After being so kind as to lend her name to our new hotel, the least we could do was go and visit. So last weekend we went to the Montmartre cemetery – and surprisingly expansive it is – to visit the grave of Juliette Récamier, where we found that many of her friends (and lovers) are still by her side…

Less well known than the Père Lachaise cemetery, Montmartre’s is nonetheless one of the largest in Paris. With 11 hectares and nearly 750 trees, it’s also a very agreeable place for a quiet springtime walk. In its current form, the cemetery has existed since 1825, and it’s funny to think that when Juliette diedi it had only existed for twenty years.

Entering via avenue Rachel, we quickly found Juliette’s grave, where she is buried togeter with her family… and her friend Ballanche (grave 3 of the 30th division. You can downloadf a PDF map here).

Just next door is Ampère. Much like Ballanche, he was in love with Juliette for most of his life. She died when he was 50, and even if he found love with another woman later on, it is surely not coincidence that they are only 3 metres apart for all eternity.

If you too would like to visit Juliette, Ballanche and Ampère (as well as Degas, Offenbach, François Truffaut, Stendhal, Zola…) the Montmartre cemetery (here) is open from 16th March – 5th November from 8am – 6pm, and from 6th November – 15th March from 8am – 5.30pm. Weekend opening is slightly later – 8.30am on Saturdays and 9am on Sundays and public holidays.

And for for more information about ‘la belle Juliette’ (the person) and La Belle Juliette (the hotel), click here: www.labellejuliette.com