For Halloween, everyone wants to be scared, at least a little. This is why we offer you the most iconic Paris’ graveyards, to make you discover those cultural and history witnesses in a quite… spooky way!
Asnière sur Seine Cemetery
Also called Dogs’ graveyard, Asnière sur Seine’s cemetery is the final resting place for more than 90,000 various animals, including cats, dogs, fish, hamsters, pigs, lions, horses… Whether they were pets or exotic animals, big or small, they find their rest in a calm and vegetated space.
Overall, there is no danger of coming across cat or dog zombies, as in Stephen King’s Pet Sematary, but you never know! Keep your eyes peeled during your visit. What might appeal to innocent eyes as a statue could be something else...and don't forget to run if you hear sinister barking.
Cimetière du Père Lachaise
Largest cemetery of intramural Paris, Père Lachaise’s Graveyard is so steeped in France’s History that it stands as an iconic tourist destination on its own.
It serves the rest of numerous people of art, culture, science and politics. Some people even make a pilgrimage to the Mur des Fédérés, to pay homage to those who died the Paris’ Commune.
It’s also a great peaceful and green oasis, in the heart of the 20th district. Among the graves of Jim Morrison, Jean de la Fontaine or Edith Piaf, it’s possible to spot squirrels climbing at the century-old trees.
The luckiests visitors may see, if they’re silent and patient enough, one of the young foxes that was born during spring 2023. Others may meet the ghost of the Comtess Demidoff, known as the White Lady.
Picpus Cemetery
While it may look like any other cemetery, Picpus’ one is a witness to history. It’s one of the rare private cemeteries in the capital, serving as the final resting place for gentlefolks families.
After the French Revolution, during the Reign of Terror, guillotine sentences were carried out here, and the bodies of the condemned were interred in its paupers' graves.
No surprise if you come across strange headless figures. Don't panic, however, since the cemetery contains in its chapel a wooden sculpture representing Our Lady of Peace, with the reputation of being miraculous.
Catacombes de Paris
As cryptic as it is full of History, the underground corridors of Catacombs of Paris are spreading on more than 135 kilometers under the capital. They house the bones of over 6 million people, and are the world's greatest underground ossuary.
The city of Paris offers official guided tours, to not get lost in this cryptic maze where bones reign supreme. Visiting without a guide is forbidden for safety reasons, and some people claim to have seen strange creatures lurking in dark corners…
Montmartre Cemetery
Also known as North's cemetery, it is situated on the butte Montmartre. It’s one of the rare graveyards to be surrounded by a bridge, the Caulaincourt bridge, which was builded in 1888. With its nearly 800 trees, it’s very verdant as well, like a green parenthesis in this bustling district.
Among its 11 hectares, you can find the graves of many personalities such as Emile Zola, Stendhal, or even Dalida, on which sits a life-size statue of the singer.
You also come across a lot of cats there, mostly black it seems. Some see it as a sign of the presence of witches strolling between the tombstones...
