Cities of the Dead: 12 of the World's Most Beautiful Cemeteries to Visit

Some of the world's most beautiful places are cemeteries. Historic burial grounds are open-air museums of sculpture and architecture, peaceful green spaces in busy cities and places where you can trace a nation's history through the people buried there. Many were designed as landscaped parks in the 19th century, when cities created grand new cemeteries outside their crowded centres.

From the leafy paths of Père Lachaise to the mossy lanterns of Okunoin in Japan, these "cities of the dead" are among the most atmospheric places you can visit – as long as you do so respectfully. Here are twelve of the most remarkable, with tips on visiting.

Europe

1. Père Lachaise, Paris, France

The world's most visited cemetery is a hilly maze of cobbled lanes, chapels and tombs under chestnut trees. Opened in 1804, it holds Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, Édith Piaf, Chopin and Molière, among many others. Pick up a map at the entrance, wear comfortable shoes and allow at least two hours. Montmartre and Montparnasse cemeteries are quieter alternatives.

2. Highgate Cemetery, London, England

A Victorian gothic landscape of ivy-covered tombs, catacombs and the Egyptian Avenue, with the grave of Karl Marx in the East Cemetery. The atmospheric West Cemetery can usually be visited only on guided tours, run by the charity that cares for the site – book ahead.

3. Glasnevin Cemetery, Dublin, Ireland

Ireland's national cemetery holds more than a million people, including Daniel O'Connell and Michael Collins. A museum and excellent guided tours tell the story of Irish history through those buried here, and you can climb the O'Connell Tower for views over the city.

4. Zentralfriedhof, Vienna, Austria

One of Europe's largest cemeteries, with a section of honorary graves for composers including Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Johann Strauss, as well as a Mozart memorial. The Art Nouveau church at its centre is magnificent. It's so big that a bus runs inside it.

5. Staglieno, Genoa, Italy

Famous for its extraordinarily realistic marble sculptures, Staglieno is one of the great monumental cemeteries of Europe. Its arcades are lined with life-size figures of mourners, angels and families, carved with astonishing detail in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

6. The Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague, Czech Republic

In the Josefov quarter, thousands of weathered headstones lean against each other in layers, as space ran out over the centuries. In use from the 15th to the 18th century, it's one of the most important Jewish heritage sites in Europe and is visited as part of the Jewish Museum's ticket.

7. The Merry Cemetery, Săpânța, Romania

A unique village cemetery where brightly painted wooden crosses are carved with scenes and humorous poems about the lives of the people buried there – a cheerful celebration of life rather than a sombre place.

The Americas

8. Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina

A city of ornate marble mausoleums, laid out in streets and avenues, where Argentina's wealthiest families and famous names – including Eva Perón – are buried. Free guided tours run regularly; cats are among the most famous residents.

9. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans, USA

New Orleans' oldest surviving cemetery is known for its above-ground tombs, built because of the city's high water table. Access is usually only with licensed guided tours, which help protect the tombs from damage. The city's other historic cemeteries, such as Lafayette Cemetery No. 1, are equally atmospheric.

10. Hollywood Forever, Los Angeles, USA

The resting place of many film stars, with palm trees and a lake – and, unusually, it hosts summer film screenings and concerts on its lawns, a very Los Angeles way to celebrate life.

Asia

11. Okunoin, Mount Kōya, Japan

Japan's largest cemetery stretches for about two kilometres through a forest of giant cedar trees on the sacred mountain of Kōyasan, with more than 200,000 moss-covered stone monuments. The path leads to the mausoleum of Kōbō Daishi, founder of Shingon Buddhism. Night tours by lantern light are unforgettable, and you can stay overnight in a temple on the mountain.

12. Arlington National Cemetery, Virginia, USA

Across the river from Washington, D.C., Arlington's rows of white headstones honour America's military dead. Visitors come to see the grave of President John F. Kennedy and its eternal flame, and the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.

How to visit respectfully

• Check opening times and rules – many cemeteries close at dusk, and some are only open on guided tours.
• Stay quiet and on paths; don't sit or climb on tombs.
• Never disturb funerals or mourners – move away and don't take photos.
• Dress modestly, especially at religious sites.
• Take only photos, leave only footprints – don't touch fragile monuments or take flowers or stones.
• Join a guided tour: guides bring the stories, history and art of these places to life.