Père Lachaise Cemetery Has Beautiful Vistas

Come with me as we wander Paris’ Père Lachaise Cemetery. The 4 hours spent in Père Lachaise gave us a peaceful respite from the site-seeing. The beautiful paths and shady trees encourage you to meander and refresh yourself.

It is the most beautiful place and so different from traditional cemeteries where we live. Some 70,000 graves populate this cemetery with a multitude of famous people to discover.

Père Lachaise Cemetery

Some of My Favorite Things

The street signs in the cemetery directed us as we followed the map. There are more than 109 acres here so allow plenty of time. Did you know that this was the first municipal cemetery in Paris? Do you know why Paris also has Catacombs?

There is a waiting list to be buried here and you must have either lived in Paris at the time of death or been a previous resident. (Thanks, Wikipedia, for that little nugget!)

Being a lifelong piano player, Chopin’s grave was one of the places at the top of my list.

Père Lachaise Cemetery, Chopin’s Grave

There are so many beautiful vistas to enjoy.

pere la chaise

We sought out Edith Piaf’s grave, France’s little sparrow, as well as the grave of Jim Morrison. However, the crowds and the guard at his grave prevented a picture.

pere lachaise

I love the tomb of Heloise and Abelard, two star-crossed lovers. He was a philosopher and theologian and she was his student, 21 years his junior. What a fascinating story !

Héloïse and Abélard

Sobering War and Holocaust Memorials

Père Lachaise has war memorials and memorials to the victims of the holocaust that left a lasting impression. These were very sobering.

The engraving states: “Beneath this stone lie some of the ashes of 7000 French who were assassinated by the Nazis at Camp Neuengamme. They died so that we can live free.”