Our travel bucket lists are often full of oddly personal collection of items. For me, it the first time to Londin had to include a visiti to the the John Snow water pump, landing in Paris meant a tour of the catacombs, and then last year, Gibbs Farm in New Zealand made my list even more complete. London’s Highgate Cemetery is one of those places that makes it onto many lists — for its gothic beauty, famous residents, and its role in the city’s history.

Growing up in the Midwest of the US, London always felt like a distant, drizzly hub of cool, full of art, street fashion, and centuries of history. When we visited with family a few years ago, the idea of taking the tour of Highgate Cemetary came up. I never thought it would be practical — it seemed too far outside the city, and we only had a few days. Shiny and intriguing, but not realistic. But I do love a cemetery, in fact I grew up across the street from one. I spent many days of my youth rambling among the manicured stones with my friends, relaxing in the quiet shade. Little did I know my angsty teenage wanderings were following in a rich Victorian tradition.

Highgate Cemetery opened in 1839 as part of the “Magnificent Seven,” a series of commercial garden cemeteries created around London to solve a very practical problem: the city’s churchyards were overcrowded, unsanitary, and simply running out of space. Inspired by the Romantic movement and a fascination with death and nature, Victorians embraced cemeteries like Highgate not just as places of mourning, but as landscaped parks where people could stroll, reflect, and even picnic. The grand mausoleums and elaborate statues reflected an era where social status extended into the afterlife—wealthy families competed for the most impressive tombs, turning Highgate into both a resting place and a showcase of Victorian society.

The day we visited Highgate, we joined a guided tour of the West side (our admission also allowed us to wander through the East side) It felt like we were stepping into a gothic novel: a place where history, architecture, and stories of extraordinary lives all share the same verdant silence, punctuated only by the crunch of gravel underfoot. Our guide pointed out both famous and lesser-known residents. One highlight from the tour was Victorian showman George Wombwell, famous for his traveling menageries of lions, tigers, and exotic animals. His tomb is topped with a life-sized statue of a recumbent lion named Nero, said to have been his favorite—a fittingly theatrical monument for a man who brought the wild to Victorian London.

Who’s who

Currently there are approximately 170,000 people buried in around 53,000 graves across the West and East sides. Highgate’s roll call of residents reads like a literary, artistic, and cultural hall of fame. Some notable names include:

Karl Marx – Philosopher, economist, and revolutionary whose imposing tomb is one of the cemetery’s most visited landmarks.
Douglas Adams – Author of The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. Fans often leave pens, notebooks, and towels at his simple headstone.
George Eliot (Mary Ann Evans) – One of the greatest novelists of the Victorian era, buried under her real name.
Patrick Caulfield – Painter and printmaker known for bold canvases blending photorealism with minimalism; his gravestone is one of the most striking in the cemetery.
Malcolm McLaren – Punk impresario and original manager of the Sex Pistols.
George Michael (George Kyriacos Panayiotou) – Singer-songwriter, record producer, and pop icon, buried under his given name.

Here is a list of more of people buried at Highgate.

Practical information

Details

Getting there: Highgate Cemetery is in North London, a 15-minute walk from Archway Underground Station (Northern Line). Several buses also stop nearby. On the day we went, the bus wasn’t running so we had to walk all the way from the station. It’s doable, but warm on a sunny day—bring water and a hat.
Tickets: The cemetery is divided into two parts. The East Cemetery (where Karl Marx and Douglas Adams are buried) can be visited with a general admission ticket. The West Cemetery, with its grandest Victorian architecture, is accessible only by guided tour. Tickets can be booked online in advance, which is highly recommended.
Opening times: Generally open daily, but hours vary by season—check the official Highgate Cemetery website before you go.
Accessibility: Paths are uneven, narrow, and often steep, particularly in the West Cemetery. Comfortable walking shoes are essential, and visitors with limited mobility may find some areas challenging.
Pair it with: Nearby Highgate Village has cozy pubs and cafés, or you can wander down into Hampstead Heath for more leafy London views.

Final thoughts

Visiting Highgate wasn’t just about ticking off a bucket-list cemetery. For me, it felt like a full circle moment—those hours I spent in my youth wandering among gravestones weren’t so different from the way Victorians treated places like this: as parks for reflection, curiosity, and even connection with family. Highgate layers that tradition with London’s own eclectic spirit, where philosophers rest beside pop icons, and a stone lion keeps watch over a Victorian showman. It’s a reminder that travel often leads us to the quietest places with the richest stories—and sometimes, to the echoes of our own past.

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