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| Alfred Chopin's Grave |
When I went to Paris one of the things that I was most excited to see while there was Pere-Lachaise Cemetery. Most people might not really think of a cemetery as a must see when visiting a new place. But this cemetery is really a must see. Not only does the cemetery itself have a lot of history but you can see graves from famous people. The cemetery itself houses over 300,000 graves, making it the largest cemetery in Paris, and one of the most visited cemeteries worldwide. When you visit this cemetery there are a few things that you need to remember to help make your trip a lot easier.
The first thing that I would tell someone is that you can get free guide maps. When I went we didn't know that you could get these maps so we were wandering around the cemetery and losing our way everytime we took a step. It's still a good idea to make sure that you have an idea of the layout of the cemetery before you go, you can find maps online. Its also not a bad idea to make sure that you know what graves you would like to see before arriving. This will help to make your trip more enjoyable and you can map out where the graves that you want to see are, and then take a stroll and see who else you can find amid the gravestones. If you find that you simply don't want to bother finding your way around you can get guided tours of the cemetery, but you must call in advance and book them.
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| Oscar Wilde's Grave |
While Pere-Lachaise is the final resting place for many famous people many of the headstones and gravesites that are throughout the cemetery are interesting and in a way beautiful to see. So while walking along the paths make sure that you take a look along the way as you can see some very interesting things. If you are looking to make sure that you see some of the famous graves then make sure that you take note of certain ones. Jim Morrison, Chopin, Victor Hugo, and Oscar Wilde are just a few that you will want to make sure that you see. While you are at Oscar Wilde's grave you will notice that there is a wall that seperates the grave from visitors, this is because admirers were leaving their lipstick marks on the grave, in a tribute to the author, by leaving an "admirer's kiss", however since my visit the grave has been cleaned and a glass wall placed in front of the grave.
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| Victor Noir's Grave |
If you are interested in a little bit of a strange but fun tradition then you will want to visit Victor Noir's grave. Victor Noir was a French journalist who was shot to death in a duel at the age of 22. The grave portrays him laying flat on his back, (life size), clothed with a hate having fallen to his feet, and a bulge in his pants, exactly the way that he fell to ground after he was shot. Victor Noir was known to be womanizer and a sex symbol. Today, people visit the grave and touch the crotch of the statue, its said to help with infertility and other sexual ailments and some even believe if will help them find a husband.
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| Jim Morrison's Grave |
The cemetery is open
Mid-March through early November: 7:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Mon.-Friday; 8:30 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Saturday; 9:00 a.m.-6:00 p.m. Sunday and bank holidays.
Mid-November through early March: 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Mon.-Friday; 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Saturday; 9:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. Sunday and bank holidays.
