Five interesting Paris cemeteries (besides Père Lachaise)

A heroic Saint-Bernard, a secret hidden in plain sight, and a grave scattered in métro tickets - there's loads to discover in the cemeteries beyond Père Lachaise.

If you want to see how a city lives, take a look at its cemeteries. Paris is just over 100 square kilometres (40 square miles) in size, making space a premium. So, it’s remarkable that a lot of that space is reserved for burial sites. There are fourteen city cemeteries in total, most of which are closed to the public. However, those that are open offer an interesting insight into the history of Paris and some of its most famous residents. With 3.5 million annual visitors, Père Lachaise is the largest in Paris, not to mention the most visited cemetery in the world.

But, what of the cemeteries beyond Père Lachaise (which we featured on this week’s pod)? Here are five worth visiting.

1) Montparnasse cemetery

In the shadow of the Montparnasse tower (the only skyscraper within the city limits), Montparnasse cemetery is the second largest in Paris. Considerably smaller than Père Lachaise, you can easily wander around in a couple of hours. Regarded as the cemetery of literary heavyweights, you can visit the graves of Simone de Beauvoir, Jean-Paul Sartre, Charles Baudelaire and Samuel Beckett.

No doubt, one of the most eye-catching graves belongs to Serge Gainsbourg, a tomb that’s regularly visited by fans who leave small offerings, such as metro tickets and gnomes. Read here to learn more about the practice of leaving unusual objects in Parisian cemeteries and listen to the podcast episode we made about it below.

2) Montmartre cemetery

The cemetery of Montmartre should not be skipped on any trip up to the butte. In fact, it’s the starting point of our Montmartre walking tour, where we show you some interesting graves and hope to spy a few of the cemetery’s famous cats. The third largest in Paris, built in the grounds of a limestone quarry, the Montmartre cemetery’s history speaks to the neighbourhood’s artistic scene that developed in the 19th century. Painter Edgar Degas, dancer Vaslav Nijinksky and Moulin Rouge legend La Goulue have made this cemetery their final resting place. Read more about the famous graves of Montmartre cemetery here.

Listen to the podcast we made about this cemetery and its famous feline residents below.

3) The Catacombs

Over six million people are buried in the Paris Catacombs. This ossuary was formally established in the 18th century when the graveyards in Paris became too saturated with ‘occupants’ and caused public health problems. The Hausmannisation of Paris closed the city’s remaining graveyards and the remains were moved into the Catacombs, as well as the establishment of the Montmartre, Montparnasse and Père Lachaise cemeteries.

A visit to the official Catacombs offers a glimpse to a tiny section of the gravesite. However, if you’re brave enough and know the right people, you can find your way into the forbidden zones, just like I did a few years ago. You can watch the video that I made of that visit below.

4) Cimetière du Calvaire

The Cimetière du Calvaire (the Calvary Cemetery) is a tiny cemetery hidden behind a high wall, next to the Sacré Cœur basilica. It’s so tranquil here, it’s difficult to imagine that you’re only steps away from the hustle and bustle of Montmartre. Only one of two church graveyards left in Paris, it’s very old and only opens once a year on November 1st.

I was granted special access and given a tour by the mayor of the 18th arrondissement, Eric Lejoindre. You can check out more photos of the visit here and listen to the podcast we made of the experience below.

5) Paris pet cemetery

And lastly, something completely different. In the northern Paris suburb of Asnières you will find an unusual site - the pet cemetery of Paris. Known as the Cimetière des chiens (the cemetery of dogs) it is not reserved exclusively for dogs. When I visited I saw graves for a monkey, a tortoise and a hero Saint-Bernard dog who saved the lives of 40 people. Check out some of the other graves I spotted on my stroll. If you’re looking for an unconventional (and sedate) activity, I can’t recommend this one enough. As a taster of what to expect, watch the video of my visit below.

That’s it for Paris cemeteries to visit which aren’t Père Lachaise. There are nine more, some of which are particularly tricky to get into, so kudos to you if you succeed in visiting all of them.

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Have a lovely weekend, Oliver