Cimetière de MontmartreĪfterwards: If you want to take this somewhat spooky theme to its most extreme possibility, consider a visit to the nearby Catacombs, the famous underground labyrinth of ossuaries that is home to the bones of more than six million people. It has limited opening hours so make sure to check them when planning a visit. The small apartment where she once lived is now a museum to her memory, a veritable cabinet of curiosities run by a devoted fan. This was the haunt of Édith Piaf, who was born dirt-poor in the doorway of 72 Rue de Belleville, but whose riches were in her glorious voice, with which the ‘Little Sparrow’ would touch the world. The closest métro station is Philippe Auguste (line 2).Īfterwards: Just north-west of the cemetery is the one-time village, now edgy suburb, Belleville. How to get here: The main entrance is at 8 Boulevard de Ménilmontant, 75020 (opposite where Rue de la Roquette forms a T with the boulevard). The remains of legendary French writers Jean de la Fontaine and Molière are also here, having been rehomed for the cemetery’s 1804 official opening the supposed remains of medieval lovers Héloïse and Abelard are also at Père Lachaise, after having been moved here in 1817 and placed in a suitably Gothic chapel-like tomb (above). Then, look out for the graves of: singers Édith Piaf, Maria Callas and Jim Morrison authors Marcel Proust, Oscar Wilde, Honoré de Balzac, Colette and Gertrude Stein actress Sarah Bernhardt dancer Isadora Duncan and, composer Frédéric Chopin.

Who’s here: First, make sure to pick up a free map at the cemetery’s entrance - so vast is this otherworldly village and so numerous are its famous residents. Think of them as museums of memory, and well deserving of a spot on your next Paris itinerary. The following Parisian cemeteries also house so many A-list ghosts that a visit is as much a celebration of culture as of history.

Rather, these souls live on in memory along atmospheric, tree-shaded, well-tended streets that are dotted with artful and lovingly designed tombs and sculptures. But, in a country that reveres its history, Paris’s cemeteries are also about celebrating the dead not forgetting them nor consigning them to dusty, neglected corners.

Cemeteries here, as everywhere, are above all about honouring lives past. It’s a poignant kind of beauty, of course. Only in Paris does the idea of ambling around a cemetery seem eerie but also quite romantic - because only in Paris is a cemetery a place of such heart-touching beauty. Marie Duplessis Memory Lane: Three Paris Cemeteries to Stroll Around

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