European Heritage Days

The European Heritage Days return on 19 and 20 September 2026 with a 43rd edition dedicated to the theme of “Photographic Heritage”. Take a fresh look at the cultural treasures around us through two major themes: photographic heritage, marking the bicentenary of the invention of photography by Nicéphore Niépce, and “Heritage at risk: revive, resist, reimagine”, dedicated to safeguarding threatened places and collections. In Île-de-France, many sites are embracing these issues with original activities.

A few outing ideas for the European Heritage Days

The City of Paris museums are notably putting photography in the spotlight with urban walks in the footsteps of photographer Robert Capa at the Musée de la Libération de Paris, encounters exploring the know-how behind analogue photography, and cyanotype workshops at the Musée Zadkine. As for heritage at risk, the Petit Palais raises awareness of conservation professions through a large immersive treasure hunt, while the Musée Cernuschi offers a virtual reality experience inviting visitors to rethink their relationship with fragile heritage.

Between exhibitions, photography workshops, themed trails and behind-the-scenes discoveries of heritage preservation, this 2026 edition promises a weekend rich in discoveries and emotions, as close as possible to history and its transmission to future generations.

All forms of heritage are honoured, whether artistic, archaeological, industrial, agricultural, agricultural, river or military.

Sometimes closed to the public the rest of the year, a wide variety of places can be visited (often with a guide): churches, castles, museums, banks, prefectures, courthouses, chambers of commerce, town halls, private residences…. Many unusual places open their doors: television channel headquarters, former prisons, factories and factories, behind the scenes of public transport…

In Paris, the high places of power also play the game, such as the Palais de l'Elysée (seat of the Presidency of the French Republic and official residence of the President of the Republic), the Palais du Luxembourg (seat of the French Senate) or the Hôtel de Matignon (official residence of the Head of the French Government).

We can't give you the full programme here, but we can already highlight a guided tour of the musée Yves Saint Laurent, the Galerie Dior and the Palais Galliera, as well as the fascinating world of the Puces de Saint-Ouen, concert for violin and cello at the Zadkine museum, a night-time visit to the Paris department stores' Les Galeries Lafayette Haussmann, a demonstration of direct-cut engraving at the Monnaie de Paris, France's national monetary institution and the oldest industry still in operation.

Iconic monuments, majestic châteaux, must-see museums with world-famous masterpieces, unusual collections, artists' houses](/en/what-to-see-and-do/museums-and-monuments)… Paris Region is the ultimate cultural and artistic destination.