who rest here as to the romantic richness of its monuments sculpted in lush nature. You can explore its 15 km of paths, in search of the most evocative graves and best-loved personalities.
Today, the Père-Lachaise cemetery has 97 divisions, divided into four zones:
Here lie, among others, Honoré de Balzac, Alfred de Musset, Paul Eluard, Marcel Proust, Simone Signoret, Colette, Jules Vallès, Molière, Edith Piaf, Jim Morrison, Yves Montand, Alain Bashung, Henri Salvador, Mano Solo, Claude Chabrol, Pierre Bourdieu, Eugene Delacroix, Pierre Desproges.
To find out the exact location of the tombs and not to get lost in this endless cemetery, you can take a free map with the location of the burials at the entrance or download it as a PDF from our website.
We will briefly show you the exact location of the most famous and sought-after burial mounds for visitors:
The Père Lachaise Cemetery is both an immense garden, refined and at the same time wild, offering surprises for the eyes at every turn, as the flora is varied. More than 5,000 trees dot the cemetery, including a 12-metre-high century-old maple tree, a 3.45-metre-high horse chestnut tree, also a hundred years old, and many rarities such as a wigwam tree, a gutta-percha and two gingko biloba trees.
Admirable sculptures also contribute to the aesthetics of the cemetery and testify to genuine funerary art: couples reunited for eternity, grieving widows, soldiers in combat or a man holding his wife’s head in his hands are a few examples of the many architectural originalities of Père-Lachaise. The sheer size of the cemetery also offers circuits that are renewed each time, among vast paths and unexplored corners, particularly valuable in summer.
In each season, the Père-Lachaise cemetery always presents a different face: romantic in spring, mysterious under the winter snow or colourful in autumn.
Access to the cemetery is free. The area is very large and the ground is rather uneven. We therefore advise you to take a map with you, to allow at least two hours for your visit and to wear good walking shoes.
Depending on the season, the opening and closing times of the cemetery change. It is usually open from 09.00 to 18.00. Remember to watch the time carefully, especially if you are visiting the cemetery in the late afternoon, so as not to experience the unpleasant sensation of being stuck inside.
In order not to get lost in its vast expanse, we advise you to get an up-to-date map with the exact location of all the most famous tombs.
We would also remind you that Père-Lachaise is above all a funerary site in the city of Paris. It is therefore not an ‘open-air museum’ like the others. Adopt appropriate behaviour in this place of meditation, frequented daily by many families who come to attend funerals or visit the grave of a loved one. Take care not to disturb the tranquillity of the place for the duration of the visit, respect the graves, and do not climb or sit on the grave monuments.
It is possible to take a guided tour lasting approximately two hours (in French or English), which allows you to discover all the secrets and anecdotes of the cemetery.
Père Lachaise Cemetery is located in the 20th arrondissement and is easily reached using public transport such as the metro, line 2, Philippe Auguste stop or line 2/3 Père Lachaise stop.
Alternatively, you could take bus no. 71, Philippe Auguste stop.
City Card allow you to save on public transport and / or on the entrances to the main tourist attractions.
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