International travel during the shoulder seasons — between September and November and between March and May — has been gaining traction in the past few years. Wondering what activities you can enjoy in Europe during the colder months of the year? The continent’s cities are home to some of the most beautiful cemeteries — and with Halloween just around the corner, it’s the perfect opportunity to visit these open-air museums filled with extraordinary art, architecture, and sculptures.
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Halloween continues to be one of the staples of autumn, with ghost tours, haunted houses, and other haunted attractions becoming must-dos around October 31. But what if there’s another way to celebrate Halloween — exploring places that are full of art, memorials to famous artists and thinkers, and are a bit spooky?
Some of Europe’s cemeteries, built centuries ago, offer that exact combination. The continent’s popular graveyards were some of its first garden cemeteries, becoming tourist attractions in their own right. Visitors can see the elaborate monuments, sculptures, mausoleums, and gravestones built to honor those who have passed away, all in areas that are like urban parks.
Another reason to visit Europe’s cemeteries around Halloween is the All Saints’ Day celebrations on November 1. While the tradition isn’t universal across Europe, it’s a Catholic custom to visit cemeteries on this holy day and illuminate gravesites with candles and lanterns that create an otherworldly glow across the otherwise dark landscape.
If you’re planning to see several cemeteries during your visit to Europe, make sure you have mobile data to book your flight, train, or public transportation tickets. An eSIM app like Saily provides an internet connection while traveling the continent, with the app offering European eSIM plans that provide mobile data in 35 European countries.
Paris’ Père Lachaise Cemetery is the city’s largest burial ground and is the now-permanent home for dozens of artists, historical figures, philosophers, and scientists. The site is in the 20th arrondissement of Paris, a handful of bus or metro stops away from the city’s main attractions like the Arc de Triomphe or the Louvre Museum.
The cemetery’s size means that you’ll likely spend a couple of hours here, exploring the many styles of funerary art. You’ll come across Gothic tombs, Haussmannian burial vaults, ancient mausoleums, and elaborate monuments dedicated to various groups of people. Some of the cemetery’s famous residents include Honoré de Balzac, Frédéric Chopin, Jim Morrison, Édith Piaf, Marie Souvestre, and Oscar Wilde.
Père Lachaise Cemetery is open Monday to Sunday. Between November and mid-March, the cemetery opens at 8:00 AM on Mondays to Fridays, at 8:30 AM on Saturdays, and at 9:00 AM on Sundays, closing at 5:30 PM on all days of the week. Between mid-March and October, the cemetery opens at the same times but closes at 6:00 PM.
Another famous Paris cemetery is the Cemetery of Montmartre. The burial grounds are in a unique location, and not only because the Caulaincourt Bridge cuts through a corner of the cemetery.
Its location is special because of the bohemian nature of the district of Montmartre. Montmartre’s nonconformist attitude spilled into its cemetery, where many French artists have been buried and honored with often unique monuments marking their graves. You will come across both simple gravestones and mausoleums that are akin to small Gothic churches. Other art styles that you can see at the cemetery include Art Deco, Neoclassicism, and even Renaissance.
The Cemetery of Montmartre is a bit smaller than the Père Lachaise Cemetery, but expect to spend an hour or two exploring the gravestones, which are shaded by more than 800 trees. The cemetery is open daily between 8:00 AM and 5:30 PM.
Moving on from Parisian cemeteries and across the English Channel all the way up to Edinburgh, Scotland, you’ll come across the Dean Cemetery, another burial site from the 19th century. Much like the Père Lachaise Cemetery, it’s a garden cemetery, combining nature with a burial site for many historical figures.
The Dean Cemetery is home to some special monuments and tombs, such as the massive Buchanan Memorial, a tower-like structure that includes a bust of James Buchanan (not the 15th president of the US, James Buchanan, but rather the Scottish businessman of the same name). The cemetery also has a pyramid — not as large as the Egyptian ones, but still a pyramid. How many pyramids can you see in Edinburgh?
The cemetery is open daily. During the winter season from October to March, it’s open between 9:00 AM and dusk, while between April and September, the cemetery welcomes visitors from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM.
Now, if you thought that any of the above-mentioned cemeteries were huge, the Olšany Cemeteries, located in Prague, are a combination of 12 individual cemeteries. The size alone is akin to a large city park, but that park is also a place where millions of people have been buried since the cemeteries began accepting those who passed in the late 17th century.
The cemetery is a great place to get away from the ever-busy old town of the Czech capital. At the Olšany Cemeteries, you’ll find hundreds of monuments and sculptures in various styles, ranging from Classicism to modern-day art styles.
Some of the people buried here include Franz Kafka, best known for his story of a salesman who wakes up as an insect; Jan Palach, the student who self-immolated in protest against the invasion of Czechoslovakia in 1969; and Božena Němcová, a 19th-century author whose “Babička” is considered a foundational work of modern Czech literature. This trio is just one of many influential people to be buried in the Olšany Cemeteries and whose graves have unique memorial sites.
Be ready to take your time exploring, or have a plan for which graves you want to see. Also be mindful that the cemetery is open daily from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM between November and February, from 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM in October and between March and April, and from 8:00 AM to 7:00 PM between May and September.
This list’s only site with an entry fee — £10 (US$13.23) for adults, £5 (US$6.62) for children between the ages of eight and 17 — the Highgate Cemetery in north London is one of the “Magnificent Seven” cemeteries in the British capital.
The Highgate Cemetery website describes “paths winding up a steep wooded hill and ivy-clad monuments,” where an evocative funerary landscape is secluded from the surrounding neighborhoods. On both sides of the cemetery, you can visit the graves of famous people who lived throughout various periods of history, with each site offering you a glimpse into the past.
The cemetery recommends booking a guided tour of its premises. For adults, both the Highlights and East Side tours are £8 (US$10.59) each, while for children between the ages of eight and 17, the tours are £4 (US$5.29). Tours have to be pre-booked for specific time slots. The Highgate Cemetery is open daily from 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM (March to October) and from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM (November to February).
Before you visit Europe’s famous cemeteries, consider the following:
Dress appropriately. Late October to early November is chilly in most parts of Europe, and it can get rainy. Since you’ll be outdoors to explore the graveyard of your choice, dress according to the weather and make sure you’re protected from the rain with either an umbrella or a raincoat. Paths can get slippery, so bring shoes with a good grip.
Be respectful. Many “touristy” cemeteries are still places where families lay their loved ones to rest, so be respectful with your actions and of other visitors.
Be aware of hours of operation. Do your research about the sites’ opening hours since they vary by season and day of the week.
Research guided tours. You can wander around cemeteries on your own, or you can benefit from a knowledgeable guide who will provide more context about the people buried at the site and the architectural styles of their memorials.
Use public transportation. Most of the cemeteries listed above are located inside cities, which limits your parking options if you’re renting a car. Use travel apps to navigate to cemeteries via public transportation and avoid scrambling for parking.
Book flights in advance. Airlines wind down their leisure-focused routes from the United States to Europe at the beginning of the winter season in late October. Direct flights to cities like Edinburgh or Prague can be lacking in the winter, making it more difficult to reach them in October or November. Be prepared to connect somewhere to reach your destination.
Ensure you have mobile data. Data roaming gets expensive fast. You’ll need a solution to stay connected while you travel, and one option is a travel eSIM like Saily.
So if you’re planning a trip to Europe this Halloween or are looking for inspiration for last-minute trips, check out the many cemeteries scattered across the continent. Most major cities have more than one cemetery worth visiting, allowing you to combine art, architecture, an eerie atmosphere, and nature into a single activity.
Whether your plan will include visiting a single cemetery or several during your trip, consider your connectivity needs. Getting a travel eSIM is the convenient option — you won’t have to fiddle around with physical SIMs or carry a pocket Wi-Fi device. Instead, you’ll only have to download the Saily eSIM app, set up the eSIM, and activate it.
When your trip involves multiple countries, you can get a regional European eSIM plan. For example, if you’re headed to both France and the UK, you’ll have mobile data in both countries to navigate public transportation in London and Paris.
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