Heritage Days in France: ideas for visits this weekend plus photos

The 42nd edition of les Journées du Patrimoine (European Heritage Days) falls this weekend (September 20 - 21), with over 2,000 sites across France opening their doors to offer free visits and events.

This year’s theme encourages participants to explore France’s architectural heritage, spotlighting a variety of buildings and monuments that “constitute important landmarks in terms of local, national and European history and collective memory,” states the government website.

An interactive map is available to find events near you. 

We look at some of the historic and cultural sites across the country that you could visit this weekend. 

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes: treasure hunt in Saint-Etienne

When: September 20 - 21 

Families can set off on a treasure hunt around Saint-Étienne’s (Loire) 41 city-centre monuments historiques. Explore sites such as the Palais Mimard, the art-deco hôtel Subit-Gouyon, and the 18th-Century neo-roman Église Sainte-Marie. 

Treasure hunt booklets including a map and clues can be collected at the reception desk of the Maison du Patrimoine et des Lettres (5 Place Boivin).

For more information, click here. 

Bourgogne-Franche-Comté: costumed castle visit in Châteauneuf-en-Auxois

When: September 20 and 21, from 9:45 to 18:00

If you visit the 15th-Century Château de Châteauneuf (Côte-d'Or) this weekend, expect an immersive experience surrounded by knights, kings, queens, princesses and more fictional costumed characters. Extra dress-up accessories, guides and a photobooth will be available on-site.

For more information, click here.

Bretagne: 1940s ‘Bal Clandestin’ in the Morbihan

When: Saturday, September 20 from 18:30 to 22:00

This festive event hosted in Cléguérec (Morbihan) will pay tribute to the organisers of clandestine balls during World War Two in German-occupied France. Participants are invited to dress up in 1940s-style costumes for the occasion. 

Beginners can also arrive early, at 17:30, to learn traditional dances in preparation for the ball.

For more information, click here. 

Centre-Val de Loire: ceramics workshop in an old tram station 

When: September 20 and 21, from 9:00 to 18:00

Step inside a 1914 tram station in Dry (Loiret) that has been transformed into a ceramics studio. A young ceramicist will discuss the fundamentals of his practice and offer live demonstrations of modelling, throwing and using the potters wheel. 

For more information, click here. 

Grand Est: ‘Blow Bangles’ glass exhibition

September 20 and 21, from 13:30 to 18:00

Le Centre International d’Art Verrier (International Centre for Glass Art) in Meisenthal (Moselle), collaborates with contemporary designers to explore glassmaking techniques, as recently recognised on UNESCO’s ‘intangible cultural heritage’ list.

As well as visiting the site’s permanent collection, five temporary exhibitions are on offer for the European Heritage Days - including ‘Blow Bangles’ by François Daireaux which shows a colourful display of bangles blown in historic local moulds. Glass blowers will also be demonstrating their craft throughout the weekend and on the Sunday, visitors can watch a series of documentary screenings.

For more information, click here. 

Hauts-de-France: Night-time visit of Crépy-en-Valois

When: Saturday, September 20 from 20:30 to 22:30

Lanterns will illuminate a guided tour of the historic town of Crépy-en-Valois (Oise), home to 13 monuments historiques including a medieval Cluniac monastery and a 13th-Century house. The tour will leave from Rue Saint-Thomas.

For more information, click here.

Île-de-France: Paris’ 18th-Century École des Mines

When: Saturday, September 20 from 10:00 to 18:00

Visit one of France’s oldest and most prestigious engineering schools, the École des Mines - PSL. The campus is located in Paris’ quartier latin, in the Hôtel de Vendôme, and was built by French architect Jean-Baptiste Alexandre Le Blond in 1707. 

Visitors can access the beautiful gardens and a library with decor reflecting the various architectural trends of the 19th Century. The institution is also home to one of the world’s finest mineralogy museums. 

For more information, click here.

Normandie: the half-timbered houses of Rouen

When: Saturday, September 20 from 10:00 to 11:00

Discover the history behind the traditional half-timbered style of French architecture during a one-hour guided tour in Rouen (Seine-Maritime). Reservation mandatory.

For more information, click here. 

Nouvelle-Aquitaine: the English Club of Pau at Villa Lawrence

When: September 20 and 21, from 14:30 to 18:00

Villa Lawrance is home to Pau’s (Pyrénées-Atlantiques) Cercle Anglais. This private ‘English Club’ was founded in 1856 as a meeting place and centre of influence for the British elite. 

No booking is required for this 45-minute guided tour highlighting the villa’s typical period architecture, paintings and furniture that make up its rich collections.

For more information, click here. 

Occitanie: explore the medieval garden of Uzès

When: September 20 and 21, from 10:00 to 18:00

Visit the medieval garden of Uzès (Gard) where you will find more than 450 plant species and explore how they were used for medicinal and culinary purposes in the Middle Ages. Guided tours will also be offered in the afternoon as well as visits of two iconic towers and the ancient prison cells.

For more information, click here. 

Pays de la Loire: theatre at the domaine de la Turmelière

When: Sunday September 21 from 14:15 to 15:15, and 16:30 to 17:30

Visit the historic domaine de la Turmelière (Maine-et-Loire) and enjoy a futuristic theatre performance. Audience interaction and improvisation mean no two shows are the same, as spectators are invited to travel through time while reflecting on the present. Reservation mandatory.

For more information, click here. 

Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur: outdoor concert in Bormes-les-Mimosas 

When: Saturday, September 20 from 21:00 to 22:00

The EITV instrumental ensemble will be playing outside of the 18th-Century Église Saint Trophyme in the medieval village of Bormes-les-Mimosas (Var). The programme includes compositions by Georg-Philipp Télémann and Benjamin Britten. 

For more information, click here.