Père Lachaise cemetary
Has anyone visited this cemetery in Paris?
Is it difficult to find? Worth a visit or not?
Eli
Tornado Alley 4/30/08
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I visit this cemetery on every trip to Paris. It is absolutely beautiful. Take the Metro to Gambetta stop (or PL stop). The Gambetta stop will have you walking downhill through the cemetery rather than uphill if you get off at PL stop. You can also get there by bus--not sure of the number--check RS guide.
I believe the famous #69 bus also goes right to it. I definitely think it is worth a visit, but have a guide to the famous graves. I followed the one in Rick's Paris book and it worked out well.
If you want to see who is buried there in advance, go online to the Pere Lachaise website. The website has a complete list of the "famous" graves (many not listed in Rick's Paris guide - though he covers most all of the really big ones).
Definitely do the tour from the back gate to the front so you walk downhill. Very easy to find cemetary from the Metro stop - absolutely worth a visit.
Yes, go!
Bus #69 is a great little trip and stops right at the cemetery. It's a fantastic place to visit - very peaceful, great art and architecture, famous people (Abelard and Heloise is a great monument, esp. if you know the story). They didn't have the cool website when I went, but you could plot out a good route.
My husband, teenage daughters and I absolutely love strolling through this highly atmospheric cemetery. (The extremely old restroom there was my first encounter with the kind of toilet with footprints and a hole on the floor...very memorable!) We also enjoy eating at one of our favorite restaurants near the cemetery, La Boulangerie. We had some of our best meals in Paris there, and the prices were very reasonable. Here is a review of the restaurant: http://www.bonjourparis.com/Articles/Restaurants_and_Dining/La_Boulangerie:_A_Gem_of_a_Restaurant_du_Quartier/ I can't wait to go back to both places in September!
More urging to go- and even consider it for your first foray into Paris. I arrived solo and jet- lagged with 5 or 6 hours before meeting up with a RS tour. Instead of waiting around at the tour hotel, it was an easy subway journey (the stop is right there, so no getting lost) and no need to worry about getting lost in the cemetery- just wander! Some of my most spectacular photos are from this first outing.
The suggestions to read up ahead are good- you can find your own favorite dead people. And it was fun to see the 24 hour guard at Jimi Hendrix's tomb!
Karen: Jimi Hendrix is buried in Washington State in the US. Jim Morrison of The Doors is the big draw at Pere Lachaise in Paris. Yes, a guard is posted there and the grave is blocked off by metal barriers to keep people back.
Wow! I didn't expect the kind of response I got here. A friend of mine thought this a most morbid activity, but I am glad I asked because cemeteries have always been interesting to me.
Will do some reading up and plan our time accordingly.
By the way, is it a safe area? Any scams? Gypsies?
Why is Jim Morrison's grave guarded?
It's guarded because people vandalize it. You can see where they have chipped off the stone on the edges. It usually has intresting flowers and other items on it though. I was also amazed to see all the red lip prints on Oscar Wilde's tombstone.
Just repeating some of the above...Metro Gambetta is the best because of downhill. By a "guide" i presume the previous person meant guide book...I think the Rick book has a chapter, but the friend who left her copy with me tore out all her favorite sections... I'm pretty sure the entrance guard posts still give free maps I've visited many times, most recently to see Marcel Marceau...and as usual, even WITH a map i got lost...but eventually got out. Next to the Musee d'Orsay, Pere LaChaise is my favorite Paris museum.