Père Lachaise Cemetery: Private Tour & Celebrity Graves

Two Hours in the Cemetery Where Paris Buries Its Famous

You get a private guide who knows Père Lachaise's layout and history, spending roughly two hours finding celebrity graves and hidden corners at your own pace. The tour includes access to the cemetery and a guide who customizes stops based on what interests you, which means you skip the big groups and the rushed feeling. You decide when to linger and what to skip, and the guide handles the navigation and the stories.

Step-by-step itinerary

Private tour of Pere Lachaise Cemetery

• Meet your private guide
• Explore Pere Lachaise Cemetery
• Discover famous graves and legends
• Visit unusual landscaped spots
• Customize tour to your interests

The experience

You walk in expecting a quiet place to think, and instead you find yourself in a 44-hectare forest with 70,000 graves and 5,300 trees, which is not what a cemetery usually feels like. Père Lachaise is less a burial ground and more an open-air museum where the dead have actual addresses, and your private guide knows them the way someone knows a neighborhood they've lived in for years. The tour runs about two hours, but that's flexible. You set the pace and the stops.

The guide takes you past the crowds that cluster around the famous names (Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Chopin, Isadora Duncan, Maria Callas, Marcel Proust), and instead of rushing between them, you get the stories. The legends, the connections, the small details that make a grave matter. You'll find unusual spots of landscaped beauty tucked between the main paths, the kind of place you'd walk past alone and never notice. The guide uses shortcuts and knows which graves people usually miss, which means you're not following the same route as the tour groups that fill the main avenues.

Because it's private, you can ask for anything. Stay longer at one grave. Skip ahead to another. Ask about someone buried here who isn't famous. The guide will work with you instead of against the clock. If you're coming with a partner, a family, or just a couple of friends, the whole thing stays intimate: no one's waiting for you to move on, no one's crowding the space around you while the guide talks.

Public transportation stops nearby if you need to get there without a car, and the paths are walkable for most fitness levels. Bring comfortable shoes and maybe a notebook if you're the type to write things down. The cemetery closes at dusk, so an afternoon slot works best.

What’s included

• Private guide for approximately 2 hours.
• access to Père Lachaise Cemetery.
• customized itinerary based on your interests and pace.
• guide knowledge of celebrity graves and lesser-known burial sites throughout the 44-hectare grounds.

Before you book

Days and timesMonday, Thursday and FridayDepartures at 10:00, 14:00 and 14:30Last departure this season: 11 Dec

Meeting point and pickupNo hotel pickup: you go to the meeting point. Ends at a different place from where it starts.Operator's directions: “Meet your guide by the entrance to the Pere Lachaise Cemetery on Rue des Rondeaux. The nearest Metro station is Gambetta (Line 3). Please note that the nearest Metro station is not Pere Lachaise!”

Cancellation and refundsFree cancellation up to 24h before the start. After that, no refund.

Prices and times updated 15 days ago

Good to know

Easy physical levelPublic transport nearby

Operated by Les Necro - Romantiques

Is this one for you?Book this if you want to see the famous graves at Père Lachaise without joining a large group tour: the private guide and flexible timing mean you move at your own pace and ask questions without feeling rushed.

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Top questions

How long is the Père Lachaise private tour?

About 2 hours, though you control the pace and can adjust based on where you want to spend more time.

Which famous people are buried at Père Lachaise?

Jim Morrison, Oscar Wilde, Chopin, Isadora Duncan, Maria Callas, Marcel Proust, Molière, Delacroix, Édith Piaf, and Marcel Marceau are among the notable graves the guide can locate.

Is the cemetery accessible for people with limited mobility?

The paths are suitable for most fitness levels, though Père Lachaise covers 44 hectares, so comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

Can I customize the tour to focus on specific graves or areas?

Yes, the guide fulfills special requests and adjusts the itinerary based on your interests, whether that's a particular person, a time period, or specific sections of the cemetery.

How do I get to Père Lachaise?

Public transportation options are available nearby. The cemetery is in the 20th arrondissement of Paris.

Can I book the tour for just one person?

Yes, the private tour works for solo travelers, couples, families, or groups of friends. You choose the group size.

Does the guide speak English?

The tour is offered in English. Confirm the language when you book.