European Heritage days: seven places to visit for free around France

Thousands of sites are participating in the European Heritage days this coming weekend (September 21 and 22), including over 50,000 around France. We look at seven key historical sites around the country where visitors can participate in special exhibitions for free.

European Heritage days: seven places to visit for free in Paris

The European Heritage days, or les Journées du Patrimoine, are an annual Europe-wide cultural celebration organised by the European Union around a common theme. This year the theme is ‘routes, networks and connections’.

Many of the sites participating in the weekend offer special access to visitors for free along with unique events.

Due to the high demand, reservation is required at certain sites.

Map of French sites participating in the European Heritage Days

Alignements de Carnac - Morbihan, Brittany

The Alignements de Carnac is the largest megalithic complex of its kind in the world.

During the Heritage Days, visitors will be able to enter the site for free (normally €12 for adults) and enjoy a guided tour.

There will also be presentations on how the menhirs were crafted and a rope-making workshop

Reservation is required on 02 97 52 29 81. Visitors are advised to bring walking shoes.

Château d'If - Bouches-du-Rhône, Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur

The old prison on the island off the coast of Marseille, made famous in the Alexandre Dumas’ novel The Count of Monte Cristo, is open to the public all weekend.

Inside, visitors will have free access to the "Digital Abysses" exhibition, which uses digital technology to present underwater flora and fauna.

Reservation is not required.

Note, that the ferry to get to the island costs €11.

Oppidum d'Ensérune - Hérault, Occitanie

This ancient Gallic settlement was inhabited between the 6th Century BC and 1st Century AD, abandoned then rediscovered in the 19th Century.

For the Heritage Days, the site is proposing walks around the site with archaeologists, archaeological workshops demonstrating the techniques used and presentations of their findings.

Reservation is not required.

Mont-Saint-Michel - Manche, Normandie

Long considered to be among France’s favourite tourist attractions, 20 rooms of the ancient abbey of Mont-Saint-Michel are open to visitors this weekend.

Visitors will also be able to enter the underground chapel of Notre-Dame-sous-Terre.

There will also be an acrobatic display by the Compagnie L'Envolée.

The weekend coincides with the 'grand marées' , when the tide pulls the sea much further from the land than it normally does, revealing the vast sands around the island.

Reservation is recommended, available here.

Château de Pierrefonds - Oise, Hauts-de-France

This 14th-Century castle in the vast forest of Compiègne was significantly restored in the 19th Century by Napoleon III who used it as a residence along with the Empress Eugénie.

During the Heritage Days, visits to the castle - including down to its dungeons - are free. There will also be a presentation of the newly restored Salle des Preuses, where the history-loving Emperor Napoleon III kept his weapons and armour.

Empress Eugénie’s rustic ‘pavilion’ in the Compiègne forest is also open to the public.

Reservation is not required.

Lascaux caves - Dordogne, Nouvelle-Aquitaine

The world-famous cave network with its 17,000 year-old paintings depicting ice-age animals has been closed to visitors since 1963 due to the fragile nature of the prehistoric artwork.

However, exact replicas of the paintings were made in nearby caves, known as Lascaux II, III and IV. 

During the Heritage Days, a paired visit of caves Lascaux II and IV is available for free.

Reservation is required, available here.

Confluence of the Tarn and Garonne rivers - Tarn-et-Garonne, Occitanie

Unlike the majority of the events in the European Heritage Days, this one is in tune with the theme of ‘routes, networks and connections’.

Visitors to the Base de loisirs du Tarn et de la Garonne are invited to paddle along the river in a pedalo or on a paddleboard to the point where the two rivers converge, watching for birds and wildlife along the way.

Reservation is not required.