The Nuit des Musées 2026 is the perfect chance to explore a multitude of the capital’s monuments and museums through a rich program of after-dark visits, often free and accompanied by special events that delight both young and old. Paris and the Île-de-France region are joining in, with a broad panorama of cultural deals awaiting Parisians, both first-time visitors and lifelong locals. The upcoming and 22nd edition of this flagship rendezvous awaits us on Saturday, May 23, 2026.
Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris, opening hours, tickets and exhibitions
The Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine, located in the Palais Chaillot on Place du Trocadéro, is an exceptional, monumental 22,000 m2 museum housing numerous models, city plans and immense scupltures. Here, you can take an in-depth look at some of the world's most beautiful buildings, and immerse yourself in the world of technology, architecture and urban planning. [Read more]
From the Place du Trocadéro, the sublime view of the Eiffel Tower is not the only heritage masterpiece to be admired. At the heart of the Palais de Chaillot is the Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine. This is a showcase for French know-how, its history, evolution and influence around the world. It features temporary exhibitions with fascinating angles, and an impressive collection of models, plans of fortified towns, pieces of forgotten buildings and stained-glass windows. The monument itself is a remnant of the Museum of Comparative Sculpture, which opened in 1882.
In celebration of the 22nd edition of the Night of Museums, the City of Architecture and Heritage in Paris invites you to discover its treasures to the pace of a special late-night program, enriched with brand-new animations. See what’s in store below!
Another murder at the museum! The investigators need your help to crack the case: inspect the crime scene, question the suspects, and make your accusations!
For the first time, the City of Architecture and Heritage is presenting one of the monumental works by Jesús Rafael Soto (1923-2005): Soto. La Traversée.
At the crossroads of art and architecture, this piece, one of the artist’s most emblematic works, delivers a remarkable sensory and immersive experience.
A must-see!
From 7:00 p.m. to 10:45 p.m.
From Timbuktu to Odessa, from Bamiyan to Gaza, armed conflicts make cultural heritage a prime target. In the face of these destructions, the exhibition "Heritage in Resistance" questions acts of erasure, but also the forms of resistance and repair that allow us to imagine the future from the ruins.
Throughout the evening, female speakers will guide you on this crucial topic for humanity's heritage.
Ready for an astonishing experience? Then come explore this psychoanalytic tour led by Laurent Petit, an urban psychoanalyst renowned worldwide!
Breaking with the usual tour-guide script, he offers an offbeat historical plunge with a touch of burlesque. In this performance where fact and fiction mingle, you'll discover the museum like you've never imagined!
A co-production by the Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine and L'ANPU.fr
During the visit, the Gallery of Paintings will be plunged into darkness. Equipped with flashlights and led by a guide, you’ll explore the gallery and its hidden corners. The flashlights offer a playful way to highlight these gems of medieval mural art.
Mediators are on hand in the museum to guide you through the artworks, offering brief introductions for visitors of all ages.
On the program: “Soto: The Penetrable, or The Crossing,” Le Corbusier’s Unit of Habitation, and other surprises…
Hourly from 7:30 PM to 10:00 PM
As part of the artistic and cultural education program “La Classe, l’œuvre”: performances in three tableaux, staged by the student dancers and musicians of Lycée La Fontaine.
These performances will spotlight modernity through three landmark women of dance: Loïe Fuller, Isadora Duncan and Mary Wigman.
Elisabeth Schwartz, a dancer, inspector and historian of dance who oversees this project, will dance alongside them.
Dates and Opening Time
On May 23, 2026
Location
Cité de l'architecture et du patrimoine
1 Place du Trocadéro et du 11 Novembre
75116 Paris 16
Access
Metro Trocadéro or Iena
Prices
Free
Official website
www.citedelarchitecture.fr
Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine in Paris, opening hours, tickets and exhibitions
