Cemetery walking tours are an amazing way to learn about different cultures, see outdoor sculptures like those in art museums, and take in breathtaking natural settings from arboretums to lakes and trails.
So if art, history, and nature are your passions, a cemetery walking tour will probably be right up your alley. (Warning: these 10 cemetery walking tours from around the world may make you get the “travel bug”!)
Cemetery Walking Tour #1: Metairie Cemetery, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA
Metairie Cemetery in New Orleans, Louisiana is a 150-acre cemetery that is the final resting place for about 120,000 people. The cemetery is known for its Egyptian pyramids, expensive mausoleums, and Celtic crosses. Forbes named this cemetery one of the best in the United States.
There are a variety of walking tours at Metairie Cemetery:
- Lake Lawn Metairie Cemetery Walking Tour – a 2-hour tour that explores Greek temples, Gothic and Islamic style tombs, and marble monuments with beautiful ironwork and stained glass
- Millionaires and Mausoleums Metairie Cemetery Walking Tour – a 2-hour tour that explores the tombs of notable people including famous soldiers, statesmen, and musicians
- Historic Cemetery Tours – 1.5-hour tour that highlights the history of the cemetery and how the cemetery evolved from what was once cypress swampland; learn about Mardi Gras royalty and local businessmen
- Stories of Faith and Courage – a self-guided tour that takes about 60 minutes
Cemetery Walking Tour #2: Monumental Cemetery, Genoa, Italy
While other cemeteries of its day were built to solve problems – such as overcrowded churchyards or an increase in deaths after an epidemic – Monumental Cemetery of Staglieno in Genoa, Italy was constructed for beauty.
This final resting place for more than 80,000 people, is one of the most picturesque and peaceful spots in the city. Monumental Cemetery was established when Napoleon governed the city and was completed in 1866. The cemetery has the oldest crematorium in Europe.
The striking building at the center of the cemetery blends Gothic, Byzantine, and Renaissance architecture and is known as the Temple of Fame. Its purpose is to honor people whose accomplishments have brought prestige to Italy.
Allow at least 2 hours to see the cemetery’s Temple of Fame and the highlights of this park-like cemetery.
Invite Lucy the resident cat to trail along with you as you discover the stories behind the lives of some of Italy’s greatest citizens.
Monumental Cemetery has some of the world’s most beautiful sculptures. Click HERE to see photos of some of the most beautiful statues.
Cemetery Walking Tour #3: Elmwood Cemetery, Detroit, Michigan, USA
Elmwood was the first fully racially integrated cemetery in the Midwest. Elmwood continues to serve residents of all religious beliefs and ethnic backgrounds.
Elmwood’s peaceful grounds include a gently-flowing stream, trees, and green rolling hills, making it an attraction for wildlife and great for birding.
The Gothic-style chapel at Elmwood’s entrance was built in 1856. It was renovated first in 1961 and then again after it was destroyed by a fire in 1976. Tremendous public support has allowed the building to play an important role at the cemetery as a gathering place for cemetery tours and classes.
You can explore Elmwood Cemetery on your own with self-guided walking tours complete with maps and audio guides:
- African American Heritage
- Leadership Legacies
- Business Visionaries
- Underground Railroad Network to Freedom Tour
- Biographies Tour
Elmwood Cemetery was Detroit’s first arboretum. It has 91 species among its 1,450+ trees. Take a stroll through Elmwoods’ arboretum with these tree guides:
- Elmwood Tree Tour – Southern Sections
- Elmwood Tree Tour – Center Sections
- Elmwood Tree Tour – Northern Sections
Cemetery Walking Tour #4: Seoul National Cemetery, Seoul Korea
Seoul National Cemetery honors those patriots and soldiers who gave their lives for the country. It is very well maintained and has breathtaking views from the hills that overlook the city of Seoul.
The cemetery is especially beautiful in the spring when it is decked out in cherry blossoms.
The cemetery grounds include a War History Museum, Memorial Hall, Memorial Tower, and the Altar to Patriots and Patriotic Martyrs.
There is a 3.5-mile loop trail around Seoul National Cemetery for walking and hiking. It is considered an easy route and takes about 1 hour and 40 minutes to complete.
Cemetery Walking Tour #5: Highgate Cemetery, London, England
Highgate Cemetery has about 170,000 burials in roughly 53,000 graves. The cemetery is best known as a nature reserve and for the famous people that are buried there.
The cemetery grounds are filled with trees, shrubbery, and wildflowers, most of which were planted and then left to grow naturally without humans shaping the progress. This has made the cemetery a haven for small animals and birds.
Many famous people are buried at Highgate Cemetery. Here are three notables:
Karl Marx (1818- 1883) was a German philosopher and socialist revolutionary. Marx’s political publications led to his exile from his country, so he and his wife and children came to live in London for decades. His communist leanings were so divisive that enemies sought to vandalize his tomb. Marx’s stone bust was bombed so that now it leans – ironically – slightly to the left.
Thomas Sayers (1826 – 1865) was a successful bare-knuckle boxer. Sayers was so well-liked by the London masses that his funeral was attended by about 10,000 people (as opposed to the mere 11 that showed up for Karl Marx’s services).
Michael Faraday (1791 -1867) was a British physicist and chemist, best known for his invention of the electric motor.
Two 75-minute tours are available at Highgate Cemetery:
Highlights Tour – This tour includes some exclusive areas of the cemetery that are closed to the general public. It includes many dramatic architectural features such as the infamous Egyptian Avenue, the Circle of Lebanon, and the Terrace Catacombs.
East Side Tour – While the west side of Highgate Cemetery focuses on architecture, the peaceful East Side allows visitors to hear the stories of the fascinating people who are buried here.
Highgate Cemetery is one of London’s Magnificent Seven Cemeteries. Learn more about them HERE.
Cemetery Walking Tour #6: Graceland Cemetery, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Founded in 1860 on 80 acres (32 ha), Graceland Cemetery is a large historic garden cemetery on the north side of Chicago, Illinois.
Graceland includes a lake surrounded by winding paths. It is a certified arboretum with more than 2,000 trees. The cemetery is sometimes referred to as the “architects cemetery” because of the number of buildings on the grounds that were designed by famous architects, several of whom are also buried in the cemetery.
The cemetery later expanded to 121 acres (49 ha) and contains the burial sites of several well-known Chicago citizens.
Notable burials at Graceland Cemetery include:
William Wallace Kimball – pianos and pipe organ manufacturer; Kimball Avenue in Chicago is named for him.
Louis Sullivan – dubbed the “prophet of modern architecture” and “father of the skyscraper”; he coined the phrase, “form follows function”
George Pullman – founded the Pullman luxury rail car empire
Graceland Cemetery supplies maps for free, self-guided themed tours that focus on Chicago’s great architects, the city’s turbulent history, its leading citizens, and the cemetery’s natural beauty.
Paper road maps are available at the Graceland office, near the entrance. A digital map, with notable people marked, can be found HERE.
Cemetery Walking Tour #7: Père Lachaise Cemetery, Paris, France
Explore Père Lachaise Cemetery with a walking tour and hear the fascinating stories of those who rest here. Père-Lachaise Cemetery is the largest burial grounds in Paris and one of the most famous cemeteries in the world.
Père Lachaise Cemetery attracts more than 4 million visitors each year, making it the most visited cemetery in the world. The land was originally owned by the Catholic confessor to Louis XIV, Francois d’Aix de La Chaise, and is named in his honor.
When Pere Lachaise Cemetery was opened in 1804 it was considered to have some radical ideas. It was not in a traditional churchyard setting, instead, it was a park-like setting away from the heart of the city. The cemetery was non-denominational, unheard of in its day. And families could buy burial plots in perpetuity rather than requiring bones to be exhumed and moved to an ossuary after a period of time.
Visitors to the cemetery can step inside family sepulchers that are set up almost like little living rooms ready for guests. The walls are often lined with shelves holding family pictures and momentoes. And a bench or chair will invite you to linger for a while.
Finding a tour of Père Lachaise Cemetery isn’t hard. There are tours that focus on everything from famous graves to ghosts to love affairs.
Cemetery Walking Tour #8: Montjuïc Cemetery, Barcelona, Spain
Montjuïc Cemetery is perched on a rocky cliff in Barcelona, Spain. It was established in 1883 and now contains more than one million burials in 150,000 plots, niches, and mausoleum crypts.
The early monuments at Montjuïc Cemetery were usually in classic and Gothic styles. Later gravestones were by the Art-Nouveau movement, Egyptian symbolism, and Catalane Modernisme.
The statues at Montjuïc Cemetery are magnificent because the bourgeoisie not only want to flaunt their wealth during their lifetimes but often even more so after death.
The steep slopes of the hillside give visitors to Montjuïc Cemetery incredible views of the harbour. Many tourists consider the cemetery a “must see”, well worth the steep climb up the hill.
Montjuïc offers three free guided tours, or pick up a brochure at the entrance to take your own self-guided cemetery walking tour.
Cemetery Walking Tour #9: Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina
La Recoleta Cemetery in Buenos Aires, Argentina is home to the graves of many notable people including Eva Perón, presidents of Argentina, Nobel Prize winners, the founder of the Argentine Navy
There are more than 6,400 mausoleums in this cemetery, spanning more than four city blocks over 14 acres (5.5 hectares).
Most materials used for the monuments built between 1880 and 1930 were imported from Paris, France and Milan, Italy.
Mausoleums in the main section of the cemetery are kept in good condition but others have fallen into a state of disrepair.
A walking tour in La Recoleta Cemetery is like wandering through a sculpture garden with wide tree-lined walkways branching off into sidewalks with rows of mausoleums.
You could spend an entire day here but tours usually allow for under 2 hours.
Cemetery Walking Tour #10: Arlington National Cemetery, Arlington, Virginia
Arlington National Cemetery in Arlington, Virginia, spanning 624 acres, is maintained by the US Army. It is also often considered the most famous historic cemetery in the United States.
During the US Civil War casualties began to outnumber available gravesites in Washington, D.C., making the need for a national cemetery in the area obvious.
Arlington National Cemetery was established in May of 1864. Tens of thousands of Union Soldiers were buried at Arlington in the years that followed. Many high-ranking military and government officials continue to be buried there today.
The most famous grave at Arlington National Cemetery is that of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
For more than 100 years the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier has served as a symbolic grave for all war dead whose remains have not been found or identified.
A 2-hour cemetery walking tour at Arlington allows visitors to see not only the thousands of patroit’s graves, but also the Changing of the Guards at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Learn More
If you enjoyed this blog post you will probably like these too:
- 10 Unusual Cemeteries from Around the World
- London’s Magnificent Seven Cemeteries
- The Seven Largest Cemeteries in the World
- 10 Cemeteries to See Before You Die
- Portraits in Stone
- Using Gravestone Clues to Grow Your Family Tree
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Happy Cemetery Hopping!
Cathy Wallace
