European Heritage Days 2026: games and activities at the Paris Departmental and Municipal Archives

Every year, the Journées du Patrimoine delights the curious and fans of art and history by offering a weekend of fascinating, engaging tours, often free, inside our greatest treasures. Whether public sites or private establishments, the event serves up exceptional, sometimes unprecedented opportunities. Don’t miss the next rendezvous on the weekend of September 19–20, 2026.

For this year's Journées du Patrimoine, the Archives de Paris, located in the 19th arrondissement, are opening their doors to let you discover the city's history from a new angle, through the archives and other documents produced by the city's departments.

• To be read
• This week's top picks in Paris and Île-de-France, September 7–13, 2026

For over 200 years, the Archives de Paris have had one vocation: to collect all the documents issued by the city of Paris, but also"by the various government departments located in the Seine, then Paris". How do these documents become archives? What happens from the moment they are collected to the moment they reach the reading room? What is preserved, how and why? What secrets are hidden behind the scenes at the Archives de Paris? These are just some of the questions you'll be able to answer at the 41st Journées du Patrimoine.

On the agenda for the 2026 Heritage Days at the Paris Archives:

• Exhibition "From Photographs to the Archives: What’s the Point?"

  ### To mark the bicentennial of photography, the Paris Archives present, from September 17 to December 23, 2026, an exhibition that highlights the different uses of photographs (from the 19th to the 21st century) that they keep.

  In public archival files, they provide evidence and testimony, coexisting with paper documents. They may also come from private photographic collections, produced for documentary, tourism, or artistic purposes. This exhibition, displayed in the Archives’ hall, features about thirty original items accompanied by explanatory panels.

  On the occasion of European Heritage Days, visitors will be invited to a guided exploration of the exhibition throughout the afternoon.

  Participation conditions: Free | No reservation required

  Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026, 1:30 PM–6:00 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2026, 1:30 PM–6:00 PM

• Fun games and activities for kids exploring the history of Paris

  The Paris Archives invite children to discover the capital’s history by having fun, with several games led by an archivist. In a Time Line-style format, both kids and adults must place key events from Parisian history in their proper chronological order, using illustrated cards. A Game of the Seven Families and two memory games, including one focused on women, also reveal the variety of documents preserved at the Paris Archives. Coloring pages are available for younger visitors.

  New for 2026: Parents and children will be able to photograph themselves in archivist costumes!

  Participation requirements: Free | No reservation required

  Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 – 1:30 PM to 6:00 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2026 – 1:30 PM to 6:00 PM

• Guided behind-the-scenes tour of the Paris Archives

  Archivists invite you to trace a document's journey, from its collection to its release to readers. The tour also offers a chance to glimpse the building designed by architect Henri Gaudin.

  For more than two centuries, the Paris Archives have been gathering documents produced by Paris city services as well as various state offices once based on the Seine's territory, and later in Paris. How do these items become archives? What happens from the moment they're collected to when they're opened to readers in the reading room? What is kept, how, and why? What secrets lie behind the scenes at the Paris Archives?

  All weekend long, archivists answer these questions on exceptional guided tours through spaces usually closed to the public.

  Participation requirements: Guided group tours limited to 20 participants, departures every 45 minutes from 1:45 PM to 5:30 PM. On-site registration on the day of the visit. - Free

  Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 1:30 PM to 6:00 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 1:30 PM to 6:00 PM

• Sketch your Paris from the archives with mlleYo

  The Archives of Paris welcome mlleYo (@mlleyo_publics), a professional Paris-based visual artist with a passion for drawing and writing. Three 50-minute drawing workshops led by mlleYo are on offer: a chance for both younger participants (from age 10) and adults to imagine their own Paris using reproductions of documents held by the Archives!

  participation conditions: Ages 10 and up. Limited to 10 participants. 50-minute session. Registration required by September 17. Materials provided. - Reservation required | Free - DAC-Archives-Valorisation@paris.fr

  Schedule: Saturday, September 19, 2026 – 3:00 PM–3:50 PM, 4:00 PM–4:50 PM, 5:00 PM–5:50 PM