Every year on the first weekend in autumn, the European Heritage Days take place, as they have done every year for the last 40 years, in the regions of France and several European countries. Programme, map and themes to help you organise your visits and discoveries of heritage in the places of your choice.
European Heritage Days
Organised around the annual theme of architectural heritage in 2025, this new edition of the European Heritage Days invites you to discover the region’s unique, traditional and more recent heritage sites and places.
The European Heritage Days are an autumn event devoted to discovering the places and practices that make up our cultural, architectural and landscape heritage, with public and private sites opened to the public and coordinated across Europe. Created in France and now extended to dozens of other countries, these weekend-long events offer guided tours, demonstrations of skills and free or reduced-price access to buildings that are often closed during the rest of the year.
Origins and European framework
Created in 1984 by the French Ministry of Culture, the Journées quickly found an echo within the Council of Europe, which made it an initiative shared by many States in the early 1990s to stimulate knowledge and protection of heritage across the continent. This European dimension establishes a common principle: to open up heritage to the public, while leaving each country and territory free to adapt the themes, programme and hosting arrangements.
Objectives and audiences
The main aim is twofold: to promote access for as many people as possible and to encourage an informed discovery of heritage assets, whether they be monumental, vernacular, industrial or landscaped. Through short events, architectural tours and meetings with professionals, the event is aimed at the occasional curious onlooker as well as schoolchildren, local residents and visitors travelling through France and Europe.
What you can visit
The programme covers a wide spectrum: historic monuments, museums, gardens, archives, administrative buildings, courts, military sites, places of worship, rehabilitated wasteland or craftsmen’s workshops, depending on local partnerships. The added value often lies in access to spaces that are usually closed off (backstage areas, storerooms, ceremonial rooms, etc.) and in the context provided by guides, curators, architects or specialist staff.
Themes and recent editions
Each edition is organised around a central theme that guides visits and events. For example, a focus on architecture, the transmission of know-how or heritage routes and networks, in order to offer a cross-cutting view of the regions. National and local institutions are developing specific tours around this theme, while government departments are opening up private mansions, courthouses and technical sites, with formats to suit the number of visitors.
Preparing your visit
Consult the official programmes to identify times, capacity, booking procedures and access conditions, which vary according to the venue and the sensitivity of the site. For very popular venues, advance booking and early arrival are still recommended, especially when the event offers short slots or restricted circuits.
➡ Map and programme of the #JEP
Impact and continuity
As well as attracting large numbers of visitors, the European Heritage Days serve as a gateway to a range of ongoing activities: exhibitions, restoration projects, workshops, publications and digital resources offered by institutions throughout the year. They serve as a reminder that heritage conservation is based on practices (trades, techniques, maintenance) that are just as important as the buildings themselves, and that informed ownership by the public reinforces the transmission of knowledge.
The JEP programme in France
This year, Heritage Days take place on 20 and 21 September 2025.
To find participating events and venues in the area, region, département or town of your choice, you can use a map search to list the registered sites.
From the results you can refine your search by theme, date, type of event, venue, conditions of participation (free, paying…) and accessibility (disability).
Card access
Find out about the European Heritage Days programme throughout France by searching geographically and by theme:
The #JEP map
JEP?
In France, the official site is presented by the Ministry of Culture, and includes news about the European Heritage Days, which is expanded as each session approaches:
To find out more about its history and discover the success of JEP across the continent, visit the website dedicated to the Council of Europe’s European Heritage Days:
Travel link