Top Ten European Cemeteries

LONDON, October 20, 2010 - TripAdvisor(R), the world's largest travel site*, today reveals the top
10 cemetery attractions in Europe, according to traveller popularity.

1) American cemetery, Colleville-sur-mere, France

The World War II cemetery is located on the bluff overlooking Omaha
beach, which was one of the bloodiest landing points for the American forces
during the Normandy invasion in June 1944. It contains the remains of nearly
9,500 American military personnel. The impressive and moving cemetery also
features at the beginning of Steven Spielberg's 1998 film 'Saving Private
Ryan'.

As one TripAdvisor traveller said: "My husband and I visited the American
Cemetery in Normandy last week. I found it to be a beautiful and inspiring
place."

2) Cimetière du Père-Lachaise, Paris, France

One of the world's most famous cemeteries, located in the east of Paris,
Pere-Lachaise is the final resting place for a number of famous people,
ranging from rock royalty such as Jim Morrison, to French chanteuse, Edith
Piaf, and Irish novelist, poet and playwright, Oscar Wilde.

According to one TripAdvisor traveller: "Whatever your profession or
interests may be, you will find some towering historical figures of that
field here."

3) Zentralfriedhof, Vienna, Austria

The second biggest cemetery in Europe witnesses thousands of passionate
classical music pilgrims each year, paying their respects to famous composers
including Ludwig van Beethoven, Franz Schubert, Johannes Brahms and Johan
Strauss.

As one TripAdvisor Traveller said: "Be sure you've got plenty of time
when you come to this place. I recommend it to anyone interested in culture
and history."

4) Catacombe di Roma, Rome, Italy

These ancient catacombs were first constructed around the second century
AD, following the traditional underground burials of the Etruscans. Over the
centuries, these catacombs were sacked, pillaged, added to and destroyed.

According to one TripAdvisor traveller: "I had a wonderful and
informative guide who has been doing the cemetery tours for the last 28
years. It was great and extremely moving."

5) Highgate Cemetery, London, UK

Filled to the brim with gothic tombs and buildings, Highgate Cemetery is
the home to many notable world figures, including the tombs of philosopher
Karl Marx and novelists George Eliot and Douglas Adams. Highgate Cemetery is
also the site of the famed Highgate Vampire of the 1970's.

As one TripAdvisor traveller said: "What a beautiful & interesting place
to visit! We went on a Saturday so we could tour both the Eastern & Western
cemeteries."

6) Sudfriedhof, Leipzig, Germany

Leipzig's South Cemetery is the city's largest cemetery, located near the
Monument to the Battle of the Nations. It is also one of the largest and most
beautiful park cemeteries in Germany, featuring numerous rare trees, some
10,000 rhododendron bushes and historical monuments on its grounds.

7) Cimetière de Montparnasse, Paris, France

Another of Paris' famous cemeteries, Cimetiere de Montparnasse was
created out of several farms in 1824 as a response to cemeteries being banned
from central Paris in the early 19th century. The tombs of famous French
artists and intellectuals can be found here, including Charles Baudelaire,
Jean Paul Sartre and Simone de Beauvoir.

According to one TripAdvisor traveller, "It is a great place for a quiet
peaceful stroll or rest. Great artistic memorials, beautiful plants and some
interesting history."

Cimitero di Staglieno, Genoa, Italy

The Staglieno cemetery is considered an open-air museum in view of the
number and the artistic quality of the monuments. Among those buried here are
the Italian XIX century patriot and politician Giuseppe Mazzini, the pop
singer and author Fabrizio de Andre, and Oscar Wilde's partner. The cemetery
is even featured on the cover of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart
single and Closer album.

9) Old Jewish Cemetery, Prague, Czech Republic

Opened in the 15th century and part of the old Jewish ghetto in Prague,
this is the oldest known Jewish cemetery in Europe. As the cemetery had to
stay within the confines of the ghetto and therefore couldn't expand, it is
estimated that the tombs are layered 12 deep in some parts.

According to one TripAdvisor traveller: "It is amazing to walk through
the cemetery, realizing that many of the headstones date back 300, 400, or
even 500+ years!"

10) Protestant Cemetery, Rome, Italy

A calm and peaceful oasis in Rome, the Protestant Cemetery houses the
likes of romantic poets Percy Bysshe Shelley and John Keats, whose mournful
epitaph reads, "This grave contains all that was mortal, of a YOUNG ENGLISH
POET, Who on his Death Bed, in the Bitterness of his Heart, at the Malicious
Power of his Enemies, Desired these Words to be engraven on his Tomb Stone:
Here lies One Whose Name was writ in Water."

*Source: comScore Media Metrix for TripAdvisor Media Group Sites,
Worldwide, August 2010

For further information please contact: Emma O'Boyle, TripAdvisor, +44(0)20-3320-3210 / +44(0)777-926-2423 / eoboyle at tripadvisor.com