By Ioannis Georgiadis, University of Athens
All opinions are those of their respective author, and are not indicative of the stance of EUPS.
Unspoilt as the bond between spirits and the living is, there is still an interest in the after-death life. Topics like philosophy, customs, cemeteries, sculptures, and even satanism have been adopted so as to recall the perished ones; all are popular or familiar to us. However, a morbid interest has emerged in Graveyard Tourism.
At first, everyone may become pale hearing the prospect of visiting the buried people like visiting a monument. And that’s forsooth! There are loads of people who have linked death with ghosts, zombies or any other myth concerning revived creatures or…obscure legend. The latter refers to those “dim powers” which include paganistic traits (born from the inner part of Earth and popped out aiming to harass humanity). The obscure describes whatever people would like to have themselves masqueraded as during Halloween (witch, Dracula, demon, skeleton, Yeti, Sphinx, et cetera). But, as this notion has been spread throughout the world, are there people bolstering the “movement” of such a kind of tourism?
What’s surprising is the fact that more and more are rehabilitated with Taphophilia. The word stems from the Greek ones “taphos” (τάφος), which means “tomb”, and the word “philia” (φιλία), asserting the “likeness” (and not the friendship). So, it’s understandable that we are talking about the feeling of admiring graves, which may seem awkward. In fact, it’s another way of communicating with those who have already passed from the planet and suss out what life is. The “Travel & Tourism World” accounts for the meticulous fascination for a “rebellion against tick-box travel,” offering a witty, influential experience that indicates a break from ordinary holidays of visiting the “classic” sights (where hustle and bustle dominate). In most countries, indubitably, there is a graveyard where famous people have been buried and their tombs are decorated with statues or shapes. Or, there are statues in public places depicting personalities and under which their bones are kept. For instance, Karl Marx’s grave belongs to the second category.
This trend seems to have become popular, and travel agencies have altered their schedules so as to integrate a visit to such a cemetery. “An open-air art museum” is the phrase uttered by most of the graveyard’s visitors. Not only do the visitors see the “exhibits”, but they also observe the surrounding nature. Amidst the tombs, there are trees and bushes accompanying the perished. The majority of “alive” would get the explanation relying on equilibrium, calmness, silence and every feeling is linked with peace and quiet. Others count the reason on myths. For instance, Greeks are used to planting cypress due to the namesake human. Cypress dates back to ancient times. The only thing (and the essential one) I may come across is that the friendly bond with his companion led him and his friend to be buried at the same spot, and a tree (the cypress) flourished at the same spot. In other words, the tree symbolises the spiritual bond between humans, especially the near ones, like family and friends. Going back to Ancient Greece, Plato was the one who asserted that “we are plants of the sky and not of the earth” [perhaps, referring to the Paganist theories]. – read “Protagoras”-
Last but not least, a clarification and some “points to be adhered to” are to be said. Forsooth, creating a sculpture for someone’s tomb means that the creator wishes to honour the deceased. Most of the time, the latter was professionalised as a “big post” or belonged to a “big family”. This is the spectre of shaping symbols having to do with the buried’s traits. For these traits to be honoured by the visitors too, the “CNN” suggests three cornerstones of matters. Firstly, there should be an objective to visit. It would be preferable if this aim were the willingness for learning the home-bred culture. What’s more, the respect for the location has taken precedence. There is no better way than taking a leaf out of relatives’ books. Ultimately, visitors likewise honour them on the grounds that we visit their ancestors. The respectfulness may carry on even if some cemeteries don’t accept visitors. This is the kind of policy, and as “non-householders” they must put up with the decisions.
To sum up, the fresh type of tourism marks a course of something that could be described as “appealing”. This different visit might modify the way of reflecting, having a great impact on social attitude. Cynically, think that…we are about to become householders of a cemetery sooner or later…
Bibliography
CNN Travel (October 28th 2023). “‘Tombstone tourists’ find the beauty and joy in cemetary visits” by Scottie Andrew. Available at: https://edition.cnn.com/travel/tombstone-tourists-cemeteries-cec
Travel & Tour World (October 12th 2025). Graveyard Tourism: The Growing Trend of Visiting Cemeteries in Europe for a Unique Cultural Experience – https://www.travelandtourworld.com/news/article/graveyard-tourism-the-growing-trend-of-visiting-cemeteries-in-europe-for-a-unique-cultural-experience/
