A stroll through Paris’s cemeteries

This guide brings together a selection of relatively short routes that allow you to visit the 13 public cemeteries within the city limits of Paris. Varying in size, they are home to the graves of a varying number of notable figures. You will also discover a wide variety of monument styles, depending on the simplicity or fame of the people buried there and their families’ means.

Photos

Stages of the route

This route needs several days, find the details below:

1. S
   

   A visit to Auteuil Cemetery

   0.47 mi 7 ft 7 ft

   A very brief stroll through one of the oldest and smallest cemeteries in Paris, in a relatively peaceful setting. The graves of a few notable figures and some unusual monuments await.

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2. 2
   

   A stroll around Passy Cemetery

   0.88 mi 26 ft 26 ft

   Passy Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries within the city limits of Paris. It is the final resting place of many notable figures, including musicians and aviation pioneers. This route takes you on a stroll through this place of contemplation, where you can discover around sixty of these notable figures.

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3. 3
   

   A stroll through the Batignolles Cemetery

   1.61 mi 20 ft 20 ft

   The Batignolles Cemetery is one of the largest cemeteries within the city limits of Paris; it is also the one situated furthest to the north. It is notable for being spanned by the Boulevard Périphérique, which was built well after the cemetery opened. The Batignolles Cemetery is the final resting place of several notable figures, in particular poets from the 19th and 20th centuries.

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4. 4

   A tour of Montmartre Cemetery

   2.01 mi 46 ft 46 ft

   Montmartre Cemetery is one of the largest within the city limits of Paris. It is the final resting place of a vast number of prominent figures, particularly from the worlds of theatre and cinema, music and literature. This route winds its way through the cemetery to visit the graves of 82 of them – the largest number in this series on Parisian cemeteries.

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5. 5
   

   A visit to Saint-Vincent Cemetery

   0.40 mi 69 ft 69 ft

   A very short walk offering the chance to visit the small cemetery of Saint-Vincent, which is perched on the hill of Montmartre, near its vineyard, and which is the final resting place of several famous figures from Montmartre’s history.

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6. 6
   

   A visit to La Villette Cemetery

   1.09 mi 13 ft 13 ft

   A very short urban route exploring La Villette Cemetery, which bears the marks of its neighbourhood’s history, such as the presence of the abattoirs from 1867 to 1974 or the tragic fire at the Collège Édouard Pailleron in 1973.

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7. 7
   

   A visit to Belleville Cemetery

   1.13 mi 23 ft 43 ft

   A visit to the highest-altitude cemetery within Paris city limits, which boasts a rich variety of plant life and is home to the graves of several notable figures. A monument within the cemetery and a church outside it evoke a painful episode in the history of the Paris Commune.

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8. 8
   

   A tour of the Père Lachaise Cemetery

   2.67 mi 144 ft 135 ft

   Stroll through the paths of the famous Père Lachaise Cemetery, largely laid out as an English garden, and discover the graves of famous people and monuments that are original to say the least.

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9. 9
   

   A visit to Charonne Cemetery

   1.42 mi 102 ft 16 ft

   Of all the cemeteries in Paris, Charonne Cemetery is the smallest, but the walk to reach it is the longest. This peaceful, tree-lined cemetery, situated next to the charming church of Charonne, is the final resting place of several notable figures, particularly from the worlds of literature, theatre and cinema. A tribute is paid here to the federates who were shot in 1871.

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10. 10
    

    A visit to Bercy Cemetery

    0.65 mi 13 ft 13 ft

    A short urban route to visit Bercy Cemetery, which is the final resting place of several notable figures and bears the mark of the history of the wine warehouses in this municipality, which was independent of Paris until 1860.

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11. 11
    

    A visit to Montparnasse Cemetery

    2.21 mi 23 ft 7 ft

    Less well-known and smaller than Père Lachaise Cemetery, Montparnasse Cemetery is the second largest cemetery within the city limits of Paris. It is the final resting place of many prominent figures, particularly from the worlds of the arts, publishing and politics. This route offers a stroll through this place of contemplation, discovering around fifty of these figures and several works of art scattered throughout the grounds.

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12. 12
    

    A visit to Vaugirard Cemetery

    1.04 mi 7 ft 7 ft

    A short urban route to visit Vaugirard Cemetery, which features a moving military plot containing mainly the remains of soldiers who died in action during the First World War. Among the civilian figures buried here, three also met a violent death, including the former President of the Republic, Paul Doumer.

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13. E
    

    A visit to Grenelle Cemetery

    1.11 mi 0 ft 7 ft

    A short stroll to reach and visit one of the smallest cemeteries in Paris, set in unspoilt surroundings. A few notable figures are buried in this cemetery, which also features some unusual monuments.

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