The Journées du Patrimoine return to Paris and the rest of France on the weekend of Saturday September 20 and Sunday September 21, 2025. On this occasion, many cultural venues open their doors to the general public free of charge. Over the course of two days, the most curious and enthusiastic heritage enthusiasts will be able to enter unusual and sometimes normally inaccessible places.
Journées du Patrimoine 2025 in Paris: must-see openings and exceptional tours
The Journées du Patrimoine 2025 in Paris is also an opportunity to discover places that are usually closed to the public. We've put together a list of places that will be opening their doors to the public on the weekend of September 20 and 21, 2025. [Read more]
For the 2025 edition of the Journées du Patrimoine in Paris, major institutions are opening their doors to us this weekend, September 20 and 21, 2025. From the Banque de France to the Cour des Comptes and the French Ministries, you'll be able to take in all the secrets. [Read more]
And if there's one place of power to visit during the Journées du Patrimoine 2025, it's the Senate. Come and follow in the footsteps of the senators for the 2025 edition of the Journées du Patrimoine in Paris! On September 20 and 21, the Senate will be opening its doors to the public for a free tour of its buildings, ideally located in the heart of the Luxembourg Gardens.
During these new Heritage Days, you can discover the Palais du Luxembourg and the Petit Luxembourg, respectively the seat of the Senate and the Presidency of the Senate. In the former, you can enter the hemicycle, the Library painted by Delacroix in 1845 and its Annexe, as well as the Salle des Conférences, formerly the Galerie du Trône, the Great Staircase and the Queen's Chamber.
In the second, you can visit the Senate President's workplace , the 18th-century Boffrand salons, and the Queen's Chapel, built by Marie de Médicis in 1625!
And you'd be wrong to miss out, because the history of this great French institution is indeed surprising. The Palais du Luxembourg was built to the design of the Palazzo Pitti in Florence for Marie de Médicis, widow of Henri IV. She wanted to recreate the architecture of her childhood home. Since then, it has been a royal residence, a revolutionary prison, the seat of power after the Revolution, before becoming the meeting place of the French Senate in 1879.
Finally, during the Journées du Patrimoine, the public can also admire the greenhouses of the Jardin du Luxembourg, with workshops presenting the site's fruit and orchid collections. These greenhouses, administered and managed by the Senate since 1879, are an incredible showcase for plant heritage dating back to the mid-19th century.
As part of the 42nd European Heritage Days, organized by the Ministry of Culture on Saturday September 20 and Sunday September 21, 2025, the public can visit the Palais du Luxembourg, the Hôtel de la Présidence, the Salons de Boffrand and the Greenhouses of the Jardin du Luxembourg.
An exceptional heritage to discover
At the Palais du Luxembourg, seat of the French Senate, the tour will take in the hemicycle, the heart of the parliamentary assembly, the library, with its ceilings painted by Eugène Delacroix, and the Salle des Conférences, the former throne gallery.
At the Petit Luxembourg, seat of the Senate Presidency, visitors can discover the office of the President of the Senate, as well as the "Queen's Chapel" and the majestic salons of Boffrand.
Every year, over 25,000 visitors come to discover the role and workings of the Senate! So you'll need to be patient to enter this key venue in French political life, and to take advantage of these free, open-access tours.
Dates and Opening Time
From September 20, 2025 to September 21, 2025
Location
Senate Garden
Place Paul Claudel
75006 Paris 6
Prices
Free
Official website
www.senat.fr
More information
Free admission
Journées du Patrimoine 2025 in Paris: must-see openings and exceptional tours
Journées du Patrimoine 2025: discover the great institutions of Paris and the Île-de-France region
