Les Grandes Heures de Sceaux are back for a summer edition, running from June 19 to 21, 2026. Come celebrate the sunny days with family-friendly cultural activities!
A vast sanctuary of nature in the Hauts-de-Seine, a site listed as a Historic Monument, the Domaine départemental de Sceaux draws many Île-de-France residents in search of calm and greenery. More than 180 hectares of parkland, with ponds, waterfalls and canals, flowering trees, and a château converted into a museum... the estate offers plenty of attractions for Parisians and other Île-de-France locals.
The site also attracts visitors with its regular events and rendezvous. Exhibitions, parties, games, walks: visitors of all ages can enjoy a varied program all year round. Regular events include the Grandes Heures de Sceaux, a festive cultural event held three times a year.
Each year, the Domaine de Sceaux offers cultural activities based on a theme linked to the era of one of its owners. This event is organized in reference to the festivities organized by the Duchesse du Maine in the 17th century.
Over the weekend of June 19–21, 2026, the Domaine de Sceaux shifts into festive mode, presenting Les Grandes Heures de Sceaux: The Empire in Female Hands. For the occasion, women and the feminine world of the Napoleonic era are spotlighted through a range of events. A variety of activities and performances are planned for the whole family throughout the weekend. Be sure to book in advance for the activities that interest you!
The program of events for this new edition:
Friday, June 19
- At 5:00 PM (30 minutes): Flash tour
In the heart of the collections
Caroline Murat at the Château de Neuilly: exceptional furniture
Discover the focus on Caroline Murat’s furnishings for her Château de Neuilly.
All audiences
Included in the admission ticket
In the Castle
No reservation
- At 8:30 PM: Women’s music, salon music from the First Empire
La Nouvelle Athènes concert
This concert recreates the refined atmosphere of the early 19th‑century salons, notably that of Caroline Murat, queen of Naples, whose musical and artistic tastes marked her era. Music was then an intimate pastime, a sentimental expression, and a social space. At the Château de Sceaux, this world finds a particular resonance, blending French elegance with Italian splendor, at the crossroads of Neapolitan and Parisian influences.
Embark on a musical voyage between Paris and Naples, with French romances, arias from Italian and French operas, and piano pieces that could have sounded in Caroline Murat’s salons. The romances of Queen Hortense de Beauharnais, of Pierre Garat, of Marie Gaël, and of Hélène de Montgeroult sketch a delicate, sensitive landscape, imbued with poetry and lyricism. In echo, pages by composers linked to Napoleonic Italy and European opera – Spontini, Paer, Paisiello – recall Naples’ musical vitality and its European influence, extending the dialogue between theater and intimacy.
All audiences
Full price: €16 / Reduced: €12 / Under-26: €6
In the Grand Salon of the Château
Reservations required
Weekend of June 20–21
The Château de Sceaux and the Pavillon de l’Aurore will unusually open from 10:30 a.m. and stay open until 6:30 p.m. (last admission at 6 p.m.).
- Throughout the day: a historical reenactment of a Napoleonic-era military camp featuring reenactors from the 10th Squadron and the Grenadiers of Île-de-France (military uniforms and activities for kids on the agenda!).
All audiences
Free
In the park, in front of the château
No reservation required
Saturday, June 20
Three lectures on women in the First Empire
Each lecture: €5 / concession: €4 / child: €4
In the Orangerie
Booking recommended
- At 14:30 (1h): Napoleon, Women, and Power
By Charles-Éloi Vial, PhD in history, curator at the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
Napoleon has long been labeled a misogynist, yet his relationships with women are not only about romance or family ties. The reality is more nuanced. Beyond his fraught dealings with Germaine de Staël, the emperor met many women throughout his political and military career. Some he respected, others he loathed, and recent research shows that several played a major, enduring role as advisers, leaving their mark on the complex history of the imperial saga.
- 3:45 p.m. (1h): Caroline Murat, born Bonaparte
By Jehanne Lazaj, general heritage curator and director of the Château de Sceaux, departmental museum, and author of Caroline Bonaparte et Joachim Murat, un couple et ses palais.
Caroline Bonaparte, born Maria-Annuziata, Napoleon’s youngest sister, married in 1800, despite her brother’s reservations, to her great love Joachim Murat. The flamboyant general, a stalwart supporter of the future emperor, helped shape a formidable figure. Caroline, a sharp mind who would become Her Imperial Highness and later Queen of Naples, gathered art collections and presided over splendid residences like the Elysee Palace, the Neuilly Castle, and the royal palaces of Naples. Her possessions reveal both refined taste and a hidden political power...
- 5:30 p.m. (1h): Conference and dance demonstrations by the Carnet de Bals association.
Founded in 1989, a leading participant in “historic dance,” Carnet de Bals recreates, preserves, promotes, and teaches Parisian salon dances. The association stages grand balls reminiscent of early 19th-century occasions, continuously expanding its repertoire through extensive documentary research on dances, music, and period costumes.
- From 7:30 p.m. (4h30): Grand Ball in the Orangery
This evening celebrates the brilliant and daring Caroline Murat, a wealthy owner— notably of the Elysee Palace— and a true icon of refinement in her era. Step into the festive world of early 19th-century salons and relive the art of the ball under the Empire! Costumed dancers, in either First Empire attire or elegant outfits accessorized with a fan, gloves, or a Titus-style hairstyle, are warmly welcomed.
For beginners, there are introductory sessions and social dances guided by professional instructors. From Chasse, Malbrough, Carillon, Châteauvieux, Fricassée, Fantaisies and more — anyone can let themselves move with the music and share in the joy of the ball. For fans of freer dancing, the repertoire is rich: contredanses, contredanse quadrilles, and a variety of First Empire figures will let dancers express their style and elegance.
For advanced dancers, choreographed and showcase dances punctuate the evening: First Empire Menuet, Wilson Waltz, and iconic pieces from the imperial era.
Note: there will be no cloakroom or costume rental on site.
All audiences
Full price: 16 € / Reduced: 12 € / Under 26: 6 €
In the Orangery
Reservation recommended
Sunday, June 21
- At 10:30 (2h): Family workshop
Bookmark making with imperial silhouettes
Create your own bookmark by choosing from four iconic figures of the First Empire: Napoleon Bonaparte, Joséphine de Beauharnais (the emperor's first wife), Marie-Louise of Austria (the emperor Franz I of Austria’s eldest daughter and the emperor’s second wife from 1810), and a Grenadier (a Napoleonic soldier). Guided step by step during the workshop, you’ll take home the silhouette you made.
Family audience from 7 years old
Full price: €8 / Reduced: €5 / solidarity: €4 / Child: €4
Ateliers (Anciennes Écuries)
Reservation recommended
- At 14:30 (45 min): Family dance workshop with the Carnet de Bals Association
In the enchanted setting of the Orangerie, young and old learn the dances of the First Empire under the guidance of costumed dancers. A joyful moment of bonding as we travel back in time to discover the refined lifestyle of the 19th century through movement. Program: Malbroug, Chasse, Contredanse de la Turck.
Family audience from 6 years old
Price: €5 / solidarity: €4 / Child: €4
In the Orangerie
Reservation recommended
- At 15:30 (45 min): Dance workshop with the Carnet de Bals Association
Now we tackle the more intricate dances from the First Empire repertoire, in the same convivial atmosphere, learning by feeling and sharing. Program: Contredanse à l’anglaise, Valse du Duke of Kent.
Teens to adults from 12 years old
Price: €5 / solidarity: €4 / Child: €4
In the Orangerie
Reservation recommended
- At 16:00 (1h): Guided tour
The First and Second Empires at the Domaine de Sceaux
This visit focuses on the château’s artworks and furniture dating from the First and Second Empires. The current château, built between 1856 and 1862 for a noble family of the Empire, preserves striking memories of these periods, especially in its interiors. The preserved plans of the château help illuminate its layout, prior to its transformation into a museum in the 1930s. Special attention is given to furniture once owned by Caroline Murat, Napoleon Bonaparte’s youngest sister. You can admire, for example, a bed and a chair formerly housed at her Neuilly estate—an exemplary glimpse of the refined art of living under the First Empire.
All audiences
Full price: €8 / Reduced: €5 / solidarity: €4 / Child: €4
In the Château
Reservation recommended
- At 17:00 (30 minutes): Flash tour
In the heart of the collections
Caroline Murat at the Neuilly château: exceptional furniture
All audiences
Included in admission
In the Château
No reservation required
Wonderful moments await you at the Domaine départemental de Sceaux!
