Jim Morrison, Dalida, Gainsbourg and his metro tickets, La Fayette under his American flag… In Paris, cemeteries are open-air museums, secret gardens and, for some, the most beautiful viewpoints in the city. From the giant Père-Lachaise to the tiny Calvaire cemetery, which only opens on All Saints' Day, here are the Parisian cemeteries to visit at least once in your lifetime, with opening hours and graves you shouldn't miss.
Calvaire Cemetery – PARIS 18
It's the Holy Grail for secret spot enthusiasts. Attached to the Saint-Pierre de Montmartre church, just a stone's throw from the Sacré-Cœur, Calvaire cemetery is both the oldest and smallest in Paris: 0.06 hectares, with barely a hundred graves. Closed by a heavy bronze door signed by sculptor
from Paris">Italian Tomaso Gismondi, it opens to the public just one day a year: November 1st, with a free guided tour organized by the City. Be prepared to wait—the line is as long as the rarity deserves.View this post on Instagram
Calvary Cemetery
2, rue du Mont-Cenis — 18th
Abbesses or Anvers metro + funicular
Sundays only, November 1st, with free guided tour
More info
Père Lachaise– PARIS 20
It's the giant of the bunch: approximately 44 hectares, 70,000 graves and the title of largest green space within Paris and the world's most visited cemetery! Opened in 1804, it owes its name to Father François d'Aix de La Chaise, confessor to Louis XIV. People come from all over the world, millions each year, to pay their respects to Jim Morrison, Édith Piaf, Frédéric Chopin, Oscar Wilde, Molière, Marcel Proust and the lovers Héloïse and Abélard. You won't leave without taking a detour to see journalist Victor Noir's bronze effigy, which has become (you get the picture) a fertility charm, or without a moment of silence before the Mur des Fédérés, where communards were executed in 1871. Pro tip: grab a map at the entrance, otherwise you'll be wandering in circles for hours through these 97 divisions.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
Père-Lachaise Cemetery
8, Boulevard de Ménilmontant — 20th
Métro Père-Lachaise or Gambetta
More info
Montmartre Cemetery – PARIS 18
You reach it by descending from Rue Caulaincourt, where a metal bridge literally spans right over the graves. Paris's third-largest cemetery (10.5 hectares), opened in 1825 on former gypsum quarries, it hides a host of stars beneath its maple trees: Dalida, François Truffaut, Stendhal, Hector Berlioz, Edgar Degas, Sacha Guitry, and dancer Nijinski. Émile Zola still has his tomb there, even though his ashes were transferred to the Panthéon in 1908.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
Little heads up: Michou doesn't rest here, but at the Saint-Vincent cemetery, just a few streets away (see below).
Montmartre Cemetery
20, avenue Rachel — 18th arrondissement
M° Blanche or Place de Clichy
More info
Montparnasse Cemetery – PARIS 14
Paris's second largest necropolis (19 hectares), opened in 1824 on the site of former farms, where a mill tower still remains. Here, the star is Serge Gainsbourg, whose tomb disappears under metro tickets (a nod to The Ticket Inspector from Lilas), packs of Gitanes cigarettes, and sweet notes. Jane Birkin rests nearby, alongside her daughter Kate Barry.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
The walk continues past Charles Baudelaire, Guy de Maupassant, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir (side by side, naturally), Alfred Dreyfus, and Marguerite Duras. A cemetery more peaceful than Père-Lachaise, perfect for a leisurely stroll on an autumn Sunday.
Montparnasse Cemetery
3, boulevard Edgar-Quinet — 14th
Métro Edgar-Quinet or Raspail
More info
Passy Cemetery – PARIS 16
Perched above the Trocadéro gardens, behind a monumental Art Deco gate, it's arguably Paris's most elegant cemetery. Just under 2 hectares, chestnut trees, and between two chapels, an unobstructed view of the Eiffel Tower across the Seine. Once the burial ground of Parisian aristocracy, Passy holds the tombs of painter Édouard Manet, composer Claude Debussy, Fernandel, Tristan Bernard, and the couple
Jean-Louis Barrault et Madeleine Renaud.View this post on Instagram
Passy Cemetery
2, rue du Commandant-Schlœsing — 16th arrondissement
Métro Trocadéro
More info
Saint-Vincent Cemetery: the hidden haven of the Butte's artists – PARIS 18
Tucked away on theOn the north side of Montmartre, not far from the Lapin Agile, this small cemetery opened in 1831 has the charm of a village. You'll find here the Montmartrois who made the neighborhood legendary: painter Maurice Utrillo, writer Marcel Aymé, filmmaker Marcel Carné, poster artist Théophile Steinlen (the one behind the Chat Noir) and, since 2020, Michou, king of the cabarets on rue des Martyrs. An intimate spot, far from the crowds of Place du Tertre.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
Saint-Vincent Cemetery
6, rue Lucien-Gaulard — 18th
Lamarck-Caulaincourt Metro
More info
Picpus Cemetery – PARIS 12
A visit that sends shivers down your spine. Behind a discreet carriage entrance on rue de Picpus lies one of the only private cemeteries in Paris. At the far end of the garden, two mass graves welcomed in 1794 the bodies of 1,306 people guillotined at Place de la Nation during the Terror. Nearby, the family cemetery of their descendants shelters the tomb of the Marquis de La Fayette, hero of American independence, over which permanently waves the starry banner. It was here that the famous "Lafayette, we are here" was proclaimed on July 4, 1917, and the embassy of
United States pays tribute there each July 4th.Picpus Cemetery
35, rue de Picpus — 12th
Métro Picpus or Nation
Monday to Saturday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m., closed Sundays and public holidays (including November 1st)
Admission: €2
More info
Charonne Cemetery – PARIS 20
Undoubtedly the most bucolic cemetery in Paris. This tiny parish cemetery (650 graves) surrounds the Church of Saint-Germain-de-Charonne, whose oldest stones date back to the 12th century and which film lovers will recognize: it appears in Meshes of the Afternoon. It is, along with Calvary, one of only two churches in Paris still surrounded by their original cemetery. You can pay your respects at the grave of Emmanuelle Riva, unforgettable in Hiroshima Mon Amour and Love, or at that of Josette Clotis, companion of André Malraux.
Charonne Cemetery
119, ruefrom Bagnolet — 20th
Metro Porte de Bagnolet or Gambetta
More info
Batignolles Cemetery: Verlaine and André Breton under the ring road – PARIS 17
Let's be honest, the ring road flying overhead doesn't exactly inspire contemplation. But this 11-hectare cemetery, opened in 1833 and planted with over 800 trees, is worth the detour for its 15,000 graves, including those of poet Paul Verlaine, surrealism's godfather André Breton, painter Édouard Vuillard, and orchestra conductor Ray Ventura. The most overlooked cemetery for great literary names.
Batignolles Cemetery
8, rue Saint-Just — 17th
Metro Porte de Clichy
More info
Bonus: the dog cemetery in Asnières
Just after the bridgeClichy, here is the world's oldest animal cemetery, opened in the late 19th century. Dogs, cats, horses, and even a bee have their tombstones here, often touching, sometimes frankly extravagant. The two stars: Rin Tin Tin, the Hollywood movie star dog, repatriated here by his owner, and Barry, the Saint Bernard who reportedly saved around forty lives in the Alps.
Voir cette publication sur Instagram
Dog Cemetery
4, Clichy Bridge — Asnières-sur-Seine
M° Gabriel-Péri
Tuesday to Sunday, 10am to 4:30pm in winter and 10am to 6pm in summer
Admission: €3.50
More information
All Saints' Day 2026: Opening hours for Paris cemeteries
All Saints' Day falls this year on Sunday, November 1st, and more than 200,000 visitors are expected in Paris cemeteries around that date.
Père-Lachaise, Montmartre and Montparnasse
Friday, October 30: 8am-6pm
Saturday, October 31: 8:30am-6pm
Sunday, November 1: 9am-6pm
Smaller cemeteries (Passy, Charonne, Batignolles, Saint-Vincent…)
Friday, October 30: 8am-12pm and 2pm-6pm
Saturday, October 31: 8:30am-12pm and 2pm-6pm
Sunday, November 1and Monday, November 2: 8am-12pm and 2pm-6pm
Good to know: cars are prohibited in cemeteries within the city walls on November 1st, but free minibuses run at Père-Lachaise, Montmartre and Montparnasse on October 31st and November 1st. And it's the only day of the year to discover Calvary cemetery (see below).
Montmartre (10.5 hectares)."}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "What is the smallest cemetery in Paris?", "acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "The Calvaire cemetery in Montmartre: 0.06 hectares. It's also the oldest, and it only opens to the public on November 1st."}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "Where is Serge Gainsbourg buried?", "acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "At Montparnasse cemetery (14th arrondissement), where Jane Birkin also rests."}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "Where is Dalida buried?", "acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "At Montmartre cemetery (18th arrondissement), where her tomb is one of the most decorated with flowers."}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "Where is Jim Morrison buried?", "acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "At Père-Lachaise cemetery (20th arrondissement), one of the most visited tombs at the site."}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "What are the opening hours of the cemeteries for All Saints' Day 2026?", "acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "On Sunday, November 1st, the major cemeteries are open from 9am to 6pm. Private cars are not allowed, but free minibuses run at Père-Lachaise, Montmartre, and Montparnasse."}}, {"@type": "Question", "name": "Can you visit a Parisian cemetery with a guide?", "acceptedAnswer": {"@type": "Answer", "text": "Yes. The City of Paris and many"}}tour guides offer thematic visits, notably at Père-Lachaise, and Calvary Cemetery can only be visited on a guided tour on November 1st."}} ] }