Saint-Cloud in the clouds: Free exhibition and flight simulator at the Avelines Museum

The town of Saint-Cloud is showcasing its historical significance in French and European aeronautics through the Musée des Avelines with a free exhibition titled "Saint-Cloud in the Clouds", running from February 12 to July 5, 2026. Located in the heart of the Hauts-de-Seine, offering one of the most stunning panoramic views of Paris, the town has been a key site for early ballooning and aeronautical experiments since the 18th century. This positions Saint-Cloud as a pioneering location for technological advances in flight, even though its contributions for a long time remained underappreciated.

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From the ancient dream of flying to major technological breakthroughs, the exhibition explores over 180 works illustrating how utopia becomes reality through the efforts of daring pioneers, including engineers, patrons, and inventors who refuse to accept limits. Hot air balloons, airships, and airplanes: Saint-Cloud comes alive both on the ground and in the skies, transforming into a laboratory of the heavens where science, spectacle, and innovation collide.

Thanks to the Air and Space Museum and Dassault Aviation, headquartered in Saint-Cloud, visitors can enjoy a variety of fascinating displays. Among them is a full-scale model of Santos-Dumont’s La Demoiselle, accompanied by an original artwork specially created for the exhibition by Christoff Debusschere. For something more unconventional, the experience concludes with an immersive experience inside a flight simulator that puts you in the pilot’s seat of a Rafale jet, taking off from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier!