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8 must-see activities for Heritage Days in Paris

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The Editor

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From September 19 to 21, 2025, Paris will transform into a huge playground for the European Heritage Days. As every year, you'll have the chance to (re)discover must-see monuments of the capital, from the Invalides to the Élysée, through exceptional visits that are sometimes classic and often unique. Here are 8 of them that you shouldn't miss.


Diving into the Heart of Paris in the Catacombs

Today, the catacombs stretch over more than 1,500 meters long, making it the largest underground ossuary in the world. The galleries sometimes overlap across 3 levels, and the deepest ones are buried more than 20 meters underground. Back in the day, the human remains were placed quite haphazardly, but everything is now neatly organized since the site opened to the public in 1809. It’s undoubtedly one of the most unusual visits in the capital, which will be even more highlighted during the 2025 European Heritage Days with literary tours. A stroll underground, filled with texts and testimonials from great French authors, to explore this mystical place... from A to Z!

Literary Guided Tour: The Catacombs in Letter
Catacombs of Paris
1, avenue du Colonel Henri Rol-Tanguy – 14th
Saturday, September 20, 2025, at 8 PM
More info


Discovering the Work of Stone Masons at Notre-Dame-de-Lorette

Highlighted last year during the opening ceremony of the Olympics, the profession of stone mason is back in the spotlight for the European Heritage Days. To discover the secrets of this ancient profession, let’s head to Notre-Dame, but this time, not in Paris, but in Lorette. In the heart of the 9th, let's take the chance to explore this magnificent church currently undergoing restoration, along with the impressive manual and artistic craftsmanship of this trade. We enjoy...Enjoy a little tour inside and admire the magnificent freshly restored paintings of the chapel, and learn more about the techniques needed for such a feat !

Notre-Dame-de-Lorette Church
18, rue de Châteaudun – 9th
Saturday, September 20, from 9 AM to 5 PM
Free entry
More info


Let's visit the metro network!

Like Never Before

As the great summer construction of the metro has come to an end, we invite you to dive back into the works... in a much more fun way! The Society of Major Projects offers a spectacular immersion into the behind-the-scenes of the biggest urban construction site in Europe. Indeed, on Saturday, September 20th, 13 iconic sites of the Grand Paris Express open their doors for free, with no prior registration required. Guided by the technical teams, you'll have the unique chance to discover the backstage of this mega-project that is already shaping the Île-de-France of tomorrow.

Visit the Grand Paris Express extension construction site
Saturday, September 20, 2025, from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM
Free entry subject to availability
More info


Step into the shoes of a pilot at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle Airport

These European Heritage Days (JEP) are also a chance to dive into the behind-the-scenes of air transport, and for that, let's head to Roissy. The highlight of the day? A flight simulation at the Environmental House. In control of a CESSNA 172, you'll test your pilot skills in an ultra-realistic simulator. It's the perfect activity for an adrenaline rush, and it certainly won't overshadow all the fun activities planned at the airport: a listening booth inside a real Airbus A380 pod.> to compare the sounds of planes from yesterday and today, a guided tour of the restricted area of the airport, a special Terminal 2 tour led by an architect... Aviation will soon hold no secrets for you !

Flight simulation at Roissy-Charles-de-Gaulle airport
House of Environment and Sustainable Development
2, Route du Noyer-au-Chat, Tremblay-en-France (93)
Saturday, September 20, 2025, from 9 AM to 12 PM and 1 PM to 4:30 PM
More info


Diving into the impressive archives of the INA

The Heritage Days are a perfect opportunity for a little journey through time to discover all that the past has given us, while also learning a bit more about the evolution of our society. And what better place for this than the archives of the INA, specialists in old documents and videos that delight us!

Are you on social media? For that, head to the gates of the capital, in Bry-sur-Marne (it's a direct RER A trip), for a unique journey through radio and television archives that will surely immerse you in the past, and thus give you a fresh perspective on the present.

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INA – National Audiovisual Institute
32, Avenue des Frères-Lumière – Bry-sur-Marne (94360)
September 20 and 21, 2025
Free Entry
More info


Take a Journey Through Time on an Orient Express Car

Attention, ladies and gentlemen, the most famous train in the world is about to arrive, please stay away from the platform edge. On September 20 and 21, a car of the Orient Express will be on the tracks at the Austerlitz station, offering you legendary tours that are completely free (but be careful, reservations are required!).st mandatory !). An event that will delight both train enthusiasts and Agatha Christie fans. For 2 days, you'll have the chance to climb aboard the cars of the Orient Express, and not just any cars. Indeed, this is the Pullman car, the most luxurious of all, built between 1925 and 1929. Composed of 7 cars, of which 4 are classified historical monuments, it's a true Art Deco gem, refined down to the smallest details. All aboard!

Visit the Orient Express
Austerlitz Station
85, Quai d'Austerlitz – 13th
On September 20 and 21, 2025
By reservation only
More info


We're taking a rather unique anatomy class at the Moulages Museum

Sensitive souls, please abstain: the mysterious Moulages Museum at the Saint-Louis Hospital is exceptionally opening its doors to the public during the Heritage Days. Located in one of the oldest hospitals in Paris (established in 1607, how amazing is that?!), this place has retained all its charm, creating an atmosphere that feels like a mix of a 19th-century medical office and...a natural history museum. Here, nearly 5,000 ultra-realist wax replicas, created between the late 19th and the early 20th century, are on display, reproducing with a striking accuracy dermatological lesions. A rare, astonishing visit for those with sturdy stomachs.

Museum of Casts
1, Claude-Vellefaux Avenue – 10th
On September 20 and 21, 2025
Not recommended for children under 12
More info


Reliving Childhood with a LEGO Tournament on the Champs-Élysées

On Saturday, September 20, the most beautiful avenue in the world will transform into a «huge building workshop» with no less than 1 million bricks. You can enjoy twenty construction tables for free, take part in a braille introduction with LEGO, and admire models, some of which are over 3 meters tall, recreating the most famous monuments of Paris. Another option is to join a giant building contest with, .Here’s the key: a trip for 4 people to Denmark (the birthplace of those little bricks, for those who might not know). Get set, ready, stack!

The Grand Tournament of the Fields
Champs-Élysées – 8th
Sunday, September 21, 2025
Free entry
More info