Fans and seekers still make Paris pilgrimages to the grave of Jim Morrison, singer for the 60's band The Doors, and lay mementoes despite a guard and fence.
Tokens on Jim Morrison's Grave
© Kathleen Crislip
After his death in Paris, Jim Morrison was buried without fanfare on July 7, 1971, in Pere Lachaise's Division Six. Fan farewells have followed for years. It's said that Morrison's grave is the fourth most popular atraction in Paris; folks with family interred nearby asked that the traffic-attracting and oft-grafitti desecrated grave be moved when its 30-year lease was up, but Paris officials decreed that Morrison will rest in peace at Pere Lachaise.
- Pere Lachaise history nugget: Some magick-making folks make pilgrimages to spiritualist Allan Kardec's grave in section forty four. And some believe that the vampire Lestat (Tom Cruise's "Interview With a Vampire" character in the movie made from Anne Rice's book) is interred here in a tomb engraved with the name of one Prince Armand.
Looking for more photos of
JimMorrison's grave? Check it --
Jim Morrison's headstone.
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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, such as Honoré de Balzac, Frédéric Chopin, Jim Morrison of '60's band the Doors, Marcel Proust and Oscar Wilde. Pere Lachais is named for 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; activity at Morrison's grave may be filmed by park security.
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.
