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For fans of culture, museums, art, politics and history, there will be plenty on offer across France during the ‘Journées du Patrimoine’ in 2025. Here’s a few suggestions.
Each year, France puts on cultural activities and exhibitions as part of the Journées du patrimoine (heritage days). This year will mark the 42nd anniversary of the event, with the theme being ‘architectural heritage’.
This year’s event runs on Saturday, September 20th and Sunday, September 21st.
Some places stage special events or open their doors for free, but Journées du Patrimoine is also an opportunity to see inside places that are not normally open to the public.
Events are planned across the country, and you can zoom into your local area using the culture ministry’s interactive map. You can also set parameters, such as the date you want to visit, the category of visit (fine art, monument, etc), as well as whether or not you need a location that is disability-accessible.
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You can also look at your city’s local government website. For instance, Paris’s tourism office site, Paris je t’aime, has a comprehensive list of its favourite and best (free) recommendations for how to spend the weekend.
Some cities, like Strasbourg, will have an information stand running all weekend. Many events fill up quickly, although most are free, the majority require some kind of online reservation ahead of time.
Here are a few of our favourites here at The Local;
Paris
Explore the Paris Hôtel de Ville
Open both Saturday and Sunday, hours tbc. Free to access, but a reservation is required. Reservations to open online on September 10th.
This year, the visit will include tours of the state rooms, the Council Chamber (salle du Conseil), the library and the Mayor’s office. There will also be exhibits on cultural heritage, and the courtyard (cour de la Mairie) will host artisans and historians responsible for keeping the building alive and in good condition.
The Élysée Palace
Visits on both Saturday and Sunday. Unfortunately, tickets have already sold out. You can keep checking the Élysée website to see if any new ones appear.
Each year, the Presidential Palace opens its doors during the heritage Weekend. For those unable to get tickets, there is also the Maison Élysée museum and café across the street, which will be open the entire weekend from 10am to 8pm, without a reservation needed.
Notre-Dame cathedral towers
Saturday (8.15am to 10pm) and Sunday (8.15am to 7.30pm). Reservations must be made online in advance.
The famous Notre-Dame Cathedral will finally re-open its towers during the heritage weekend. Visitors will be able to climb the double spiral oak staircase, 69 metres high, to see an exceptional view of the capital.
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Strasbourg
Guided tour: UNESCO World Heritage through the exhibition ‘A Journey to Strasbourg’
Saturday, September 20th, from 11.30am to 12.30pm. Reserve (free) tickets here.
A guide will take you through the permanent exhibit at Strasbourg’s cultural centre the ‘5e Lieu’.
The tour will highlight the history of the city’s Grande-Île, as well as its ‘urban evolution’ in recent decades. This tour will be for ages 12 and up.
Visit to the Strasbourg Opéra
Saturday, September 20th. Reserve tickets in advance online.
In keeping with the ‘architecture’ theme, visitors will meet in front of the opera to learn about the front façade. Afterwards, they will be able to access the balcony (‘the terrasse des Muses’). If you cannot find tickets, there are other events planned throughout the weekend at the opéra. More information on their website.
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Nice
Make your own mosaics at the Musée Marc Chagall
Saturday and Sunday, workshop starting at 10am and 3pm. Reservations required online.
This family-friendly event is intended for kids ages four and up. Children and adults alike can take part in a workshop to create their own mosaics using stickers, recycled paper and felt. If the event is full, check out the museum website for other activities during the weekend.
Visit the Palais Lascaris
Both Saturday and Sunday. Guided visits are around 45 minutes long, starting at 10am. Register in advance online, tickets are free. Kids ages 8 and up.
Once the house of the powerful Lascaris-Castellar family, the Palais Lascaris, a hidden gem in baroque style in the old, narrow streets of Nice, will open its doors for guided tours during the Journées du Patrimoine.
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Toulouse
Municipal greenhouses
Sunday, from 10am to 6pm
The city’s municipal greenhouses (des Serres municipales), which host hundreds of indoor plants, will open to the public on Sunday, with guided visits.
Two-hour walking tour of ‘Secret Toulouse’
Both Saturday (2.30pm) and Sunday (10.30am). Meet at the tourism office (Donjon du Capitole). Tickets must be purchased online in advance. They are €7 for adults (free for kids).
The city’s office of tourism has put together an ‘off-the-beaten-track’ walking tour. The ‘guide’s mood’ will decide the destinations, so expect surprises.
If tickets sell out – as they might, due to space being limited – the city’s tourism office has several other guided tours planned for the heritage days. More info here.
Bordeaux
The tower of Pey-Berland, a UNESCO monument
Saturday and Sunday, 10am to 6pm. Tickets are free, but must be reserved in advance online.
The tour Pey-Berland will open to the public for free visits on Saturday and Sunday. You can climb to the top to see a great view of the city.
The Victorian manor Hôtel Exshaw
Sunday, September 21st, from 9.30am to noon. Book your tour in advance online.
Built at the end of the 19th century, this Victorian-style manor house was build for a wealthy Irish family. Nowadays, it hosts France’s local CFDT union. It has been described as ‘a touch of Britain in France’.
Events at the Cité du Vin
Saturday and Sunday, with the Hungarian wine event on Saturday at 3.30 pm (tickets free, reservation required online).
The famous Bordeaux wine museum will host a few events over the weekend, notably one all about discovering Hungarian wines from the Tokaj region. There will be a conference with expert speakers, followed by a Tokaj wine tasting at the Cité du Vin auditorium. For those interested, it will also be possible to follow along at home on Zoom.
Lyon
Lyon street art, guided tour
Saturday and Sunday, from 1.30pm to 6pm. Meet at 17bis rue Delandine in Lyon’s 2nd arrondissement. First-come, first-served. No need for reservations. Tours are free. More info here.
Noted as one of the city of Lyon’s coups de cœur (recommendations), you are invited to come join a free, guided tour of the city’s unique street art. Specifically, you will visit the former St Paul and St Joseph prisons, where much of the artwork was done by former prisoners.
‘Where are the women?’ Urban walking tour
Saturday from 10.30 am. Meet at 27 Rue de la République in the 2nd arrondissement. Wear weather-appropriate clothing. For questions, email baladesurbaines@filactions.org. More info here.
The association Filactions will offer a guided walking tour called ‘Where are the women?’ intended to raise awareness of the contributions of women who have left their mark on the city of Lyon.
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