The Insider's Guide to Budget Travel

Halloween is just around the corner, and we’re already getting in the spooky spirit. You may be too old for trick or treating this year, but if you’re on the road or fancy a Halloween themed trip, why not visit one of the world’s best cemeteries?

It may sound morbid, but some of these spooky cemeteries are free to visit, and filled with some amazing architecture and famous graves. Many of these gruesome graveyards rank as top sights in some destinations, and are a peaceful place to escape the crowds. Just don’t go there at night!

1. Arlington Cemetery, Washington DC

Four million people visit this cemetery every year, and the rolling lawns of white tombstones are memorials to those who died in the nation’s wars. Approximately 300,000 people are buried here, so you’ll need to use the shuttle bus tour to get around. The Grave of JFK with its eternal flame and the solemn Tomb of the Unknown Soldiers are standout sights.

2. Père Lachaise, Paris

Paris is home to several beautiful cemeteries, but Pere Lachaise is the most famous, with 44 hectares of leafy graves. Come here to see the final resting place of Jim Morrisson, Oscar Wilde, Edith Piaf and Chopin, and take a guided tour for €5.70. A little less touristy is Montparnasse, home to the graves of prolific thinkers and poets like Susan Sontag, Charles Baudelaire, Jean-Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.

3. Highgate Cemetery, London

This Gothic spectacular is most famous for housing the grave of Karl Marx, but there are plenty more reasons to visit this North London Graveyard. Highgate opened in 1839 during the reign of Queen Victoria, so expect grand Victorian tombs, gravestones and mausoleums, surrounded by woodland and wild flowers. Highlights include listed buildings, like the elaborate Egyptian Avenue and the Circle of Lebanon – tombs, vaults and winding paths climbing up a hillside to the huge Cedar of Lebanon. Highgate is apparently also famous for being the site of the ‘Highgate Vampire’!

4. Hollywood Forever Memorial Park, Los Angeles

Perhaps the most star-studded cemetery around, the Hollywood Forever Memorial Park is where some of Tinsel Town’s greatest stars have come to rest. With the Hollywood Sign looming overhead, and the back lot of the Paramount studios in the distance, this picturesque cemetery has been the star of many movies itself, from ‘Hot Shots’ to ‘LA Story’. Famous graves include Rudolph Valentino, gangster Bugsy Siegel and musician Johnny Ramone.

5. St Louis No 1 Cemetery, New Orleans

New Orleans is below sea level, so its cemeteries had to be built like cities above ground, to prevent the coffins flooding to the surface! Dating back to 1789. St Louis is the oldest in the city, and feels like a surreal town, with streets of tombs and street signs. Voodoo queen Marie Laveau is said to be buried here!

6. St Mary’s Cemetery, Whitby

The seaside town of Whitby in the North of England may seem like an odd choice, but it has one of England’s most striking graveyards,with bizarre graves of nursery rhyme characters like ‘Tomb Thumb’ and ‘Humpty Dumpty’. The grounds are next to the abbey featured in Bram Stoker’s Dracula, and a local story teller leads Tombstone, Dracula and Ghost Walks of Whitby around Halloween (Whitby Walks). Once you’ve been suitably spooked, explore the nearby moors, go for a wintry walk on the beach, or tuck in to some delicious seafood at a restaurant in Whitby Bay. The YHA Whitby is right next to the Abbey, and a short stroll from the cobbled quayside.

7. Staglieno Cemetery, Genoa

This huge cemetery on a hillside in Genoa is one of the largest in Europe. Noted for its beautiful sculptures and elaborate tombs, the cemetery opened in 1851, and includes a copy of the Pantheon. The Appiani family tomb inside was featured on the cover of a Joy Division album! Genoa itself is equally easy on the eye – check out our guide to 48 Hours in Genoa for a more unique city break in Italy.

8. Jewish Cemetery, Prague

The Old Jewish Cemetary is one of the principal sites in the Jewish Quarter, and its jumbled tombstones are a moving memorial to Prague’s Jewish community. Prague’s Jews were only allowed a few burial sites in the city, so an estimated 200,000 are buried here, with the earliest tomb stone dating from the 15th century. Entrance to the cemetery is included in admission to the Jewish Museum and Synagogues – stay in a Prague hostel and spend a few days exploring this fascinating quarter.

9. La Recoleta, Buenos Aires

In the most scenic and upper class neighbourhood of the city, La Recoleta is surrounded by squares of gardens, mansions and boutiques. Most of the Argentine glitterati are buried here, with Eva Peron’s grave perhaps the most famous but least ostentatious of them all.

10. Tikhvin, St Petersberg

St Petersberg is full of stunning architecture, and the city becomes even more scenic as winter approaches. Even the cemeteries are grand here, and the Tikhvin is in the grounds of the grand Alexander Nevsky Monastery, built by Peter the Great. Ost West offer a three hour city tour by car or bus of the monastery and the cemetery, home to the graves of famous Russians Dostoevsky and Tchaikovsky, and some beautiful baroque churches and gothic memorials.

Images – thanks to BL1961, Tyla75, and Ondablv on Flickr