Here are some alternative tours in Paris selected especially to celebrate the dead!
the beginning of November represents religious holidays in different parts of the world. we in Spain We have the All Souls' Day, 2 November, as one of the most important religious traditions of Catholic Christian origin to celebrate the dead. We usually take advantage of the date to pray for our loved ones, remember and honor them, so it is normal to see the cemetery busy and with more flowers depending on the occasion.
In view of this context, we decided to present two alternative tours in paris, which are pretty cool to do here : o Père Lachaise Cemetery and the Catacombs.
Buy your travel insurance at a discount!
Get 10% off with coupon FORTRAVELOVERS + payment by check.
Click here and enjoy!
Read more:
- What to do in the South of France? Discover Vence and Saint Paul de Vence
- Go beyond Paris: A weekend visiting castles in the Loire Valley
- 12 Paris Sights to put on your itinerary
Pere Lachaise Cemetery
It's probably the most famous cemetery in the world, as it is there that the bodies of several international celebrities were buried. Jim Morrison, Edith Piaf, Molière, de la Fontaine, Honoré de Balzac, Chopin, Oscar Wilde and even Allan Kardec are some of its residents. In addition, there are many tributes to Resistance participants, foreign fighters killed by France, political representatives, and even the Christ the Redeemer I found it hahahaha!
Located in the 20th arrondissement of Paris and measuring 44 hectares, the cemetery is named after the priest for whom it Rei Louis XIV confessed, Father Francisco de Aix de La Chaise. It was opened in 1804 after a decree of Napoleon determining that all people have the right to be buried. One of the most interesting things about this site is that practically all styles of funeral art are there: Gothic tombs, ancient mausoleums, architectural traces from the time of Baron Haussmann, etc.
To visit the famous cemetery using the public transport system is very simple, there are 3 metro stations in the immediate vicinity of the Père Lachaise that leave you very close to its different entrances. They are: Père-Lachaise (line 2 and 3), Philippe-Auguste (line 2) and Gambetta (line 10).
Admission is free and its opening hours vary according to the time of year. From November to March it is from 8:17 to 30:8 from Monday to Friday, from 30:17 to 30:9 on Saturdays and from 17:30 to 18:XNUMX on Sundays and holidays. From mid-March to October, the closing time is extended until XNUMX:XNUMX. It is also possible to take guided tours on Saturdays and Sundays, see here.
This week when visiting cemetery In order to write this Post, I ended up discovering that it houses the protagonists of a beautiful and tragic love story, worthy of the recognition of Romeo and Juliet or Tristan and Isolde. During the reign of Louis VI, Pierre Abelard was a professor of philosophy who at the age of 36 also became professor of theology at the Notre Dame cathedral in Paris, where Canon Fulbert entrusted him with the education of his 17-year-old niece, Heloise. As we can already imagine, she was enchanted by Abelard's intelligence and beauty, fell in love and decided to consume this love beyond the Platonic plane. Heloise became pregnant, they fled to Brittany where she had the baby and left it in the care of Abelard's family. The two were secretly married upon returning to Paris, but the Canon soon found out and, furious, denounced the marriage to the Church. Due to the laws of the time, Abelard was accused of heresy, forbidden to continue his ecclesiastical career as a teacher and, worst of all, physically punished through castration. The couple was separated for the rest of their lives, but they continued to love and grieve together through letters. As in the most beautiful tragedies, only in death Heloisa and Abelard could finally be together.
You can learn more about this impressive cemetery here. I recommend that you “study” the cemetery a little because I was unprepared just based on their map (which is in each entrance with a list of “attractions” next to it) and I got lost a lot hahahahaha it took me almost 40 min to find Edith Piaf because every time he took some wrong street! #generationwhousesoumapapagatheprice
DISCOUNT TRAVEL INSURANCE!
5% ON COUPON FORTRAVELOVERS AND ANOTHER 5% ON THE BILL
do not leave the TRAVEL INSURANCE for the last minute! He is mandatory on trips to Europe and recommended for most trips abroad.
ECONOMIZE when comparing prices from the best insurers.
You can pay up to 12x on the card or have discount on ticket.
CLICK HERE TO REDEEM THE COUPON: FORTRAVELOVERS
Paris Catacombs
In turn, they are a veritable labyrinth in the underground heart of the city of light! With a depth of 20 meters, 213 steps and a length of 2 kilometers, the visit takes approximately 45 minutes at an average temperature of 14 degrees Celsius. If there were actually dead people there, it would be great for the conservation of bodies, right?! #comentariosemnocaododia #deveserbomprosossosambem
Located in the old galleries whose stones were used to build the capital, the Catacombs contain the remains of millions of Parisians, transferred there between the end of the XNUMXth century and the middle of the XNUMXth century, since the Parisian cemeteries of the time were little by little closing due to unhealthy conditions – hence the need to build the Père Lachaise, including.
Definitely, the visit Catacombs It is one of alternative tours in paris more original than there are around here, as it involves the history of France and a certain mysticity, so to speak, in the macabre-romantic decoration of the place. Imagine entering a dark place, with corridors full of bones arranged on the walls and a sign “Stop, this is the Empire of Death”. God forbid, cross creed, and all other expressions of the genre fit hahaha
Among the bones brought from churches and Paris cemeteries to the Catacombs, there are the remains of several personalities in French history, such as the writer Jean de la Fontaine (who also has a tomb in Père Lachaise) and Danton and Rosbespierre, essential characters in the French Revolution who were guillotined.
Another interesting point of the visit is its geological aspect: we discovered that more than 45 million years ago Paris and its surroundings were actually a tropical sea, so that tens of meters of sediment accumulated at its bottom. Over time, these sediments turned into limestone, which is now visible in the Catacombs.
It is very easy to get there by public transport, just take the metro or RER to Denfert-Rochereau station, the Catacombs they are right there, on Place Denfert-Rochereau (at address 1, avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy). Of course, there is no access for wheelchair users and children under 14 must be accompanied by an adult. Open from Tuesday to Sunday from 10:20 to 30:19, but the ticket office closes at 30:XNUMX.
Liked the tips alternative tours in paris? Comment here!
Paris travel insurance
Having travel insurance for France is a requirement to enter the country, which is part of the Schengen Treaty and requires medical and hospital coverage of at least €30 for travelers. In addition to being mandatory, insurance is a great way to ensure a smoother trip. Also enjoy our Insurance Promo discount coupon. - SEE PRICES
