Heritage Days 2026: discover Paris's high schools and higher education institutions

The weekend of September 19 and 20, 2026, the European Heritage Days celebrate French history and heritage through a wide range of tours, strolls, and activities. Among the offerings exclusive to these two special days are tours of Paris’s grand lycées and higher-education institutions, which immerse you in the history of the capital’s most prestigious schools.

As September arrives, the European Heritage Days are the must-attend event in Paris and the Île-de-France region: this year the event takes place on Saturday the 19th and Sunday the 20th of September 2026 and offers hundreds of tours, animations, or activities to discover heritage from a different perspective.

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For the occasion, a large number of venues that are normally closed to the public all year round will throw open their doors and offer exclusive guided tours, sometimes unprecedented: this is the case for certain major Parisian high schools and higher education institutions, which, while they are accessible only to students, teachers and staff year-round, invite visitors on this weekend of September 19–20 to discover their architecture, history, and patrimony through an exceptional visit.

With their vast buildings, their richly decorated rooms, and the distinctive atmosphere you find in these prestigious higher education institutions, the largest high schools in Paris and other university campuses open their doors to you during these Heritage Days 2026, to give you, for the duration of a guided tour, the chance to admire the classrooms, lobbies, staircases… usually reserved for those fortunate enough to study there.

Heritage Days at educational institutions:

Heritage Days 2025 in Paris: explore the magnificent Jacques-Decour High School (9th arrondissement)
For their 43rd edition, the European Heritage Days invite you to September 19 and 20: a chance to visit numerous sites that open to the public for this one-and-only weekend of the year, such as Jacques Decour High School in Paris’s 9th arrondissement. [Read more]

Heritage Days 2026 in Paris: Lycée Henri IV will, exceptionally, open its doors to the public.
Henri IV High School opens its doors for Heritage Days this weekend, September 19–20, 2026, in Paris. It’s a chance to discover this iconic institution, listed as a historic monument, and its medieval treasures. [Read more]

Heritage Days 2026 at the National Institute of Public Service (formerly ENA) in Paris
Visit the National Institute of Public Service (formerly ENA), one of Paris's prestigious grandes écoles, during Heritage Days, scheduled for September 19–20, 2026. [Read more]

Heritage Days 2026 at Sorbonne University - Pierre and Marie Curie Campus, the programme
For the 2026 Heritage Days, Sorbonne University reveals its secrets at the Pierre and Marie Curie Campus through a special program planned for the weekend of September 19–20, 2026. [Read more]