© Ministère de la Culture
For 40 years, European Heritage Days have been inviting visitors to discover areas of iconic cultural sites and entire places in Paris that are not usually open to the public. An outstanding programme makes this weekend a highlight of the post-summer holiday period.
In 2024, the European Heritage Days take place on 21 and 22 September and the themes chosen are the ‘Heritage of Routes, Networks and Connections’ and ‘Maritime Heritage’.
Openings in places usually closed to the public, events in unusual locations, discovery trails, workshops... There's something for all tastes and all ages. Here's a small selection.
© DR
Saturday 21 September 2024 from 11am to 12.30pm
At the Musée d'Orsay, on the occasion of the 2024 European Heritage Days, take a free guided tour entitled "De la gare au musée : architectures pour mémoire", (‘From station to museum: architectures for the past’). Registration is at the museum and subject to availability, and you should meet at the reception desk half an hour before the start of the tour.
© OTCP David Lefranc
Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September 2024 from 2pm to 6pm
The Musée du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac invites you for a unique programme of free events highlighting the role of sound in the collections: musical, narrative and poetic performances, as well as meetings and tours of the media library at the museum are subject to availability, and prior booking is not necessary.
© Cité Universitaire Wikimedia
Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September 2024
For 95 years now, students from all over the world have been coming to stay in the unique houses of residence on the campus of the Cité Universitaire Internationale. Many of the 43 houses on campus open their doors and organise cultural events. The Cité internationale's Centre du patrimoine offers several thematic tours to help visitors discover this original architectural complex located in a 34-hectare landscaped park.
On 21 and 22 September, Come and enjoy a packed programme at the Cité Universitaire, spread across the Spanish, Franco-British, Argentinian, Swiss, German, Portuguese, Mexican and Dutch colleges... From self-guided or guided tours (photography, architecture, poetry, painting, sculpture, etc.) to screenings and concerts, the Cité, home to 12,000 international students, promises you a great day exploring the world's artistic and cultural heritage!
Saturday 21 September 2024
Taking part for the second time in Heritage Days, the GoodPlanet Foundation - located in the Bois de Boulogne - is offering a full and original programme, with an open-air folk music concert, a visit to the Longchamp Estate, a chance to discover 800 traditional musical instruments, a treasure hunt to learn more about the world's biodiversity, an exhibition titled "À la rencontre du vivant" (‘Encountering Life’) and an audio walk with Yann Arthus-Bertrand.
© SETE Alexandre Nestora
On registration on the Eiffel Tower website. Saturday and Sunday, every 30 minutes from 9.30am to 3.30pm
The famous monument offers an exceptional visit to the machinery of its historic lift. The visit is commented by the Tower's technicians themselves!
© OTCP David Lefranc
Saturday 21 September 2024
A guide will take you on a tour of the Petit Palais and its collections, ranging from the history of the representation of movement in art to an urban stroll in the company of renowned Street Art artists. The short visit is free for children aged 8 and over and is open to all subject to availability. It takes place in the reception area of the main hall at 11am, 12pm, 2pm, 3pm or 4.30pm. There will also be a brief workshop from 10am to 5pm, where families can express their creativity by reinterpreting works in the museum.
© Fotolia jorisvo
Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September 2024 from 10am to 6pm
The City Hall offers an introduction to stonemasonry or masonry with volunteers from the network REMPART at the Village des Métiers du Patrimoine. Come and discover traditional skills with your family and help restore some important national heritage sites.
© Thinkstock
Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 6pm Self-guided tour.
The Institut de France, an institution as ancient as it is mysterious, throws open its doors: the Cour d'Honneur, the Mazarine Library, the various meeting rooms, the Cupola, as well as the exhibition in honour of the Franco-Serbian artist and art teacher Vladimir Veličković at the Pavillon Comtesse de Caen. Also to see, the bookshop, France Mémoire, the mission responsible for national commemorations, Canal Académies and its audio programmes and the education department.
© DR
Guided tour Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September 2024. Free admission but prior booking necessary, 30-minute slots.
The Grand Rex, an emblematic place for cinema and entertainment, is a listed historical monument and has the largest movie theatre in Europe! The history of its construction in the 1930s, anecdotes about the shows and a visit to its Big Auditorium are all worth discovering. A more in-depth tour takes you behind the scenes of a film studio, from the projection booth to the special effects room.
© Galeries Lafayette
Saturday 21 September 2024 from 9pm to midnight. Free visits, by reservation only, on the website.
For its 130th anniversary, Galeries Lafayette Haussmann opens its doors for an exclusive nocturnal programme. Take a night-time tour of this iconic fashion store to find out more about its history and what goes on behind the scenes, listen to an original musical performance by Will Guthrie in the Cupola area and watch previews of several By Night films, fictional works that paint a unique and intimate portrait of the department store.
© Sylvain Perreau Chancellerie des universités de Paris
Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September 2024.
On these two days, the Sorbonne University offers free access to its historical and cultural heritage. An opportunity to see the rooms, amphitheatres, Richelieu's tomb in the chapel and the library's majestic Jacqueline de Romilly room on a tour designed especially for visitors. Admire the exhibition of works by Parisian high schools and art schools, featuring the works and creations of members of the Campus des Métiers d'Art & Design. On Sunday at 4pm, enjoy an exceptional concert by the Orchestre et chœur des universités de Paris (Paris University Orchestra and Choir). And go along to the Campus scientifique Pierre et Marie Curie de Sorbonne Université, on 21 September, where you can take advantage of several guided tours between 10am and 4pm as well as access to the collections of the Géosciences Library.
© Thinkstock
Self-guided visit : Saturday from 9am to 7pm and Sunday from 12.30pm to 7pm.
Saint-Sulpice church, a listed monument, is full of treasures for everyone to admire: a self-guided tour with audioguide, guided tours, a tour of the chapel of the Virgin Mary at Saint-Sulpice church after its restoration, an organ exhibition followed by an organ concert on Sunday at 4pm, a presentation of the Chapelle des Anges on Saturday at 11am, and a presentation of the church's Gnomon - an astronomical instrument that has been in situ since 1743.
Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September 2024
Built between 1879 et 1881 on the edge of Parc Monceau, the Hôtel Pereire was designed by architect William Bouwens van der Boyen, who also designed the Hôtel Cernuschi. Home to the Fondation Simone et Cino Del Duca since 1975, the building features several reception rooms in the classical style, a library and a hall with a large, elegant sky-well. The Hôtel Pereire opens its doors to visitors for a second time, with a presentation of the history of the hotel, the Del Duca couple and the actions of the Foundation.
© Chloé Le Reste
Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September 2024
For its second participation in the European Heritage Days, 19M, the creative ensemble of fashion and decoration professions, offers an original tour of the workshops of Maison Lesage: Visitors can discover the company's workshops in five stages, including the drawing, quilting, embroidery and textile creation workshops, the innovative Lesage Intérieurs, the huge Jardin du 19M, the ‘Lesage. 100 years of fashion and decoration’ exhibition at the Galerie du 19M and the Parcelle, a garden providing a green, creative and artisanal programme for all.
Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September 2024. Visit free of charge, booking essential.
The Maison Boucheron was founded in 1858 by Frédéric Boucheron; his first store was in the Palais Royal. Opened in 1893, the establishment at 26 place Vendôme was his second and the first jeweller’s to open in Place Vendôme, with its elegant architecture dating from the reign of Louis XIV. The maison Boucheron invites visitors on a guided tour of the Hôtel de Nocé, an architectural gem.
© Jimmy Jaeh via Unsplash
Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September 2024
Built for Cardinal de Richelieu by the architect Lemercier – builder of the Sorbonne - the Palais-Royal estate is today a favourite spot to stroll for Parisians and tourists. Guided themed tours and the firing of the meridian canon are all part of a special programme of events. During the 2024 European Heritage Days, come along and visit the Ministry of Culture for free, no prior booking required, and take part in the “Cultivons notre Avenir” (‘Cultivate our Future’) ecological workshops, at the Palais-Royal, see the exhibitions Meeting the Dukes of Orléans at the Palais-Royal, The cats of Cardinal de Richelieu, Richelieu and the Palais-Cardinal, introduce your kids to fencing workshops for 5-13 year olds, The Red Guard of Cardinal de Richelieu, and stay for the Republican Guard brass band horseback parade on 21 September at 3pm.
© Mary Quincy
Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September 2024
Each year during the European Heritage Days, the French Senate open its doors to the public, offering a unique opportunity to visit the Palais du Luxembourg. Discover the Senate chamber, the library, painted by Delacroix, the Salle des Conférences, the Petit Luxembourg (where the President of the Senate works), the Queen’s Chapel, built by Marie de Médicis en 1625, and the eighteenth-century Boffran salons. Senate officials are on hand to offer further information and answer visitors’ questions. The greenhouses of the Jardin du Luxembourg will be open to the public on an exceptional basis.
© Pierre Antoine
16 and 17 September 2023, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
A full programme at the Musée de l’Armée! During the weekend of the European Heritage Days, come and take advantage of a wide range of activities, from self-guided and guided tours to creative workshops, concerts and screenings, on topics ranging from the memory and archiving of armed conflicts to military history books, external security, sport in the army and vintage vehicles.
© Thinkstock
Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September 2024
A masterpiece of Gothic art, the Cathedral Basilica of Saint-Denis impresses by its size, its architecture and its history. The burial place of the kings and queens of France, it now houses more than 70 sculpted funerary tombs. The programme for the European Heritage Days is full of free events: 30-minute guided tours (registration on site), concerts, forge and stone-cutting demonstrations, etc. The programme of the European Heritage Days also features an organ recital by Diego Innocenzi.
© Studio TTG
From 15 to 17 September 2023 - bookable from early September on the Festival du Monde website
The newspaper Le Monde is organizing its annual festival, which includes the European Heritage Days. Since 2020, Le Monde has had its headquarters in the 13th arrondissement, in a building that impresses with its elegance and modernity, designed by Snohetta and SRA-Architectes. The Festival du Monde, which is celebrating its 10th anniversary, and European Heritage Days are an opportunity to discover this impressive work of architecture through guided tours, enjoy special events - shows, concerts, performances - on the forecourt, and join in conversations and debates, as the newspaper also celebrates its 80th anniversary.
© DR
Saturday 21 September 2024, from 10am, free admission.
The Seine Musicale, a vast structure dedicated to music and cultural exchange on the tip of the Ile Seguin, is holding an Open Day with an impressive programme. All day long, the public can attend open rehearsals of major shows, guided tours of the building, workshops for young audiences, concerts, a contemporary art exhibition, as well as circus acts by Le Plus Petit Cirque du Monde inspired by the sculptures of La Seine Musicale. A lively way to experience European Heritage Days!
© OTCP Amelie Dupont
Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September 2024
Each year, the Jardin des Plantes and the Muséum National d'Histoire Naturelle participates in the European Heritage Days, offering a rich and exciting programme of events and activities. At the museum's main library, discover exhibitions, games, workshops and meetings to learn more about the museum and its world. In the Jardin des Plantes, you can take several guided tours to explore the Garden, a mini tour of the Rose Garden and a special event to learn more about the role of the Menagerie.
© Michel Denancé Coll. Fondation Jérôme Seydoux Pathé © 2014 RPBW
Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September 2024
For the 41st edition of European Heritage Days, the Fondation Jérôme Seydoux-Pathé invites the public for a free visit. Reopened in 2014, the building designed by Renzo Piano houses the Foundation's new headquarters and its famous glass shell on the 5th floor. Visit the Collection Galleries, featuring a selection of new film posters from numerous artistic eras and genres. Attend silent ciné-concerts in the Salle Charles Pathé, digitized by the Pathé Foundation and accompanied on piano by students from Jean-François Zygel's improvisation class at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique et de Danse de Paris.
© S. Brion Opéra Comique
Friday 20 September, Saturday 21 September and Sunday 22 September 2024
European Heritage Days are an ideal occasion on which to visit the Théâtre national de l’Opéra comique and get a glimpse behind the scenes: over three days, take part in guided tours, workshops, games, singing lessons and a masterclass, all designed to help you understand and appreciate the world of opera and orchestras.
© MNM Sébastien Dondain
Why not make a port of call at the Musée National de la Marine during European Heritage Days? Come and explore the world of the sea with short tours, sea shanties, knot and pompom workshops, tales and legends of the sea, and a behind-the-scenes look at the museum's restoration and storage facilities, plus a presentation of a recently acquired work.
