Cimetiere de Pere-Lachaise

NileGuide Expert tip:

Buy a map to the graves at the entrance to make sure you don't miss anyone

Description:

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  The largest cemetery in Paris, this was created in the 19th century during Napoleon's rule. Since then, some 5,000 trees have grown up between the graves, making the cemetery an unlikely yet pleasant place to stroll. The cemetery lies between Avenue Gambetta, boulevard de Ménilmontant, rue des Rondaux and rue de Bagnolet, it is easily accessed from the métros Gambetta, Père Lachaise or Phillipe Auguste. Said to be the world's most visted cemetery, it not only contains memorials to the great, the good and the infamous of France, but also is the last resting place of many other celebrities who had the misfortune to die in Paris, from the rock star Jim Morrison to the poet and playwright Oscar Wilde. Other notable memorials are those of the actress Sarah Bernhardt, the composer Frederic Chopin, the American dancer Isadora Duncan, George Haussmann, the man who planned the Paris you see today, the singer Edith Piaf, the painters Pissarro and Seurat, the American writer Gertrude Stein and her partner Alice B. Toklas. There are also several war memorials and monuments to French revolutionaries.
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