Halloween in Paris 2026: literary things to do, from Montmartre to the Catacombs
In his short story The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls, Marcel Aymé places his hero, Dutilleul, on the third floor of 75 bis rue d'Orchampt, in Montmartre. This modest civil servant, he writes, “has the singular gift of passing through walls.” That is the essence of Aymé’s fantastical world: the strange does not emerge from a haunted manor; it turns up on a steep street, between a government office and a neighborhood café.
It is this Montmartre that we invite you to spend Halloween in. Not the one with plastic pumpkins, but the one haunted by ghosts from the page: writers resting on the Butte, characters still haunting the walls, theaters that made audiences faint. The ideal starting point is the Hôtel Littéraire Marcel Aymé, on Rue Tholozé, in the heart of the Montmartre where the writer lived for nearly forty years. The route is almost entirely on foot, then extends by a short metro ride to Père-Lachaise and the Catacombs.
On the Hill: Montmartre’s Literary Ghosts
The Man Who Walked Through Walls, Marcel-Aymé Square
A few minutes' walk from the Hôtel Littéraire Marcel Aymé, a bronze man emerges halfway from a stone wall: this is Dutilleul, frozen at the moment he loses his power. The sculpture, unveiled in 1989, is the work of actor Jean Marais, a close friend of the writer. A detail many passersby are unaware of: Jean Marais gave the character Marcel Aymé's own face.
The short story, published in 1941 and then reissued in a collection in 1943, tells the story of an employee who discovers this strange power, uses it to take revenge on his boss, commit burglaries, escape from prison, and then join a woman in an unhappy marriage, until the evening when he remains trapped in the stone. Local tradition holds that rubbing his left hand brings good luck, hence its polished sheen.
At dusk, in late October, the square takes on the air of a dark fairy tale. To fully enjoy it, reread the short story the day before: the hotel library contains more than 500 books, including rare editions and translations of Marcel Aymé.
Saint-Vincent Cemetery, Marcel Aymé’s final resting place
Marcel Aymé died on October 14, 1967, and rests in Saint-Vincent Cemetery, on the Butte. This small cemetery, opened in 1831 at 6 rue Lucien-Gaulard, is the most discreet of Montmartre’s three cemeteries; it is above all the final resting place of Montmartre residents, including the painter Maurice Utrillo and the filmmaker Marcel Carné.
It is not a place for thrills in the spectacular sense, but somewhere that makes you realize just how much the Butte was an artists’ village. Paying your respects to the author of The Man Who Walked Through Walls after seeing his statue makes a fitting end to the first stop. As in all Parisian cemeteries, discretion is essential: these are places of remembrance that are still in use.
Montmartre Cemetery, from Stendhal to The Lady of the Camellias
Below the Butte, Montmartre Cemetery is the neighborhood’s great literary landmark. Established in 1825 on 10.48 hectares, it occupies former gypsum quarries, and the Caulaincourt Bridge, built in 1888, spans it, so you can look down on the tombs from above.
A few writers to look for there, with their division:
- Stendhal (Division 30), author of Le Rouge et le Noir, to whom the collection dedicates the Hôtel Littéraire Stendhal in Nancy.
- Alexandre Dumas fils. Nearby lies the courtesan who inspired the heroine of La Dame aux camélias.
- Heinrich Heine (division 27), the German poet who became a Parisian.
- Alfred de Vigny (division 13), a leading figure of Romanticism.
- Edmond and Jules de Goncourt, whose name lives on through the literary prize.
Émile Zola was buried there before being transferred to the Panthéon in 1908. A detail for All Saints’ weekend: the Joseph-de-Maistre gate is open only on All Saints’ Day. Until November 5, the cemetery is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays and public holidays. A map is available free of charge at the entrance.
The Marcel Aymé team’s recommendation
A café in Montmartre, following in Marcel Aymé’s footsteps
For a pause in the writer’s world, head to Au Rêve at 89 rue Caulaincourt. This neighborhood café is associated with memories of the writer, who lived nearby. Sitting down here is a way to extend your stroll through the Montmartre he explored and brought to life in his writing, just a few steps from the Hôtel Littéraire Marcel Aymé.
Sleep at “La Table aux crevés”
To extend the experience into the night, the Hôtel Littéraire Marcel Aymé offers the La Table aux crevés room, a triple room. Its name comes from a novel by Marcel Aymé, winner of the 1929 Prix Renaudot, whose macabre title makes it a fitting choice for a Halloween stay.
Before you leave, take a look at the map displayed in the breakfast room: it traces Marcel Aymé’s favorite places in the 1950s. It is also available in a digital version, featuring his homes, cafés, restaurants, and his friends’ studios.
Discover the Hôtel Littéraire Marcel Aymé
At the Foot of the Hill: Pigalle and Nouvelle Athènes, Theaters of Fear
The Grand-Guignol, the smallest and most terrifying theater in Paris
Just head down toward Pigalle to reach one of the most unsettling addresses in the history of entertainment. At the end of the Cité Chaptal, the Théâtre du Grand-Guignol made audiences tremble from 1897 to 1962, specializing in horror. Founded by the writer Oscar Méténier and housed in a former chapel whose boxes resembled confessionals, it had only 293 seats, making it the smallest theater in Paris.
Its star, Paula Maxa, was nicknamed “the most murdered woman in the world.” The theater closed in 1962, but the building is still there, and the adjective “Grand Guignol” has endured in the language. Passing by on an October evening, you can see just how much Paris was already inventing the modern thrill, long before horror cinema.
The Museum of Romantic Life, in the intimate world of George Sand
A few doors down, at 16 rue Chaptal, the atmosphere changes completely. The Musée de la Vie romantique is housed in the home of painter Ary Scheffer, built in 1830, and its ground floor is devoted to George Sand: portraits, furniture and jewelry. The “jewelry cabinet” brings together 170 pieces. Chopin, Liszt, Delacroix and Dickens used to frequent Scheffer’s studio-salon.
The connection with Halloween? The Romantics loved the night, ruins and dark passions; this house at the end of a cobbled lane preserves their melancholy. The permanent collections are free, the museum is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and the garden tearoom offers a welcome break.
Discover the future Maison Littéraire George Sand
The Palais Garnier, in the footsteps of The Phantom of the Opera
In 1910, journalist and novelist Gaston Leroux published The Phantom of the Opera, which makes the cellars of the Palais Garnier the lair of a disfigured genius. The novel draws on real events: on May 20, 1896, during a performance of Hellé, an opera by Alphonse Duvernoy, a counterweight from the great chandelier came loose and killed a spectator; Leroux would transpose the scene to a performance of Gounod’s Faust. Box No. 5, the Phantom’s box, is still visible.
As for the famous lake, it is an underground reservoir, real but closed to the public; the palace, meanwhile, is open to visitors year-round. A visit best made in the late afternoon, when the gilding begins to glow and you understand why Leroux placed his phantom there.
The Paris of the illustrious dead: Père-Lachaise and the Catacombs
Père-Lachaise, an open-air library
Designed by Alexandre-Théodore Brongniart in 1804, Père-Lachaise is the largest green space within Paris, covering 43.20 hectares and containing 70,000 graves; it is also an active cemetery. Balzac, who mentions it in several of his novels, helped make it popular.
The writers to pay tribute to, with their section:
- Molière and La Fontaine (division 25), buried side by side.
- Honoré de Balzac (division 48).
- Marcel Proust (division 85), the author of In Search of Lost Time, to whom the collection dedicates the Hôtel Littéraire Le Swann.
- Guillaume Apollinaire (division 86) and Colette (division 4).
- Oscar Wilde (division 89).
From Montmartre, metro line 2 takes you directly to Père Lachaise station, which is also served by line 3. Until November 5, the cemetery is open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. on weekdays, from 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturdays, and from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Sundays and public holidays; admission is refused 15 minutes before closing.
Discover the Hôtel Littéraire Le Swann
The Catacombs and the Nadar exhibition
For the most genuine thrill, you have to go underground. Open to the public since 1809, the Catacombs of Paris house the remains of several million Parisians, transferred as cemeteries were closed; the route stretches for 1,500 meters, 20 meters underground. Visitors descend 131 steps and climb back up 112.
This autumn, there’s one more reason to visit: the exhibition Nadar: Inventing Paris, from the Depths to the Sky, on view from September 29, 2026, to January 31, 2027. Nadar photographed the walls of bones, and this exhibition connects underground Paris with the Paris of the writers and artists he portrayed.
The Catacombs are open Tuesday to Sunday, from 9:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., with last entry at 7:30 p.m. In 2026, tickets cost €31 (€25 at the reduced rate, €15 for ages 8 to 17, free for children under 8), including an audio guide, and booking is strongly recommended.
A Halloween and All Saints’ Day weekend in 2026, day by day
In 2026, Halloween falls on a Saturday and All Saints’ Day on a Sunday: the perfect opportunity for a literary weekend.
- Saturday, October 31, morning. Breakfast in front of Marcel Aymé’s statue, then head up to Place Marcel-Aymé and Saint-Vincent Cemetery.
- Saturday afternoon. Montmartre Cemetery before 6 p.m., then head down to Rue Chaptal: the Musée de la Vie romantique (closes at 6 p.m.) and Cité Chaptal.
- Saturday, Halloween evening. Pre-booked slot at the Catacombs (last entry at 7:30 p.m.), then back to the hotel for some quiet reading in the library.
- Sunday, November 1, All Saints’ Day. Spend the morning at Père-Lachaise, bearing in mind that families come there to pay their respects, then spend the afternoon at the Palais Garnier.
Please note: the Catacombs are closed on Mondays, so it’s better to schedule them for Saturday evening.
Keep the thrill going at the Hôtels Littéraires
After a day of tombs and legends, nothing beats a return to the Butte. At the Hôtel Littéraire Marcel Aymé, each of the 39 rooms and apartments is named after a work, a character or someone close to the writer: the perfect way to extend your Halloween evening in the company of Dutilleul rather than a rental ghost.
And if Père-Lachaise has made you want to reread Proust, the Hôtel Littéraire Le Swann, in the 8th arrondissement, extends the journey into Swann’s Way.
Book your Halloween stay at the Marcel Aymé
Also read: the most beautiful villages in Lorraine with the Stendhal
FAQ: Halloween in Paris, literary edition
When is Halloween in Paris in 2026? Halloween falls on Saturday, October 31, 2026, the eve of All Saints’ Day (Sunday, November 1).
Can you visit Parisian cemeteries on Halloween evening? No. Until November 5, Montmartre and Père-Lachaise cemeteries close at 6 p.m., and entry to Père-Lachaise is refused 15 minutes before closing. For a nighttime outing, the Catacombs remain open until 8:30 p.m.
Where is Marcel Aymé’s grave? At Saint-Vincent Cemetery, 6 rue Lucien-Gaulard, in Montmartre. The writer has rested there since 1967.
Which writers are buried in Montmartre Cemetery? Among them are Stendhal (Division 30), Alexandre Dumas fils, Heinrich Heine (Division 27), Alfred de Vigny (Division 13), and the Goncourt brothers.
Do you need to book to visit the Catacombs? Booking on the official website is strongly recommended. A full-price ticket costs €31 in 2026, including an audio guide.
Can you see the lake from The Phantom of the Opera? No. The underground reservoir that inspired Gaston Leroux is not open to the public, but Box No. 5 can still be seen during a visit to the Palais Garnier.
Where to stay in Montmartre for a literary Halloween? The 4-star Hôtel Littéraire Marcel Aymé, located at 16 rue Tholozé, is just a few minutes’ walk from Place Marcel-Aymé and close to Pigalle, the starting point for this itinerary.
What can you do in Paris at Halloween if you love literature? Follow a literary trail: the statue of the Passe-Muraille and Marcel Aymé’s grave in Montmartre, Montmartre Cemetery (Stendhal, Alexandre Dumas fils, Heine), the former Grand Guignol in Pigalle, the Palais Garnier of The Phantom of the Opera, Père Lachaise Cemetery (Proust, Balzac, Wilde), and the Catacombs.
Where is the statue of the Passe-Muraille in Montmartre? On Place Marcel-Aymé, in the 18th arrondissement, near Lamarck–Caulaincourt metro station (line 12). The sculpture by Jean Marais was unveiled there in 1989.
Which writers are buried at Père-Lachaise? Notably Molière and La Fontaine (division 25), Balzac (division 48), Proust (division 85), Apollinaire (division 86), Wilde (division 89) and Colette (division 4).
How long does a visit to the Paris Catacombs take? About an hour on average, for a 1,500-meter route 20 meters underground, with 131 steps to descend and 112 to climb back up.
Are the Catacombs open on Mondays? No. They are open Tuesday to Sunday, from 9:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., with last admission at 7:30 p.m.
Which exhibition can you see at the Catacombs in autumn 2026? The exhibition Nadar: Inventing Paris, from the depths to the sky, on display from September 29, 2026, to January 31, 2027.
What was the Théâtre du Grand-Guignol? A theater in Pigalle, on Cité Chaptal, specializing in horror shows from 1897 to 1962. Housed in a former chapel, it had just 293 seats.
Is the Musée de la Vie romantique free? Yes, the permanent collections are free. The museum, at 16 rue Chaptal, is open Tuesday to Sunday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Is Montmartre Cemetery open on All Saints’ Day? Yes, from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., as on Sundays and public holidays. The Joseph-de-Maistre entrance is only open on that day.
Sources
Hôtel Littéraire Marcel Aymé
Société des Hôtels Littéraires, Hôtel Littéraire Marcel Aymé page: https://www.hotelslitteraires.fr/marcel-ayme
Interactive map “In the Footsteps of Marcel Aymé”: https://plans.hotelslitteraires.fr/en/ayme/
Sortiraparis, “Marcel Aymé, a literary hotel in the footsteps of the writer”: https://sortiraparis.com/en/where-to-eat-in-paris/hotel/articles/309449-marcel-ayme-a-literary-hotel-in-the-footsteps-of-the-writer-in-the-heart-of-montmartre
Marcel Aymé and the Passe-Muraille
Wikipedia, “Marcel Aymé”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marcel_Aym%C3%A9
Paris ZigZag, Marcel Aymé’s fantastical character in Montmartre: https://www.pariszigzag.fr/?p=166730
Sortiraparis, “The Passe-Muraille of Place Marcel Aymé”: https://www.sortiraparis.com/arts-culture/walks/articles/171843-the-passe-muraille-walker-through-walls-of-place-marcel-ayme-in-paris/lang/en
Lonely Planet, “The Man Who Could Walk Through Walls”: https://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/paris/attractions/passe-muraille/a/poi-sig/1535927/1323143
Montmartre Cemeteries
Paris ZigZag, “The charm of Montmartre rests in Saint-Vincent Cemetery”: https://www.pariszigzag.fr/lieux-insolites/le-charme-de-montmartre-repose-au-cimetiere-saint-vincent/
City of Paris, map of Montmartre Cemetery (notable figures): https://cdn.paris.fr/eqpts-prod/2023/07/24/483969698740fa0f916e0aaac7388099.pdf
City of Paris, map of Montmartre Cemetery (heritage): https://cdn.paris.fr/paris/2022/06/15/8f9899b607ac8d4ceb8b9d4e41de5163.pdf
Sortiraparis, “Visiting the Montmartre Cemetery” : https://www.sortiraparis.com/arts-culture/histoire-patrimoine/articles/171726-visiting-the-montmartre-cemetery/lang/en
Frommer's, “Montmartre Cemetery” : https://www.frommers.com/destinations/paris/attractions/cimetire-de-montmartre
Visit Paris Region, “Montmartre Cemetery”: https://www.visitparisregion.com/fr/cimetiere-de-montmartre
Pigalle and Nouvelle Athènes
Wikipedia, “Grand Guignol”: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_Guignol
Messy Nessy Chic, “The Paris Horror Show”: https://messynessychic.com/2014/11/28/the-paris-horror-show
Paris je t'aime, “Museum of Romantic Life”: https://parisjetaime.com/culture/musee-de-la-vie-romantique-p3580
Paris je t'aime (business section), “Musée de la Vie romantique”: https://parisjetaime.com/convention/culture/musee-de-la-vie-romantique-pc339
Visit Paris Region, “Musée de la Vie romantique”: https://www.visitparisregion.com/fr/musee-de-la-vie-romantique
Visit Paris Region Pro, “Museum of Romantic Life”: https://pro.visitparisregion.com/offre-loisirs-et-affaires/offre-de-la-destination/une-activite/musees-monuments-chateaux/musees/musee-de-la-vie-romantique
Palais Garnier
Paris ZigZag, “Who was the Phantom of the Opéra Garnier really?”: https://www.pariszigzag.fr/?p=9349
Sortiraparis, “The Phantom of the Opera: How much truth is there to it?”: https://www.sortiraparis.com/arts-culture/histoire-patrimoine/articles/315372-le-fantome-de-l-opera-quelle-part-de-verite-se-cache-derriere-la-celebre-legende-de-gaston-leroux
Père Lachaise Cemetery
City of Paris, map of Père-Lachaise Cemetery: https://cdn.paris.fr/paris/2022/08/24/2cf3d51cf65c4c28e8f52bcd9b08de0d.pdf
SNCF Connect, “The Graves of Celebrities at Père-Lachaise Cemetery”: https://www.sncf-connect.com/article/les-tombes-de-celebrites-au-cimetiere-du-pere-lachaise-106832
France Guide, “Père Lachaise Cemetery”: https://www.franceguide.info/fr/paris/que-faire-a-paris/cimetiere-pere-lachaise/
Encyclopædia Britannica, “Père-Lachaise Cemetery”: https://www.britannica.com/print/article/451257
Catacombs
The Catacombs of Paris, official website: https://www.catacombes.paris.fr/
Visit Paris Region Pro, “Paris Catacombs”: https://pro.visitparisregion.com/offre-loisirs-et-affaires/offre-de-la-destination/une-activite/musees-monuments-chateaux/monuments/catacombes-de-paris
Halloween 2026 Date
Sortiraparis, “Halloween 2026 in Paris”: https://www.sortiraparis.com/en/news/halloween/guides/229808-halloween-2026-in-paris-escape-rooms-immersive-experiences-and-spine-tingling-outings-in-ile-de-france
