A visit to Belleville Cemetery

Start from Télégraphe metro station (line 11). Take exit 3, Cimetière de Belleville.

(S) Upon exiting the metro station, turn around and follow Rue du Télégraphe, which slopes slightly upwards. You will soon reach the cemetery entrance.

The route within the cemetery is indicative and can be adapted in various ways. In the description below, the names appearing on the graves may be highlighted for three different reasons:
1) Graves of notable figures, in which case a lower-case letter in brackets refers to a short entry in the ‘Places to see’ section, where names are listed in the order they appear on the route.
2) Particularly original monuments.
3) Useful landmarks on the ground.

(1) Enter the cemetery and turn immediately right along the Maison de la Conservation. At the end, take a grassy path on the left along the wall. This leads onto a grassy lane, the Chemin de la Conservation, and follow it to the left. Note on the right, in the second row, the Vigneron family grave topped by a sort of vase.

(2) At the junction, follow a wide tarmac path to the right, the Avenue Principale. Immediately on the right is the grave of Armand Grébauval (a). Just after that, the grave of Léon Gaumont (b) and his family. Take the first grassy path on the right, leaving the Garabédian grave on your left (note the two water towers of the Belleville reservoir at the far right). Pass by the foot of an obelisk erected in tribute to the Republican Guards, hostages of the Paris Commune executed on 26 May 1871.

At the end of the path, turn left onto a grassy track. Weave your way between a bush and the Uchlinger family grave. Then turn left onto a grassy path. On the left, note several graves adorned with photographs of the deceased. Still on the left, note the grave adorned with a bust of the Maury family, then that of Fernand Maillet (c).

Return to the Main Avenue and follow it to the right. Shortly afterwards, turn right between the Déglise grave (fenced off) and that of an airman. Go straight on to the grave of Gaston Cony (d), whose decoration and epitaph recall his profession. Then turn left and go straight on to a wide grassy path, the Central Avenue.

(3) Follow this path to the right, at the corner of Michel Etcheverry’s grave (e). Go round the Bernie-Portes grave on the right, then turn right to find René Godart’s grave (f). Retrace your steps.

(3) Continue straight ahead along the grassy path. Cross a large tarmac square and continue along Avenue Centrale. At the foot of the post bearing the sign for this path, take a paved path to the right. At the next junction, turn left onto a tarmac path, Avenue Transversale No. 2, leaving the Prima-Zerr grave on your left.

Then take a path on the left, leaving the grave of Michel Patrice on your right. Note, on the right-hand side, the Bruneteau family grave, whose decoration is reminiscent of naïve art. Just before reaching a tarmac path again, turn right onto a path. Turn right shortly afterwards. Return to Avenue Transversale No. 2, follow it to the left and you will find, on the left-hand side, the grave of the Arduini family and Suzy Prim (g).

(4) Immediately afterwards, turn left onto a tarmac path. At the end, follow a wide tarmac path to the left, Avenue Transversale No. 1. Shortly afterwards, at a fountain, turn right onto Chemin de Belleville (whose location on the map is inaccurate). Note, on the right-hand side, the monumental grave of the Violet family.

At the end, turn left, passing the Drouard family tomb on your right. Note a large tomb overgrown with ivy and other perennials. At the junction, turn right onto a paved path, the Chemin du Télégraphe. Pass by the foot of the Queillé monument and ignore a path branching off to the left. Take the next path on the left, which alternates between flagstones and grass (benches).

(2) At the junction taken at the start of the tour, follow Avenue Principale to the right until you reach the cemetery exit.

(1) Two options here:
- Follow Rue du Télégraphe to the right and you’ll soon reach Télégraphe metro station (S).
- If you wish to extend the walk, as shown on the map, follow Rue du Télégraphe to the left and pass by the foot of the two water towers. At the junction, take Rue du Borrégo to the left. You will pass Villa du Borrégo on the left and Villa Amélie on the right.

(5) At the end of the street, turn left into Rue Haxo and walk past the Church of Notre-Dame des Otages. Pass Rue des Tourelles on your right and take the next right, Villa Gagliardini. Then turn left into Villa Hortense Dury-Vasselon. At the end, follow Rue de Belleville to the right. At the end, you will find the Porte des Lilas metro station (line 11) on your right (E).

Good trainers are sufficient for this short urban walk.

Inside the cemetery, water points are marked on the map and there are toilets on the right just after the entrance. Bars and restaurants in the surrounding neighbourhood.

A detailed map is required (at the very least the one accompanying this description). It is recommended that you obtain the map provided by Paris City Hall, which indicates the locations of the graves of several notable figures.

Belleville Cemetery opening hours:
- Opening: weekdays, 8.00 am; Saturdays, 8.30 am; Sundays and public holidays, 9.00 am.
- Closing: from 6 November to 15 March, 5.30 pm; from 16 March to 5 November, 6.00 pm.

Need we remind you that a cemetery is a place of contemplation, and that discreet and respectful behaviour is required?

Walk undertaken by the author on 29 May 2026.

Some facts about the history of Belleville Cemetery:
The cemetery was established in 1803, at a time when the commune of Belleville was independent of Paris (it was annexed in 1860). Situated at an altitude of 128 m, it is the highest cemetery in the capital. It was here, in 1792–1793, that Claude Chappe erected a telegraph, hence the name of the adjacent street. A rich variety of plant life can be seen in this cemetery, no doubt due to the strict enforcement of regulations prohibiting the use of herbicides in public gardens.

Graves of notable figures (non-exhaustive list):
a - Armand Grébauval (1864–1913) French journalist, writer and politician, councillor for the 19th arrondissement of Paris.
b - Léon Gaumont (1863–1946) Inventor and industrialist, a pioneer of the film industry and founder of the company that still bears his name.
c - Fernand Maillet (1896–1963) Priest, director of the Petits Chanteurs à la Croix de Bois for 25 years.
d - Gaston Cony (1891–1983) Puppeteer.
e - Michel Etcheverry (1919–1999) Actor, member of the Comédie Française.
f - René Godart (1891–1971) Painter.
g - Suzy Prim (1895–1991) Actress who appeared in films from the age of six and spent most of her career before the Second World War.

Sources: Paris City Hall and Wikipedia.