Unusual Paris: Pere Lachaise Cementery

Believe us, there is nothing morbid about this excursion. The Père Lachaise cemetery is believed to be the final resting place of more than two million souls among who are such celebrated figures as Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde and Marcel Proust. As such, this massive graveyard is one of the city’s most unusual tourist attractions.

You’ll find an A to Z of VIPs buried here, ranging from philosopher Pierre Abelard to painter Felix Ziem. Abelard’s remains were interred here seven centuries after his death in a bid to make the cemetery more popular and since then a tradition has built up of or single people looking for love cleaving letters at the crypt. Other important figures buried at the Père Lachaise are Polish composer Frederic Chopin, American dancer Isadora Duncan, Ukrainian revolutionary Nestor Makhno, Italian composer Gioachino Rossini, French actor Yves Montand, former Dominican Republic dictator Rafael Trujillo, French chanteuse Édith Piaf and Joseph-Ignace Guillotin, who gave his name to the guillotine. Few cemeteries in the world can boast of such a truly eclectic collection of dead celebrities.

This guided tour will show you around the cemetery, visiting the most famous tombs. See the graffitied tombs of Doors frontman Morrison and Wilde, the tragic Irish author who died a broken man. Every day, countless fans make the pilgrimage to these graves to talk to their heroes. See the haunting Communards’ Wall, where 147 revolutionaries were executed in 1871, and the memorial to them.

Assistance or guided tour

Meal

Drinks

Equipment

Admissions

Optional meal

At 02.00 pm in English

Appropriate age for child ticket from 4 to 17 years