Tombstone tourism: Meet the travelling taphophiles obsessed with graveyards

Graveyards could go nan latest recreation inclination to dispersed crossed Europe, arsenic visitors look to liven up their accustomed itinerary of museums and TikTok-famous java shops.

It mightiness sound macabre and somewhat spooky, but for taphophiles – those pinch a beardown liking successful cemeteries and epitaphs – roaming astir tombstones offers a unsocial penetration into a country’s civilization and history.

Even recreation experts admit nan increasing fame of graveyard tourism, arguing it provides a uncommon chance to “rebel against tick-box travel” arsenic overtourism plagues overmuch of nan continent.

Graveyard tourism: What’s nan appeal?

“Graveyards are not scary aliases ghoulish places,” says Jono Namara, a filmmaker and self-proclaimed taphophile who has visited hundreds of funeral grounds crossed Europe.

Growing up pinch a fascination pinch each things history and gothic, Namara has turned his morbid emotion into a societal media bid documenting really nan dormant proceed to style nan surviving done nan “monuments and mysteries” they time off behind.

Some of his favourite grounds see London’s Magnificent Seven - wherever notable figures specified arsenic Karl Marx, Emmeline Pankhurst, and Sir Henry Tate are buried - Père Lachaise successful Paris, nan resting spot of Oscar Wilde, Jim Morrison, and Édith Piaf, and Laeken successful Brussels.

“Next connected my database is nan Zentralfriedhof successful Vienna, wherever composers and poets stock eternal rest,” Namara tells Euronews Travel.

Describing graveyards arsenic “open-air museums” that are shaped by art, architecture, and belief, Namara believes specified sights supply nan cleanable operation of culture, quiet, and curiosity.

A break from nan crowds and ‘clichés’.

With record-breaking levels of tourism hitting European countries for illustration Spain and Greece difficult this year, specified a trifecta tin consciousness uncommon to find.

It’s 1 of nan main reasons why graveyard tourism is coming to life, and tin show a city’s communicative “without nan crowds aliases clichés”.

“Cemeteries are usually tucked into existent neighbourhoods, distant from nan coach tours and souvenir shops,” Namara adds.

“In searching for them, you rotation done nan mundane cloth of a place. You spot really a civilization remembers its dead, and successful doing so, you understand really it chooses to live.”

The champion graveyards to sojourn successful Europe

Dr Dan O’Brien is besides a graveyard enthusiast and useful arsenic a decease historiographer astatine nan University of Bath successful nan UK.

Lured into nan world of funeral grounds owed to his emotion of stepping and liking successful history, O’Brien started exploring sites successful betwixt activity meetings. 

Now, he says, uncovering caller graveyards has go “quite addictive”, and he’s developed a peculiar passion for spotting memento mori connected headstones (the skulls and bones which symbolise nan inevitability of death). 

Some of his favourite sights see Greyfriars Kirkyard successful Edinburgh and Tower Hamlets successful London, arsenic good arsenic Key Hill and Warstone Lane successful Birmingham.

The taphophile points retired that galore of these sights are adjacent immoderate of Europe’s astir celebrated attractions, but connection a infinitesimal of calm distant from nan crowds.

“I would besides make a typical mention of Venice’s San Michele cemetery, a moving cemetery connected an land - it’s a quiet, serene spot adjacent nan engaged tourer areas, cleanable for a stroll aliases a sit,” he adds.

“The mini pet cemetery successful Bath’s Parade Gardens is besides a dainty and hidden successful nan very bosom of nan city!”

Next connected his bucket database are nan historical cemeteries astir New Orleans, particularly St Louis No.1, which is nan oldest successful nan area.

‘Rebelling against tick-box travel’

Many visitors whitethorn still consciousness uncomfortable astatine nan thought of visiting a graveyard, but for those brave capable to springiness it a try, they whitethorn stumble crossed a newfound interest.

Catherine Warrilow, a tourism marque strategy master astatine The Plot, says much group are taking “journeys of self-discovery” connected their travels now, pinch galore wanting to reconnect pinch people’s stories. 

“The liking successful visiting graveyards is expanding - and I deliberation it's a really affirmative relationship pinch ancestry and location history,” she adds.

“Many of nan group laid to remainder successful our cemeteries fundamentally shaped section civilization and history - and are unexpectedly beautiful places.”

The master argues that Gen Z, especially, are starting to “rebel against tick-box travel” and commencement to sojourn places that let them to genuinely extremity and reflect. And it’s not conscionable graveyards that connection this.

“As we get comfortable pinch nan request to return ownership successful off-setting overtourism, travellers are actively looking for smaller, lesser known stop-offs - specified arsenic chapels, ancient funeral sites and humanities ruins, arsenic good arsenic locations of folklore, story and legend,” Warrilow says.