This hidden house, with its Japanese-inspired architecture, is unveiled for the 2026 Night of Museums.

The Night of Museums is back with a full lineup of exceptional late openings across Paris and the Île-de-France region on Saturday, May 23, 2026. Offbeat visits, after-dark strolls, and discoveries are on the agenda for this springtime cultural highlight.

For this event, on the grounds of the Hôtel d’Heidelbach, an annex of the National Museum of Asian Arts – Guimet, we discover a place that remains discreet for many visitors. Behind this elegant address in the 16e arrondissement lies a singular site, initially the private residence of Alfred-Samuel d’Heidelbach and his wife Julie Picard, before being attached to the Guimet Museum in 1991. Since then, this standalone outbuilding of the great Parisian museum offers a more intimate, almost confidential experience, which pleasantly contrasts with the image of the monumental museum.

• To be read
• This week's top deals in Paris and Île-de-France, April 20–26, 2026.
• Museum Night 2026: the full program for the next edition in Paris and Île-de-France

Hidden at the back of the building is an unusual secret: a Japanese tea pavilion tucked into a Japanese-style garden. Donated by Japan in 2001, this pavilion was designed by architect Nakamura Masao and crafted by Japanese artisans under the guidance of master carpenter Yamamoto Takaaki. Here, we enter the spirit of the chashitsu, the traditional Japanese tea house: architecture conceived for sobriety, attention to materials, discretion, and a tranquil relationship with the garden.

The Night of Museums 2026 program at Maison Guimet, in the heart of the Hôtel d'Heidelbach in Paris

• A discovery tour of the Guimet House and its garden The splendor and refinement of the Hôtel d’Heidelbach
  Saturday, May 23, 2026 – 6:30 PM ⤏ 10:30 PM
  

  On air from 6:30 p.m. to 10:30 p.m.

  Located in the Heidelbach Hotel, Maison Guimet opens its doors for a unique immersion into the splendor and refinement of Asian arts. Built in 1913 and linked to the Guimet Museum since 1991, this exceptional venue today houses a prestigious collection of ceremonial furniture, as well as remarkable ensembles devoted to the arts of living in China and Japan.

  Let yourself be drawn to exquisite Chinese imperial furniture, a testament to consummate craftsmanship, and to impressive lacquer screens whose intricate depictions reveal a world rich in literary and symbolic references.

  Then extend the visit with the Japanese tea art: from precious utensils to the pavilion’s simple, refined architecture, completed in 2001 in the garden by master artisans from Japan.