Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Enclosed by a massive wall and lined with 5,000 trees, the peaceful, car-free lanes
and dirt paths of Père Lachaise cemetery encourage park-like meandering. Named for
Father
(Père)
La Chaise, whose job was listening to Louis XIV's sins, the cemetery is re-
latively new, having opened in 1804 to accommodate Paris' expansion. Today, this city of
the dead (pop. 70,000) still accepts new residents, but real estate prices are sky high (a
21-square-foot plot costs more than €11,000).
The 100-acre cemetery is big and confusing, with thousands of graves and tombs
crammed every which way, and only a few pedestrian pathways to help you navigate. The
maps available from any of the nearby florists help direct you to the graves of Frédéric
Chopin, Molière, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Gertrude Stein, Jim Morrison, Héloïse and
Abélard, and many more.
