Itineraries · 5 min read

Père-Lachaise Itinerary: Famous Graves, Map and Opening Hours

Updated on October 23, 2026

Père-Lachaise is free and open every day: from 16 March to 5 November it opens at 8:00 on weekdays (8:30 on Saturday, 9:00 on Sunday) and closes at 18:00, then closes at 17:30. Allow two hours for a loop, finding graves by their division number. Opened in 1804, Père-Lachaise was the first Paris cemetery designed as a garden rather than a simple burial enclosure: architect Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart laid out winding, English-style paths, planted with a variety of trees, that follow the slope of a hill in the 20th arrondissement. Beyond the famous graves that built its reputation, it's this dimension as an open-air garden-museum, with 44 hectares of 19th-century funerary sculpture and architecture, that rewards a proper visit rather than a quick pass-through.

Famous graves and their division

Here are ten of the most sought-after landmarks, with the division number to look for on the map.

Grave	Division	Good to know
Jim Morrison	6	Singer of The Doors
Oscar Wilde	89	Writer, monument with a sphinx by Jacob Epstein
Édith Piaf	97	Singer
Frédéric Chopin	11	Composer
Molière and La Fontaine	25	Playwright and fable writer
Marcel Proust	85	Writer
Honoré de Balzac	48	Writer
Eugène Delacroix	49	Painter
Amedeo Modigliani	96	Painter
Wall of the Fédérés	76	Memorial of the Commune, May 1871

Check the division numbers on the official City of Paris map (paris.fr) before your visit: the general cemetery map does not list famous people.

Hours, access and duration

Hours: from 16 March to 5 November it opens at 8:00 on weekdays, 8:30 on Saturday and 9:00 on Sunday, and closes at 18:00; from 6 November to 15 March it closes at 17:30. Entry stops 15 minutes before closing, and hours may change in bad weather.
Price: free entry, no booking needed.
Getting there: Père Lachaise metro (lines 2 and 3) for the main entrance on boulevard de Ménilmontant; Gambetta metro (line 3) for the Gambetta entrance.
Duration: two hours for a loop around a few graves, three hours or more to explore the old divisions.

Frequently asked questions

How long does it take to visit Père-Lachaise?

Two hours is enough for a loop around a few famous graves; allow three hours or more for the old divisions. The ground is hilly and cobbled in places.

Is entry to Père-Lachaise free?

Yes, with no booking. Paid guided tours exist; their price depends on the organiser.

Where is Jim Morrison's grave?

In division 6. Locate it on a map before you set off: there are many paths.

What time should I arrive?

At opening or late morning, before the afternoon guided groups. The cemetery closes at 18:00 (17:30 from 6 November to 15 March) and entry stops 15 minutes before.

Getting your bearings at the entrance

The cemetery has five entrances and 97 numbered divisions, and a free map is available at each one. Pick one up as soon as you arrive: without it, it's easy to lose your way in the network of paths, even on a short visit.

The main gate and chapel

From boulevard de Ménilmontant, the neoclassical gate designed by Étienne-Hippolyte Godde, inaugurated in 1825, sets the architectural tone for the visit. The cemetery's Catholic chapel, also by Godde, stands a short walk away and makes a useful central landmark for exploring the surrounding divisions.

The oldest divisions

The divisions nearest the main entrance are among the cemetery's oldest and hold a dense concentration of 19th-century funerary sculpture: miniature chapels, stone angels and Art Nouveau mausoleums line the paths one after another, no need to hunt for a specific grave to appreciate the walk.

The Mur des Fédérés

In the southeastern part of the cemetery, this wall is where the last 147 fighters of the Paris Commune were executed in May 1871. The site remains a memorial landmark for the French left, with an annual commemoration held there, giving the visit a historical dimension beyond the stroll itself.

The crematorium-columbarium

Built from 1894 by architect Jean Camille Formigé in a neo-Byzantine style, this domed building holds more than 26,000 niches spread across five levels. It's one of the cemetery's most striking architectural ensembles, largely away from the busiest paths.

Finding a specific grave without getting lost

The map available at the entrances lists more than a hundred famous graves with their exact location by division number. Rather than searching at random, bring this map or a dedicated app if a particular name interests you: the grounds are too vast to improvise effectively.

Tips

Allow at least two hours for a visit that goes beyond a simple crossing, more if you linger in the oldest divisions. The ground is hilly and paved in places, so wear shoes suited to extended walking.
Hours vary by season and day of the week (generally 8am-6pm on weekdays, a slightly later opening on weekends), and the cemetery closes its gates before nightfall year-round. A late-morning visit, when crowds are still moderate, leaves time to enjoy the quiet of the paths before the afternoon's guided groups arrive. To compare with another large necropolis on the Left Bank, opened in 1824, see the Montparnasse Cemetery page (14th arrondissement).

See in this guide

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