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It’s the weekend when we get to open doors that stay shut the rest of the year. The Saturday 19 and Sunday 20 September 2026, the 43rd European Heritage Days is taking place across the city, with free admissions, unusual tours and unique experiences.
The 2026 edition has a dual theme: «Photographic Heritage», to mark the bicentenary of photography, and «Heritage at risk: revitalise, resist, reimagine» for the European section. In a town that has been home to Le Gray and the Barbizon painters, and whose forest is recovering from a summer of fires, both themes are particularly apt.
Le château de Fontainebleau organises exhibitions, talks, guided tours and concerts. Of particular note is the exhibition «The castle in photos», a project stemming from the Maurice Guérin Photography Workshops, a programme designed to explore heritage through photography, carried out with schoolchildren and the social sector. The first edition, dedicated to sculpture, is on display Saturdays and Sundays from 9.30 am to 6 pm in the foyer of the Trinity Chapel, no booking required. In partnership with the ONF, a guided tour and talk «What will tomorrow’s forests be like?» offers a multi-faceted perspective on the forest of yesterday, today and tomorrow, hosted by Sophie David, head of the environment and visitor services department at the ONF.
La Charité Royale Media Library opens its capital reserve, which only happens once a year: guided tours in small groups on Saturday at 10.00, 11.00, 15.00 and 16.00, and on Sunday at 15.00 and 16.00, by booking only, for visitors aged 12 and over. Do bring a light jumper – it’s a bit chilly in the reserve. This is the starting point for its Heritage Week, which runs until 26 September under the theme «The Twilight of the Bourbons at Fontainebleau». The Companions’ House, on Rue de la Cloche, is also opening its doors. Other venues, organisations and partners are rounding off the programme across the city.
The town’s detailed programme is published in the days leading up to the weekend. The usual advice still applies: identify the guided tours that require booking in advance – as they fill up quickly – and keep some time free to fill in the gaps. Check the’Fontainebleau Town Calendar and the Fontainebleau Castle programme.
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