The largest cemetery in Paris is one of the city's strangest and most rewarding destinations. Its 44 hectares of cobbled lanes and overgrown tombs feel like a village frozen in the 19th century, and the guest list is extraordinary: Molière, Balzac, Proust, Chopin, Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, Isadora Duncan, and Jim Morrison are all here, along with thousands of less famous Parisians in graves ranging from crumbling 18th-century monuments to polished modern stones.
Morrison's grave draws the largest crowd and is usually draped in mementoes. Wilde's tomb is covered in lipstick kisses (a practice the authorities now try to discourage). Chopin's grave is invariably fresh with flowers. The Mur des Fédérés, in the eastern corner, marks where 147 Paris Commune fighters were shot and buried in 1871 — a pilgrimage site for the French left ever since.
Buy a map from one of the shops near the main entrance on boulevard de Ménilmontant, or download one in advance. Without it, navigation is hopeless. Métro: Père Lachaise or Philippe Auguste.