Porte principale
28 ter boulevard de Ménilmontant, 75020
The main gate, beneath Godde's 1825 portal. Nearest métro: Père Lachaise (lines 2 and 3) or Philippe Auguste (line 2).
Pedestrians and vehicles
Père Lachaise opening hours and gates
The cemetery opens at 08:00 on weekdays, 08:30 on Saturdays and 09:00 on Sundays and public holidays. It closes at 18:00 from 16 March to 5 November, and at 17:30 for the rest of the year.
Entry is free at every gate. The one thing worth knowing in advance: the cemetery begins clearing a quarter of an hour before the posted closing time, and no one is admitted after that point.
Summer season
16 March – 5 November
| Monday to Friday | 08:00 – 18:00 |
|---|---|
| Saturday | 08:30 – 18:00 |
| Sunday and public holidays | 09:00 – 18:00 |
Winter season
6 November – 15 March
| Monday to Friday | 08:00 – 17:30 |
|---|---|
| Saturday | 08:30 – 17:30 |
| Sunday and public holidays | 09:00 – 17:30 |
The fifteen minutes nobody mentions
The posted closing time is not the time you have to be out — it is the time the gates are locked. Clearing begins a quarter of an hour earlier, and it works from the far edges inwards. If you are in division 97 at 17:50 in summer, a guard on a scooter will find you, and the gate you walked in through may already be shut.
This matters more than it sounds, because the outlying gates are also the useful ones. Being cleared out of the Gambetta end and walked down to boulevard de Ménilmontant adds twenty-five minutes and a different métro line to your evening.
Getting in
Five gates, and they are not interchangeable
Two of them have steps, one keeps shorter hours than the cemetery itself, and one is closed for works this spring. Which gate you choose decides whether you spend the next two hours walking uphill or down.
Porte Gambetta
55–57 rue des Rondeaux, 75020
The high gate, and the closest entrance to the crematorium, the columbarium and the upper divisions. Nearest métro: Gambetta (lines 3 and 3bis).
Pedestrians and vehicles
Porte du Repos
16 rue du Repos, 75020
The conservation office is here. A quieter way in on a busy weekend.
Pedestrians and vehicles
Porte des Amandiers
28 quater boulevard de Ménilmontant, 75020
Has steps. Shorter hours than the rest of the cemetery.
Pedestrians only, 10:00–17:00Steps
Porte de la Réunion
131 rue de la Réunion, 75020
Has steps. Closed for works 26 March – 19 April; check paris.fr before relying on it.
Pedestrians onlySteps
Gate details, access restrictions and the current works closure are taken from Ville de Paris — Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, retrieved on . The City changes these without notice; if you are planning around a specific gate, check the official page on the day.
Questions about hours and access
For everything else, see the full FAQ.
What time does Père Lachaise open?
08:00 Monday to Friday, 08:30 on Saturdays, and 09:00 on Sundays and public holidays, all year round. The later weekend openings catch a lot of people out.
What time does Père Lachaise close?
18:00 from 16 March to 5 November, and 17:30 from 6 November to 15 March. Clearing starts fifteen minutes before that, and nobody is admitted once it has begun.
Is Père Lachaise open on Sundays?
Yes, every Sunday and on public holidays, but it opens an hour later than on weekdays — 09:00 rather than 08:00. Closing time is unchanged.
Is the cemetery ever closed?
It opens every day of the year. Individual gates close for works — the Porte de la Réunion is shut from 26 March to 19 April — and the whole site can be closed at short notice in high winds, because the trees here are old and large. Check paris.fr on a stormy day.
What is the best time of day to visit?
The first hour after opening, by a distance. The light is low, the coach groups have not arrived, and the upper divisions are effectively empty. Late afternoon in winter is the second best, though you will be walking against the clock.
How long before closing should I arrive?
At least two hours if you want to see anything properly, and remember that the outlying gates close first — if you came in at Gambetta and dawdle, you may be walked down to the boulevard whether you meant to leave that way or not.
Arrive at the right gate, at the right hour
Our walk starts at the Gambetta gate at the top of the hill and finishes at the boulevard, which is the opposite of what most visitors do and about thirty metres of climbing better.