The French flag under the vault of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris.

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Paris is always a good idea, so the saying goes; France is, too, especially during the third weekend in September, this year the 19th—20th, when the annual cultural extravaganza known as Heritage Days (Journées Européennes du Patrimoine) takes place throughout the country. (Heritage Days are scheduled in many other countries, but the dates vary.)

On this event-filled Saturday and Sunday, countless museums, historic buildings and chateaux will be open to the public, often free or at a reduced cost. Many sites, not accessible at other times of the year, will be available for visits, too. During Heritage Days, with themes this year celebrating the history and bicentenary of photography and protecting at-risk historic sites, you can also expect a variety of one-off events, like guided walking tours, concerts, theatrical performances, workshops and artisanal demonstrations. Many happenings during this popular weekend require advance reservations, so book as far ahead as you can.

Here are some highlights for 2026’s Heritage Days.

PARIS

The Élysée Palace, the official residence and office of France’s president, is not generally open to visitors, but this landmark on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré has welcomed visitors for Heritage Days in the past. Among the usual highlights are the ceremonial salons, the president’s office and the palace grounds, although the itinerary can change from year to year. (This is a popular event; visitors will have to register at www.elysee.fr–the date to be announced–and reservations go very quickly.)

The Maison Elysée Museum, which is accessible throughout the year, can also be visited. Located opposite the palace at 88 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, the museum provides an insider’s look at the history of the French presidency—there’s even a reconstruction of the French counterpart to the Oval Office, the Salon Doré. The museum offers an immersive virtual tour of the palace tracing the Élysée’s architectural history from its 18th-century construction to the present.

The Musée National Picasso-Paris, (Photo by Franck CHAZOT/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

The Musée National Picasso-Paris, with more than 5000 works reflecting the arc of the artist’s career, is one of the city’s star cultural attractions. Housed in the Hôtel Salé, a 17th-century Baroque mansion located in the Marais, this magnificent structure, described by the museum as a “heritage space amplifying modern experiments,” provides a dramatic physical counterpoint to Picasso’s radicality. For Heritage Days, there will be tours of the Salé, focusing on its rich architectural history; guided visits to the new Centre d’Études Picasso, the research library and archives devoted to the artist at the nearby Hôtel de Rohan, are also scheduled for the weekend.

Yves Saint Laurent with models and muses Betty Catroux (left) and Loulou de la Falaise, outside his Rive Gauche store. (Photo by John Minihan/Getty Images)

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The Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris will be hosting 90-minute walking tours, Rive Gauche: Promenade dans le Paris d’Yves Saint Laurent, that looks at how the designer’s career evolved in the City of Light.

Starting in the sixth arrondissement, the tours, directed by guides from the museum, stop at 21 rue de Tournon in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, where YSL introduced his first store, Saint Laurent Rive Gauche sixty years ago (September 1966). It was an important debut for the fashion world, as the designer became the first couturier to open a ready-to-wear boutique. The Left Bank location, near the Rue Bonaparte, an area noted noted for its youthful, artistic and intellectual vibe and another stop on the itinerary, was key in positioning the new YSL store as a modern alternative to Paris’s established couture salons. The walk concludes at the Cour Carrée of the Louvre, where YSL ready-to-wear fashion shows were held.

Red silk and gray calfskin pumps designed by Roger Vivier for Christian Dior in the 1950s. (Photo by David Attie/Conde Nast via Getty Images)

Conde Nast via Getty Images

To mark the special weekend, La Maison Vivier, the Paris headquarters for the influential French designer Roger Vivier, famous for popularizing the stiletto heel and buckled pump, will be open to the public for the first time. Among the exhibit highlights will be several immersive, themed rooms, like the Salon de l’Héritage, curated by French style guru, Inès de La Fressange, highlighting the atelier’s history. The Salon Vivier will explore Vivier’s interior design aesthetic, and the Salle des Archives will feature over 1000 archival pieces including many historic shoes. Over his long career, Vivier’s shoes were worn by numerous luminaries, like Catherine Deneuve, Audrey Hepburn and Queen Elizabeth.

Champagne

Champagne vineyards.

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The Champagne region, as little as a 45-50 minute high-speed train ride from Paris, has planned lots of happenings for Heritage weekend, among them guided tours, visits to chalk cellars, and tastings at the maisons of major producers, like G. H. Mumm, Vranken-Pommery, Taittinger and G.H. Martel. There will be special openings and guided visits to major Reims landmarks, including Notre-Dame Cathedral, the Palais du Tau, an important site for the French monarchy, the Basilica of Saint-Remi and City Hall.

Collectors of wine memorabilia and design-minded Champagne lovers should head to nearby Épernay and visit the producer, Champagne de Castellane, which is hosting Heritage tours. The visit will include a stop at the Salle des Étiquettes et Collerettes, a space that contains an archive of some 10,000 historic labels and collerettes (neck collars), that trace the brand’s design evolution from the late 19th century. Another stop is at the estate’s historic Tour de Castellane, a 66-meter tower, affording sweeping views of the Champagne countryside.

Gamais, Yvelines

Many historic châteaux throughout France will be open on Heritage Days, as they are at other times of the year. One providing special access on September 20 is the Château de Neuville—a little more than an hour’s drive west of Paris. This estate, built in late Renaissance style, will offer guided tours led by members of the chateau-owners’ family, whose connections to the property date to the 18th century.

LYON

Lyon has long been known for its silk production.

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Lyon was once Europe’s capital of silk production, supplying the luxury fabrics that helped shape fashion taste at the continent’s royal courts. To pay homage to Lyon’s soierie history during Heritage Days, De Baecque & Associés auction house will host an exhibition showcasing five centuries (16th to 20th centuries) of antique textiles from some of Lyon’s major producers, like Pernon and Tassinari & Chatel; historic costumes; and sample albums. Tours of the auction house will be available. On September 21, there will be an auction for the exhibition’s textiles.

AVIGNON

The Palais des Papes.

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This Provencal city offers an abundance of cultural riches and one of France’s most memorable food markets, Les Halles d’Avignon. For Heritage Days, five of the city’s museums, including the Musée Calvet, with a collection of centuries-spanning European paintings, among them works by Cézanne, Modigliani and Utrillo, and the Musée du Petit Palais, which does a deep dive into medieval and early Renaissance art, will be free of charge.

The Hotel de Forbin de la Barben, a private mansion designed by one of Provence’s most celebrated architects, Jean-Baptiste Franque, will open for Heritage Days. Check out the 18th-century salons and medieval painted ceilings.

But the star attraction in Avignon is the UNESCO Heritage Site, the Palais des Papes (Pope’s Palace), one of Western civilization’s most important landmarks, which served as the seat of Catholicism in the 14th century. While at the Palais, take in contemporary artist Lee Ufan’s exhibit titled Relatum, which runs through mid-November.

NANCY

Art Nouveau architectural detail in Nancy. (Photo by Jean-Erick PASQUIER/Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images)

Gamma-Rapho via Getty Images

Nancy will provide experiences that are sure to appeal to design enthusiasts and art historians. Guided walks will highlight how the city fostered the rise of the École de Nancy, the movement spearheaded by a cohort of artists, architects, decorators, and industrialists, who helped develop and define French Art Nouveau style in the early 20th century. Various itineraries will focus on key representations of the style, including Brasserie Excelsior, noted for its Art Nouveau interior; the recently restored Villa Majorelle, once the home of the influential furniture maker and decorator Louis Majorelle; and the houses of the Saurupt district, known for their Art Nouveau and Art Deco architecture. In addition to the Art Nouveau highlights, there will be opportunities to visit the modernist 1954 home of Jean Prouvé, the influential architect-designer, and the Bibliothèque Stanislas, whose collections include rare medieval manuscripts.