The World’s Most Famous Cemeteries

The oldest cemetery in New Orleans, Lafayette No. 1 has made appearances in movies like Double Jeopardy and Dracula 2000. Strolling through the cemetery, you won’t see tombstones; instead, you’ll find row upon row of above-ground mausoleums and marble coffins.

Notable Ghosts: Brigadier General Harry T. Hays, Anne Rice’s fictional Mayfair Witches, Vampire Lestat from Interview with a Vampire

Arlington is the final resting place of more than 400,000 U.S. soldiers, making this one of the most patriotic places in America. Established in 1864, the cemetery is estimated to be completely filled by 2060.

Notable Ghosts: John F. Kennedy, William Howard Taft, General John Pershing

The grounds of this impressive cemetery provide a lovely respite from London’s busy streets. In spring, the courtyards and gardens bloom alongside wrought-iron gates and impressive stonework.

Notable Ghosts: Karl Marx, George Eliot, Douglas Adams (author of Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy)

This celebrity-filled plot is worth a visit to walk through the gardens, see a great view of the city, and schmooze with the ghosts of vintage Hollywood.

Notable Ghosts: Cecil B. DeMille, Johnny and Dee Dee Ramone, Rudolph Valentino, Mel Blanc

Dating back to 1627, this beautiful cemetery is situated right at the base of Monchsberg mount. Intricately carved graves are nestled between chapels and mausoleums belonging to the city’s old elite.

Notable Ghosts: Mozart’s sister, Haydn’s brother

In a city where green space is scarce, Green-Wood Cemetery stands out as a leafy expanse with great views of Brooklyn and beyond.

Notable Ghosts: Leonard Bernstein, Jean-Michel Basquiat, Boss Tweed, Louis Comfort Tiffany (of stained-glass fame)

La Recoleta is an imposing expanse of labyrinthine alleys between mausoleums and vaulted tombs. The cemetery is made up of 6,400 tombs spread over 13.5 acres.

Notable Ghosts: Eva Perón, boxer Luis Angel Firpo

Perhaps the most star-studded cemetery of them all, Père Lachaise is a shady green expanse with paths winding through mausoleums and graves where you can pay your respects to artists that changed the world.

Notable Ghosts: Jim Morrison, Honoré de Balzac, Marcel Proust, Gertrude Stein, Alice B. Toklas, Oscar Wilde, Sarah Bernhardt, Maria Callas, Frédéric Chopin, Camille Pissaro, Georges Seurat, Amedeo Modigliani, Eugène Delacroix, Molière, Edith Piaf

This picturesque cemetery is filled with elaborate tombstones memorializing some of the most important figures in early U.S. history.

Notable Ghosts: Paul Revere, John Hancock, Samuel Adams

Ernest Hemingway chose this small but pretty cemetery as his final resting place, overlooking the posh Sun Valley ski resort. His grave is under a tree and usually covered with offerings from his fans: cigars, whiskey bottles, and beer cans.

Notable Residents: Ernest Hemingway, actress Anne Southern

Made famous by Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, this spooky cemetery is eerily beautiful, with old statues and mausoleums scattered under trees dripping with Spanish moss. At nearly 160 acres, it’s a great place to go for a stroll – beware of ghosts.

Notable Residents: Conrad Aiken, Johnny Mercer