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Number 16 of 20 in Paris

Père Lachaise: a walk among the famous dead of Paris

Forty-four hectares of cobbled lanes, chestnut trees and stone tombs on a hill in the east of Paris, with more than a million people buried in it and some of the most famous names in the world on its headstones.

A bronze figure of a mourner lying across a tomb at Père Lachaise, among autumn leaves.
Romainbehar, CC0
What it is
Walk
Time to allow
1.5 to 2 hours
Cost
Free
Best time
A weekday morning in autumn

Paris this week

    Why Père Lachaise is worth it

    Père Lachaise opened in 1804, the first garden cemetery in the world and the first municipal cemetery in Paris. The architect Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart laid it out like an English park, on land where the confessor of Louis XIV, Father François de la Chaise, had once lived.

    At first nobody wanted to be buried so far from the centre. Then the city moved in the remains of Molière, and the fashion turned. Today the list is extraordinary: Chopin, Balzac, Proust, Oscar Wilde, Édith Piaf, Jim Morrison. People bring flowers and notes to their graves every day.

    Even without the names it would be worth the walk. The tombs are small houses, with doors and stained glass, crowded along lanes with street signs. Foxes live here, and about a hundred kinds of bird. It is the most peaceful place in Paris.

    What to see

    1. Jim Morrison

      The singer of The Doors died in Paris in 1971. His grave is small, hidden behind others, and always has a crowd and a barrier around it.

    2. Oscar Wilde

      A winged figure carved by Jacob Epstein, now behind glass because so many visitors kissed the stone.

    3. Frédéric Chopin

      A white marble muse weeping over a lyre, covered in fresh flowers on every day of the year.

    4. Édith Piaf

      A plain family tomb of black stone in the far corner, easy to miss and never without flowers.

    5. The Communards' Wall

      The wall where 147 fighters of the Paris Commune were shot in May 1871, at the end of the last battle. It is a place of pilgrimage for the French left.

    How to do it well

    • Take a picture of the map at the gate, or load one on your phone. The cemetery is a maze, and the famous graves are not signposted.
    • Enter at the top, from the Gambetta metro, and walk downhill to the main gate. It is much easier on the legs.
    • Wear proper shoes. The lanes are cobbled, steep in places and slippery when wet.
    • A guided walk is worth it here more than anywhere: without one you will find the graves, but not the stories.
    • This is a working cemetery, with funerals most days. Keep your voice down and stay off the tombs.

    Where it is

    Address

    Boulevard de Ménilmontant, 20th arrondissement

    Nearest station

    Père Lachaise, on lines 2 and 3, or Philippe Auguste, on line 2

    Tickets and tours: Père Lachaise Cemetery

    Père Lachaise Cemetery: common questions

    Who is buried at Père Lachaise?
    More than a million people, among them Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Frédéric Chopin, Édith Piaf, Molière, Marcel Proust and Honoré de Balzac.
    Is Père Lachaise Cemetery free?
    Yes. Admission is free. Guided tours are paid for.
    How do you find Jim Morrison's grave?
    It is in division 6, a few minutes' walk from the main entrance, behind a metal barrier and usually with a small crowd. Use the map at the gate: the grave is not signposted from the lanes.
    How much time do you need for Père Lachaise?
    Allow 1.5 to 2 hours. That is this site's estimate for an unhurried visit.

    What visitors say about Père Lachaise

    Rating from Google

    4.6

    4,639 ratings on Google

    Google's figures as read on 4 October 2026.

    Read every review on Google

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