Opened in 1824 as the "cemetery of the south", Montparnasse is one of the three principal cemeteries of Paris (the other two being Pere-Lachaise and Montmartre). Originally one necropolis, today rue Emile Richard effectively divides it into les grand and petit cimetieres.

Be aware that there is a duplication of some numbers between the two parts of the cemetery.

Montparnasse is totally flat, and laid out more or less in a grid pattern making it quite easy to navigate through the various divisions.

Stop at the guard shack or the conservation office to pick up a copy of the cemetery guide map or download it here (302K PDF).

Some of the more notable burials here include:

Susan Sontag, Camille Saint-Saens, Alfred Dreyfus, Andre Citroen, Cesar Franck, Guy de Maupassant, the sculptor Constantin Brancusi (and you can see one of his pieces over a grave in division 19 petit), Jean Seberg, Charles Baudelaire, Philippe Noiret, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir together.

Directions
Located at 3 boulevard Edgar Quinet. To reach the cemetery by metro take the no. 6 line. You can get off at Rapsail and exit onto blvd Quinet and look for rue Emile Richard on your left directly behind the shops and cafe on your left. About 50 meters or so down rue Richard you can enter the petit on your left or the grand cemetery on your right.

Alternatively, you can get off the no. 6 at Quinet and exit onto blvd Quinet and the cemetery will be just across the street on your right. Walk up Quinet a couple of hundred meters and the main entrance is on your right.

Map (302K PDF) The official guidemap for Montparnasse, grande and petit, will download right to your computer.

Entrances
There are four entrances to the grand cemetery and two to the petit. For the grand cemetery the main entrance is at 3 Boulevard Edgar Quinet (who is himself buried in division 11). There are two entrances off rue Emile Richard and a fourth off rue Froidevaux. The two entrances to the petit cemetery are directly opposite the entrances to the grand on rue Emile Richard.

Facilities
There is a guard entrance at each of the four entrances of the grand cemetery and they usually have guide maps available. The conservation office is just inside the main entrance in the large building on the left as you enter the cemetery. There are WCs located near the main entrance just opposite the conservation office (and behind the guard shack) and another WC off of the southern entrance on rue Emile Richard. There are no guard shacks or WCs in the petit cemetery.

Hours
Cemetery hours are standardized throughout the city. Visit the Information page.

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