The Best And Easiest Way To Visit Pere Lachaise Cemetery

Last updated on September 24th, 2024 at 12:27 pm

Thinking of visiting the most famous cemetery in Paris, Père Lachaise?

I don’t blame you because it is quite a place, and no words can really do it justice. However, having been recently, I have some advice on the best way to approach it because it is massive.

Seriously, I’ve never seen a cemetery like it, and trust me, France has some pretty spectacular ones. Most of the graves in the four local graveyards near our home here in France are like miniature houses, you could literally live in them.

But the Père Lachaise Cemetery takes it to a whole other level. You’ll need comfy walking shoes, a plan, a map of the cemetery, and a whole lot of patience.

Most of the famous graves aren’t obvious, so you have to hunt for them. Even the grave of Jim Morrison was tough to find.

But the history and ambience of the place make it all worthwhile, so let’s dive in and discover the sleeping secrets of Père Lachaise Cemetery.

The 3 Best Pere Lachaise Cemetery Tours

The History Of The World’s Most Famous Cemetery

Père Lachaise Cemetery is one of the most famous cemeteries in the world. It opened in 1804 and was named after Père François de la Chaise, the confessor to Louis XIV. The oldest grave belongs to a young girl named Adélaïde Paillard de Villeneuve, the five-year-old daughter of a bellboy of the King’s household, who was buried there on June 4, 1804.

But before it became a cemetery, the Jesuits owned the land and included a house that was said to be visited by Louis XIV. Its transformation into a cemetery was part of a series of reforms initiated by Napoleon Bonaparte to address the unsanitary conditions of Paris’s existing burial grounds. 

Because of its location on the outskirts of the city, it initially struggled to attract burials. In fact, only 13 burials took place in the first year, and 11 years later, there were still only 2,000 graves.

Something had to be done, so the Prefecture of Paris devised a rather clever plan. They organized the transfer of the remains of several famous people, such as the playwright Molière and the fabulist Jean de La Fontaine, to Père Lachaise. 

But the real success lies with France’s answer to Romeo and Juliet, Héloïse, and Abelard, who are recognized as the oldest residents of the cemetery since they were moved there as part of the marketing plan for the cemetery. More on them later.

Today, Père Lachaise sprawls over 44 hectares (110 acres) and is the final resting place for over 1 million people.

Who Is Buried At Père Lachaise Cemetery?

Good question. I was amazed at just how many famous names were on the list. Now, you have to remember that there are thousands of people buried there, and it would be impossible to list all of them, so I’ll go through ten graves belonging to people you’re likely to have heard of.

And I’m starting with the one who was my main reason for visiting, Edith Piaf.

No 1 The Grave of Edith Piaf

My Dad passed away in 2022, and his favorite singer was Edith Piaf. He loved her voice, strength, and the passion she evoked when she sang—so much so that we played the song she is perhaps best known for, ‘No Regrets’, at his funeral. 

I’ve always loved her too, probably because of Dad, so I wanted to do the pilgrimage and visit her grave.

I don’t know what I was expecting, but I was surprised at how small the grave was. It wasn’t ostentatious at all and nothing like some of the mausoleums of other family graves.

She is buried under her married name, Édith Lamboukas, nee Gassion, alongside her daughter Marcelle, her father, Louis Gassion, and her second husband, Théo Sarapo, who was also a singer.

Her life was marked by incredible highs and lows, and her music has inspired many people, including me. If you’ve never seen the movie of her life, La Vie en Rose, filmed in 2007, it is well worth watching. It will help you to understand the passion behind that amazing voice.

📍Located in Division 97

No 2 The Grave of Oscar Wilde (1854-1900)

I’ve long been a fan of Oscar Wilde, the Irish poet and playwright, and I remember studying “The Picture of Dorian Gray” for A Level English Literature in sixth form back in school.

Sadly, after being a darling of literary society, he was imprisoned for homosexuality, and he never got over it.

So broken was he that he tried to convert to Catholicism, and when he was refused, he fled to Dieppe, finally settling in Paris and ending his days in poverty, unable to write another word.

His grave has a modern look—it’s a big, grey concrete block with what looks like a flying angel on top of it—hence the nickname it’s been given: “Flying Demon Angel.”

There is now a perspex barrier around it to protect it, and it’s not unusual to see lipstick marks and messages on it. However, it was remarkably clean when I was there.

📍Located in Division 89

No 3 The Grave of Frédéric Chopin (1810-1849)

I’m a classical pianist, having studied at the Royal College of Music. Chopin, along with Rachmaninov, is my favorite composer. His piano sonatas, nocturnes, and polonaises are beautiful, and I love playing them.

His piano pieces are notoriously difficult as he had a very large stretch and could cover more than an octave easily, not something most of us can do. Often, I have to break the chord to reach both notes. Chopin, I’m sure, would not be impressed with me.

Anyway, he was at the top of my list and the first grave I visited, but it took me the longest to find as it was tucked away in one of the many rows. I only found it because of the flowers and people standing around it.

I spent a little time here in quiet contemplation, and as I had earphones with me, I listened to Nocturne Op.9 No.1 in B flat minor. It reflected my mood and the solemnity of the place.

An interesting fact I discovered as I was reading about Chopin’s grave is that his heart is buried in Warsaw, Poland, separate from his body., as per his request, symbolizing his deep connection to his homeland. It’s now housed within the Church of the Holy Cross.

📍Located in Division 11

No 4 The Grave of Jim Morrison (1943-1971)

Well, this one doesn’t need any introduction at all. Ironically, he died two days after I was born on July 3rd, 1971.

He was, of course, the lead singer of the Doors, who died tragically young at the age of just 27. 

His grave is one of the most visited and requested, but it is just as hard to find as the rest. There is no big fanfare to announce where his grave is, as it is quite small and only recognizable by the mountain of flowers.

📍Located in Division 6

No 5 Héloïse and Abelard, the oldest grave in the cemetery

The love story of the fated lovers Heloise and Abelard is known all over France. Héloïse d’Argenteuil was the niece of Canon Fulbert, and Peter Abelard was a philosopher and theologian teaching at Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral.

Canon Fulbert decided it would be good for Héloïse to learn from Peter, so he sent her to study with him. The two fell in love and began a passionate love affair.

When Héloïse falls pregnant, the two run away to get married. But Canon Fulbert was not happy and refused to recognize the marriage. Poor Peter was castrated and sent away to become a monk. 

Héloïse, distraught by what had happened, takes orders and becomes a nun, never to see her lover again until she dies and is buried in the tomb with her beloved Peter. He had died about twenty years earlier.

Their story is ingrained in the cemetery’s history, and their grave is listed as a historic monument. They are the oldest residents of the graveyard. 

Luckily, it was easy to find because it was pretty big, and a few people were paying their respects.

📍Located in Division 7

No 6 Georges Bizet

As I mentioned earlier, I’m a classical musician by trade, and Bizet’s grave was one I had earmarked as a ‘must-see.’

He’s probably most famous for his opera Carmen, which some say, ultimately, caused his death because it wasn’t a hit. He died at the young age of 36, three months after its first performance.

I vividly remember the “Battle of the Carmens” between Katarina Witt of what was formerly East Germany and America’s Debi Thomas while ice skating in the 1980s.

Both skated to Bizet’s Carmen for their long program at the 1988 Winter Olympics. They battled it out, with Katarina winning and taking home gold.

📍Located in Division 68

No 7 Gertrude Stein

Now, this is one woman I would have loved to have met. One of her hangouts was the original Shakespeare and Company bookstore I visited on my last trip.

She was an avant-garde American novelist, poet, and playwright who spent most of her life in France, notably Paris, where she became a pivotal figure in the modernist movement.

Her Paris salon read like a who’s who of the literary world, attracting leading figures of the time, including Pablo Picasso, Henri Matisse, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Ernest Hemingway. 

The movie Midnight in Paris, starring Owen Wilson, sees him travel back in time to meet all these people. If you’ve never watched it, give it a go, as it’s a great movie, and you can live vicariously through Gill, the lead character.

Her works, such as “Three Lives” and “Tender Buttons,” challenged traditional narrative forms, making her a significant literary figure in the 20th century.

📍Located in Division 97

No 8 Marcel Proust (1871 – 1922)

Of course, Marcel Proust is a luminary of French literature best known for his masterpiece “À la recherche du temps perdu” (In Search of Lost Time). He wrote on themes like societal norms and homosexuality but didn’t get the acclaim he was looking for during his life, which came posthumously.

He had a privileged upbringing but suffered from ill health, mainly asthma. He was lucky enough not to have had the hard life of a creative thanks to the family fortune. A starving artist, he wasn’t.

He wrote about what he knew, and “In Search of Lost Time” featured some 200 characters across seven books, most based on characters he’d met. And many of these would have been in the heart of Parisian society.

Unfortunately, his grave was destroyed during an attack on a neighboring grave and has been completely rebuilt. 

If you’ve ever heard the expression “Madeleine de Proust,” it comes from the little cakes he had as a child, and it’s not uncommon to see them on his grave with cups of tea. There weren’t any when I went, but it’s a nice gesture and a nod to some of his favorite things.

📍 Located in Division 85

No 9 Gioachino Rossini (1792-1862)

Another composer on my list was Rossini, an Italian composer famous for his operas. But for my family, he is remembered for a completely different piece of music, the William Tell overture.

Now, some of you might recognize it from various films such as Stanley Kubrick’s A Clockwork Orange or even TV ads such as the 2001 “Defy Convention” ad campaign for Reebok,

But for our family, it was a little song we learned at school called ‘Fred’s Got a Head like a Ping Pong Ball’; trust me, it’s a classic. It was to warm up your vocals. Apparently, my poor Mum can no longer listen to William Tell without those words popping into her head. C’est la vie!

📍Located in Division 4

No 10 Stéphane Grappelli (1908 – 1997)

I’m guessing many of you reading this blog won’t know who Stéphane Grappelli is, but as a classically trained violinist, I certainly do. I was so excited to discover he was also buried at Pere Lachaise because, growing up, I was obsessed with an album on which he collaborated with my all-time favorite violinist, Fritz Kreisler.

Grappelli was a phenomenal violinist but predominantly played jazz, and hearing him and Kreisler, who was a classical violinist, play together was breathtaking.

He came from a musical background that influenced his early interest in music. He is best known for co-founding the ‘Quintette du Hot Club de France’ with guitarist Django Reinhardt, one of the first all-string jazz bands. 

He remained active in the music scene until he died in Paris in 199.

📍Located in Division 87

Where Is Pere Lachaise Cemetery Located

Père Lachaise Cemetery is located in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, on the eastern edge of the city.

How to get to Père Lachaise

To get to Père Lachaise Cemetery by metro, you can use lines 2 and 3 of the Paris Metro. The nearest metro station is Père Lachaise, and there is an entrance directly opposite, which is the one I used. The main entrance is about a 7-minute walk if you turn right outside the tube and follow the cemetery wall along. 

If you prefer to take the bus, the following lines stop near Père Lachaise: 26, 61, and 69. These buses offer a good alternative to the metro, with stops close to or at the cemetery’s gates.

Père Lachaise cemetery map

Père Lachaise cemetery hours

The opening hours vary depending on the time of year. From November through mid-March, the cemetery opens at 8:00 AM Monday through Friday, 8:30 AM Saturday, and 9:00 AM Sunday.

It closes at 5:30 PM during these months. From mid-March through October, the closing time extends to 6:00 PM. The last admission is 15 minutes before closing​​., making it easy for visitors to reach the cemetery.

FAQS: Visiting Pere Lachaise Cemetery

Final Thoughts: A Pere Lachaise Visit

As I mentioned earlier, I was lucky enough to go on a beautiful sunny day in early Spring, but if I’d gone in winter, I’m not sure that season would have allowed me to enjoy it so much.

But maybe you’re braver than me, and the idea of a ghostly walk through the graveyard in November is what you’re looking for.

Or perhaps it’s the perfect tour for you to do on Halloween for the ultimate spooky thing to do in Paris?

Whatever your preference, it is worth a visit. Just make sure you allow yourself enough time, take my advice, and do a tour rather than go alone.

The perfect place to pair this visit with is one at the Catacombs. I went there after doing my tour of Pere Lachaise and absolutely loved it.

If you’re not sure where to stay in Paris, this guide to each arrondissement and the best hotels will help.