Heritage Days 2026: Immerse yourself in Dumas's universe at the Château de Monte-Cristo (78)

The Château de Monte-Cristo, Alexandre Dumas’s home, will take part in the European Heritage Days on 19 and 20 September 2026. To mark the occasion, admission to the château will be discounted.

A discreet château perched on the hills of Port-Marly in Yvelines, the Château de Monte-Cristo was the home of the famous author of The Three Musketeers and The Count of Monte Cristo. Make a date for the Journées du Patrimoine, on 19 and 20 September 2026, to visit this monument and discover all the writer’s secrets.

This neo-Gothic residence, built in 1846 by architect Hippolyte Durand on the heights of Port-Marly, is set in nine hectares of English-style parkland with grottoes and rockeries. This sumptuous property is adorned with a main residence, the Château de Monte-Cristo, which contains salons, a dining room, the library and a Moorish salon decorated with finely chiseled arabesques in stucco, created by Tunisian craftsmen.

The Château de Monte-Cristo, Alexandre Dumas' hidden and unusual home
Discover the Château de Monte-Cristo, the residence imagined by the writer Alexandre Dumas. Set in an English garden on the Saint-Germain-en-Laye side of the Yvelines region, this exuberantly styled 19th-century château and its small Château d'If (Yew Castle) are waiting to be discovered. We take you on a tour of this hidden heritage, listed as a historic monument. [Read more]

Alongside this residence, Alexandre Dumas had a neo-Gothic study built, the Château d'If, so that he could work in complete serenity. The writer had the names of his works carved into the facades, etching his work in marble.

To find out more about Alexandre Dumas's lifestyle at the Château de Monte-Cristo, or to discover some unusual anecdotes, the monument is offering a special tour to coincide with the Journées du Patrimoine (Heritage Days). Over the weekend, a variety of activities will delight the curious young and old alike.

Heritage Days 2026 program at the Monte-Cristo Castle:

Sculpture exhibition by Céline Senlis
Céline Senlis sculpture exhibition

The artist works with terracotta, marble, and wood. She loves exploring the human being in all its forms—its postures, its expressions. In the park of the Château de Monte-Cristo and on the second floor, her works unfold and seem to inhabit the spaces. Many of them appear to swim up from the lawn, others watch the public, questioning it, and some even take their place on a chessboard whose king is... Alexandre Dumas!
Participation terms: €5 per person – free for children under 8 – special rate | No reservation required
Schedule: Friday, September 18, 2026 — 14:00 ⤏ 17:00 | Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 10:00 ⤏ 17:00 | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 10:00 ⤏ 17:00
Impromptu appearances by a comedian
A actor's performances to bring back the world of Alexandre Dumas.

During your visit, meet characters drawn from Dumas's imagination or real people who knew the writer: Milady de Winter, his cook, the bailiff who oversaw the château sale, or even D'Artagnan.
Participation terms : €5 per person — free for children under 8 — preferential rate | No reservations required
Hours: Saturday, September 19, 2026 — 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM | Sunday, September 20, 2026 — 2:00 PM to 5:00 PM

Ready for a new adventure? The Yvelines Heritage Days are yours!