Where is Jim Morrison’s grave in Paris? (and more top tombs at Père Lachaise Cemetery)

When it comes to the famed Père Lachaise cemetery in Paris, visitors ask one question more than any other:

Where is Jim Morrison’s grave? (Then, it’s Edith Piaf, Oscar Wilde, and others… but more on them later.)

Here are some clear instructions for Jim – and for more famous faces to find. Of course, you could spend days in the Pere Lachaise finding all kinds of exquisite tombs (like the one above, for Fernand Arbelot). But take this post as a beginner’s guide for your first visit.

Where to find Jim Morrison’s grave?

Yes, tourists often come to Père Lachaise for one thing and that’s to visit the grave of the frontman of The Doors, Jim Morrison. Come early to avoid the crowds – or come when it’s busy and simply follow the crowds. Here’s the direct link to find Jim Morrison’s grave on Google maps here.

Otherwise, head for Avenue du Puits and then walk until you reach the Casimir Perier roundabout and take a right on Chemin Lauriston, you’ll then find Jim Morrison’s grave.

The grave is behind a barrier after visitors kept getting too close. Nowadays, many people like to pay homage to the Doors frontman by leaving chewing gum on a nearby tree. Curious about this oddity? Read more about the unusual objects people leave on graves at Père Lachaise here.

Subscribe to the Earful Tower newsletter

Want more from Paris? Sign up for the free Earful Tower newsletter, which we send out every Friday through Substack.

Now for more top tombs at the Père Lachaise cemetery.

Where to find Edith Piaf’s grave

You can bet your last centime that Edith’s grave will always have fresh flowers. The singer, nicknamed “The Little Sparrow”, had a special place in the hearts of many.

Find Edith Piaf’s grave here.

Curious to find more about Edith Piaf? Here are six places you can find Edith Piaf in Paris here and here’s how singing with Edith Piaf can transport you to ‘The Old Belleville’.

Where to find Oscar Wilde’s grave

Oscar Wilde’s stone grave was once so covered in lipstick kisses that cemetery workers encased it in a glass barrier. The glass is much easier to clean (and it gets cleaned regularly). There were only a few kisses on the day we visited, but the glass is known to get rather smothered indeed.

Kissing this grave has become one of the most popular Père Lachaise traditions, in honour of this iconic Irish writer who lived and died in Paris.

Find Oscar Wilde’s grave here.

Here’s more on the beloved writer: A look inside Oscar Wilde’s hotel room in Paris.

How to find Frederic Chopin’s grave

Chopin’s heart was buried in Warsaw, separately from his body.

Find Chopin’s grave here.

Where to find Sarah Bernhardt‘s grave

Actress Sarah Bernhardt, a staple feature on the Paris theatre scene 100 years ago, was famed for her dramatic deaths on stage.

Find Sarah Bernhardt’s grave here.

Where to find Victor Noir’s grave

Victor Noir, a journalist assassinated for political reasons, lies beneath a statue crafted in his likeness, just after his death. The sculpture depicts him reclined, with a bullet wound, a fallen hat, and a rather prominent example of his manhood, which is visible from a distance beneath his clothing.

Find Victor Noir’s grave here.

Where to find the potatoes

Antoine-Augustin Parmentier was a French farmer and pharmacist who popularised eating potatoes in both France and Europe. In the 16th century potatoes were not seen as a vegetable for humans, but Parmentier proved that they were easy to grow, preserve and that they could indeed be very tasty.

Due to his efforts, potatoes were declared an edible vegetable by the Paris Faculty of Medicine in 1772. There are now many French potato dishes named after him, and visitors to the Père Lachaise cemetery sometimes place a potato on his grave to honour his legacy.

Find Parmentier’s grave here.

Many, many more famous graves

Other popular graves include writers Balzac, Proust, Colette, Gertrude Stein, and Moliere and French painter Delacroix. You can find them on the map below.

Or, click here for a nice large map of the Père Lachaise.

The Earful Tower podcast episode

On this episode of the Earful Tower we discussed the curious collections of unusual objects on certain gravestones in Parisian cemeteries. Listen to the episode below, or wherever you get your podcasts.

This episode above was brought to you by LivTours, whose guides offer more than 30 experiences in and around Paris (and hundreds more across Europe). Their tour groups are small – max 6 people – or private and include everything from Pere Lachaise Cemetery and the Catacombs, to day trips in Versailles, Giverny, and Champagne.They also do food tours of the Marais, small group and private visits to the Louvre, and TukTuk tours of Paris. Find out more here about LivTours here.