European Heritage Days 2023 : which places to visit in Paris?

This year, the Heritage Days will be held on 16th and 17th September all over France and Europe. The theme of the 40th event is "Living Heritage" and "Sporting Heritage", and every year it's an opportunity to visit places that are usually closed to the public, free of charge. Here's a quick rundown of the Parisian discoveries you won't want to miss. 

There are the great classics, whose doors will be open free of charge, but we also like to venture into places that are only open to the public only two days in a year ! The Elysée Palace is undoubtedly the most prestigious, but you'll need to be patient to explore the presidential residence. You can also visit the Hotel Matignon - the Prime Minister's residence - the Hotel de Ville, the Institut de France and the Senate. More original, you can gain access to the machinery of the historic lift on the east pillar of the Eiffel Tower (places are very limited). The Notre-Dame-de-Paris construction site will also be open to the public, taking you right into the heart of the restoration of the worldwide famous cathedral.

Among the places that are only open during the European Heritage Days, you might like to set foot in the headquarters of the newspaper Le Monde in the 13th arrondissement or in the reserves of the City of Paris archaeological centre in the 18th arrondissement. At the same time, the City of Paris is organising lots of conferences on more specific subjects, such as the restoration of the fountains on Place de la Concorde or the Madeleine church. Concerts and artistic performances will also be taking place throughout the city, and an escape game has even been organised outside the Grand Palais !

Photo Paris Photographer - Unsplash

But these Heritage Days are also (and above all?) an opportunity to embark on some completely unusual tours. The RATP, for example, is offering a tour of a centralised command post on metro line 9, including a train driving simulator. The Musée des Moulages (Moulds Museum) also offers an unusual tour of a collection of pathological waxes from the Hôpital Saint-Louis (10th arrondissement), which were once used to train future dermatologists. Sensitive souls are to abstain ! 

Find out more about all the not-to-be-missed tours this year on the Marie de Paris website.

Cover photo Hannah Reding - Unsplash