The Greek inscription on Jim Morrison's headstone in the Lizard King's final landing place, Pere Lachaise cemetery in Paris, reads that he is true to his own spirit. (
Read more about Jim Morrison's Pere Lachaise gravesite.)
- Pere Lachaise grave to note: Poet and singer Jim Morrison, Division Six. Pere Lachaise history nugget: some believe that the Vampire Lestat, played by Tom Cruise in movie "Interview With a Vampire" and antihero of Anne Rice's book, is interred in Pere Lachaise under the name of Prince Armand.
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The best free thing to do in any city is find a park and watch local life, but between bench-warmings in Paris, visit Pere Lachaise cemetery, one of the
top 5 free things to do in Paris for student travelers. This famous cemetery at the Phillipe Auguste or Pere Lachaise metro stop has maps onsite to help you find graves of some of the notables resting among vast Pere Lachaise's trees and stones, such as Honoré de Balzac, Frédéric Chopin, Jim Morrison of '60's band the Doors, Marcel Proust and Oscar Wilde.
Pere Lachais is named after a Jesuit priest from the era of Louis XIV and has been in the keeping of the city of Paris since 1804.
I visited Pere Lachaise on a sunny spring Sunday morning in 2006 with a group of terrific Texas students on an EF Tours educational trip called "Traveling Through History," which is certainly what a walk through Pere Lachaise is. Our group got the rundown on navigating the cemetery's mostly named streets by our EF tour director, and then we were off to roam among the inspiring and usually thought-provoking tombstones dating from the 1600's.
Pere Lachaise Hours
Allot plenty of time to wander Pere Lachaise. Arrive early a.m. to avoid crowds. Don't try to climb the walls at night, and remember that activity at Jim Morrison's grave may be videotaped by park security. Don't desecrate other tombs with directions to Morrison's grave.
< Monday-Friday: 7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Saturday: 8:30 a.m. summer, 8:00 a.m. winter - 6:00 p.m.
Sunday: 9:00 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
