Birthday
HydrangeasOld cemeteries are open-air museums of sculpture, architecture, landscaped parks and the stories of people who changed history. No wonder many of them feature on travel itineraries alongside cathedrals and palaces. We've picked the ten most beautiful cemeteries in the world — from the tombs of New Orleans to Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv — and explain what they're famous for, who is buried there and how to visit respectfully.
1. St. Louis Cemetery No. 1, New Orleans, USA
The oldest surviving cemetery in New Orleans was founded in 1789. The city sits on low, swampy ground with a high water table, so burials are in above-ground tombs — which is why New Orleans cemeteries are called "cities of the dead". The most visited grave belongs to Marie Laveau, the famous 19th-century "Voodoo Queen". Since 2015 visitors can enter only with a licensed guide.
2. Recoleta Cemetery, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Opened in 1822, Recoleta looks like a miniature city: streets of marble mausoleums in neoclassical, Art Nouveau and Art Deco styles. Presidents, writers and scientists of Argentina rest here, but the main place of pilgrimage is the Duarte family vault, where Eva Perón (1919–1952), the country's legendary First Lady, is buried. Many of the vaults are protected as national historic monuments.
3. Highgate Cemetery, London, UK
By the 1830s London's parish burial grounds were overflowing, and seven new cemeteries — the "Magnificent Seven" — were created in the suburbs. Highgate opened in 1839. Its West Cemetery, with the Egyptian Avenue and the Circle of Lebanon, is a showcase of ivy-covered Victorian Gothic. Karl Marx, George Eliot, "Hitchhiker's Guide" author Douglas Adams and Charles Dickens's parents are buried here. In the 1970s the cemetery gave rise to the urban legend of the "Highgate Vampire".
4. Zentralfriedhof, Vienna, Austria
.jpg)
The Central Cemetery opened in 1874 in anticipation of the city's growth. Today it is one of the largest cemeteries in Europe, with around three million people buried. Music lovers come for the graves of honour: Beethoven, Schubert, Brahms and Johann Strauss II. Mozart has a memorial here, although he is buried in St. Marx Cemetery. The grounds include Catholic, Protestant, Orthodox and Jewish sections, as well as the Art Nouveau Church of St. Charles Borromeo.
5. Lychakiv Cemetery, Lviv, Ukraine
.jpg)
The cemetery was founded in 1786, after the Austrian authorities banned burials within the city. Over time it became a park of centuries-old trees, where tombstones by renowned sculptors stand beside simple crosses. Ivan Franko, Solomiya Krushelnytska, Markiyan Shashkevych and Volodymyr Ivasyuk are buried here, and there are memorials to soldiers of different eras, including the Field of Honourable Burials for Ukraine's defenders. Since 1990 it has been a museum reserve and remains one of Lviv's most visited sites.
6. Sara Braun Cemetery, Punta Arenas, Chile
The municipal cemetery of Chile's southernmost major city was founded in 1894 and is famous for its avenues of perfectly clipped cypresses. The main gate was paid for by Sara Braun, one of the city's wealthiest residents. Legend says she asked for the gate to be closed forever once her coffin had passed through it — and the central gate is indeed almost always shut. The cemetery bears her name.
7. Chinese Christian Cemetery, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
Founded in 1882, this cemetery lies on a steep slope on the west of Hong Kong Island. Because land is scarce, the graves are laid out in terraces, and from below the hillside looks like a giant amphitheatre facing the sea — one of the most photogenic examples of how a megacity deals with lack of space.
8. Woodlawn Cemetery, New York, USA
.jpg)
.jpg)
Opened in the Bronx in 1863, Woodlawn is a US National Historic Landmark. Its mausoleums were designed by leading American architects, and those buried here include Duke Ellington, Miles Davis, Irving Berlin, Herman Melville and Joseph Pulitzer.
9. Waverley Cemetery, Sydney, Australia
Opened in 1877, Waverley Cemetery sits on clifftops above the ocean between Bronte and Clovelly beaches — arguably the most scenic setting of any cemetery in the world. Poets Henry Lawson and Dorothea Mackellar, whose verses helped shape Australia's image of itself, are buried here. Marble angels and Celtic crosses against the ocean make it a favourite with photographers.
10. Père Lachaise, Paris, France
.jpg)
The world's most visited cemetery opened in 1804. Among its avenues are the graves of Frédéric Chopin (his tomb is topped by a statue of the muse Euterpe), Oscar Wilde (since 2011 the monument has been protected by glass from lipstick marks), Édith Piaf, Jim Morrison, Molière and many more. Free maps at the entrance help you find the graves you're looking for.
Cemetery etiquette for travellers
- Remember it's a working cemetery. Keep your voice down and don't disturb funerals or people visiting loved ones.
- Don't sit or lean on gravestones or touch old sculptures — many are fragile.
- Take photos discreetly and never photograph mourners.
- Check the rules in advance: some cemeteries admit visitors only with a guide or at certain hours.
- Flowers are an appropriate sign of respect. Tourists leave them at famous graves too. In Ukrainian tradition, an even number of flowers is brought to a cemetery.
Flowers in remembrance
Beautiful old cemeteries show how much memory matters. If you live far away and can't visit your loved ones often, UFL florists can deliver fresh flowers on memorial dates. And if you love to travel, see our guide to the world's most spectacular flower fields and the most unusual hotels.
FAQ
What is the most visited cemetery in the world?
Père Lachaise in Paris, which welcomes millions of visitors every year.
Can you visit Lychakiv Cemetery in Lviv?
Yes — it's a museum reserve with an entrance fee and guided tours.
Why are people buried above ground in New Orleans?
The city lies on low ground with a high water table, which makes traditional in-ground burials difficult.
View full-size photo
Author: Maria Svitlovir
Graduated from Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Institute of Biology and Medicine (2001). BSc in Biology, MSc in Horticulture. Writes about plants, works at a garden centre selecting and repotting plants, and contributes to plant reference guides.
