European Heritage Days
Festival in Ille-et-Vilaine
2026
About European Heritage Days
The European Heritage Days in Ille-et-Vilaine open their doors every year, on the third weekend of September, to dozens of monuments, museums, and historical sites in the department. In Rennes and its surroundings, the event offers guided tours, exhibitions, and activities to discover the architectural, cultural, and natural heritage of the region, most often free of charge.
European Heritage Days — edition 2026
The 43rd edition of the European Heritage Days takes place on Saturday, September 19th and Sunday, September 20th, 2026, focusing on the themes of "Photography Heritage" and "Heritage in Peril: Revive, Resist, Reimagine." In Rennes, where the event is known as the European Matrimony and Heritage Days (JEMP), iconic sites such as the Parlement de Bretagne, the regional prefecture, the former Hôtel de Courcy, the old Jacques-Cartier prison, the Municipal Archives, and Les Champs Libres open their doors to the public, almost always free of charge.
2026 European Heritage Days in Rennes
The 43rd edition of the European Heritage Days will be held on Saturday, September 19th and Sunday, September 20th, 2026. Friday, September 18th is dedicated to schools with the "Look Up!" initiative, though five locations in Rennes will already be welcoming the general public that day.
The two themes of this edition
The Ministry of Culture has chosen "Photography Heritage" and "Heritage in Peril: Revive, Resist, Reimagine." In Rennes, the latter theme is being highlighted by the Municipal Archives in relation to the announced closure of the Hôpital Sud, as well as by the Hospital Heritage Conservatory and two SNCF railway sites.
Matrimony and Heritage
In Rennes, the event is titled the European Matrimony and Heritage Days. Rennes Métropole and its surrounding municipalities have added tours dedicated to the role of women in local history, such as "Women in Rennes" and "Hélène Jégado, the greatest serial killer," starting from the tourist office, and "History and Secrets of the Visitation" at the shopping center of the same name. Destination Rennes is coordinating the program with its partners in Ille-et-Vilaine, including Saint-Malo, Vitré, and Fougères.
Where to find the program
Rennes-based venues and their schedules are published on the Ministry of Culture's portal, journeesdupatrimoine.culture.gouv.fr. The joint brochure from Destination Rennes and its partners is not yet online as of mid-August, as more locations are still registering for the event.
Highlights European Heritage Days 2026
- Parlement de Bretagne — Saturday and Sunday 9:30 AM-12:30 PM and 1:30 PM-6:00 PM, walk-in entry without reservation
- Former Jacques-Cartier prison — guided tours on Saturday, self-guided tour on Sunday from 9:00 AM to 7:00 PM, and the immersive performance "The Senses of the Door" at 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM, 7:00 PM, and 8:00 PM on Saturday
- Hôtel de la préfecture de région Bretagne on Saturday, former Hôtel de Courcy and Regional Council assembly hall both days
- Archives of the Les Champs Libres library and the Musée de Bretagne, usually closed to the public
- Rennes triage signal boxes and SNCF Industrial Technicentre, on Saturday, by registration starting September 3rd
- Matrimony tours by Destination Rennes: women in Rennes, Hélène Jégado, behind the scenes of the Visitation
Programme European Heritage Days 2026
17 venues in Rennes are on the official Ministry of Culture program as of mid-August 2026. Additional locations may be added leading up to the weekend.
Friday, September 18th, 2026
- 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM — L'Adoration, Les Jardins d'Arcadie residence, 63 rue d'Antrain · self-guided tour of the former Hôtel des Demoiselles, now the Adoration college · free
- 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM — Former Sainte-Thérèse college, Les Jardins d'Arcadie residence, 27 rue Sully-Prudhomme · self-guided tour · free
- 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM — 40mcube, 48 avenue Sergent-Maginot · "s3lf.tech" exhibition by Émilie Brout & Maxime Marion, video installations and net-art · free admission
- 2:30 PM — Rennes Train Station, 19 place de la Gare · guided tour of the station, 1 hour · free, reservation required
- 2:30 PM, 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM — La Visitation Shopping Center, 11 rue de la Visitation · "Matrimony — History and Secrets of the Visitation," guided tour of the backstage areas and the former Visitandine convent founded in 1628, with Destination Rennes and Inrap, 45 min · free, reservation required
Saturday, September 19th, 2026
- 9:00 AM - 12:00 PM and 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM — Hôtel de la préfecture de région Bretagne, 1 rue Martenot · guided tour of the Hôtel de Ruberso · free, reservation required
- 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM, departures every hour — Former Jacques-Cartier prison, 56 boulevard Jacques-Cartier · guided tours led by Destination Rennes guides, approx. 1 hour · free, reservation via the Destination Rennes website
- 9:00 AM, 10:30 AM, 2:00 PM and 3:30 PM — Hospital Heritage Conservatory, 64 rue de Saint-Malo · guided tour of the permanent collection: dentistry, medicine, surgery, radiology, pharmacy, and nursing, 1.5 hours · €1, 20 spots per tour, reservation required
- 9:15 AM - 5:30 PM — Rennes Industrial Technicentre, rue des Champs-Ruffaux · one of 10 SNCF industrial sites in France, dedicated to braking system maintenance · free, registration on affluences.com starting September 3rd, 2026
- 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM - 6:00 PM — Parlement de Bretagne, place du Parlement-de-Bretagne · guided tour of the building by Salomon de Brosse, burned in 1994 and later restored, now housing the Rennes Court of Appeal · free, walk-in entry on the day
- 9:30 AM - 5:30 PM — L'Adoration, 63 rue d'Antrain · self-guided tour · free
- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM and 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM — Former Hôtel de Courcy, Brittany Regional Council assembly hall, 8 rue Martenot · guided tours of the private mansion built around 1830 by Louis Richelot, 1.5 hours · free, registration online or on-site on the day
- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM — Palais Saint-Georges Garden, rue Gambetta · unique tour "Shadow Resisters: Rennes during the 1940-1944 occupation," led by a costumed guide, 1.5 hours, ages 10+ · €9 adult, €5 reduced rate, reservation required
- 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM — Rennes Train Station, 19 place de la Gare · guided tour of the station opened in 1857, rebuilt in 1990, and transformed for the high-speed line (LGV), 1 hour · free, reservation required
- 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM — Hospital Heritage Conservatory, 64 rue de Saint-Malo · guided tour of the exhibition "Are you current? Electricity and Medicine," 1.5 hours · €1, 20 spots per tour, reservation required
- 10:00 AM - 5:00 PM — Former Sainte-Thérèse college, 27 rue Sully-Prudhomme · self-guided tour · free
- 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 2:00 PM, 3:00 PM and 4:00 PM — Rennes Triage Signal Box, avenue Chardonnet · "SNCF Réseau: discover the Rennes triage signal boxes," presentation of the signalman's profession, technical facilities, and Q&A with staff, 1 hour · free, registration on affluences.com starting September 3rd, 2026, ages 5+, long pants and closed-toe shoes mandatory, no strollers
- 11:00 AM — Rennes Train Station · concert by the Les Rails Chantantes choir, acoustic piano-voice · free
- 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM — Les Champs Libres, 10 cours des Alliés · "Play, color, stamp...", family games using library and Musée de Bretagne collections: puzzles, quizzes, coloring · free
- 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM — 40mcube, 48 avenue Sergent-Maginot · "s3lf.tech" exhibition · free admission
- 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM — Les Champs Libres, conference room · "Perspectives on the Dreyfus Affair": meetings, theater, film-conference, and tours, marking the 120th anniversary of Alfred Dreyfus's rehabilitation · free
- 2:30 PM, 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM — La Visitation Shopping Center, 11 rue de la Visitation · "Matrimony — History and Secrets of the Visitation," 45 min · free, reservation required
- 2:30 PM and 5:30 PM — Rennes Métropole Library, Les Champs Libres, 46 boulevard Magenta · tour of the archives with Sarah Toulouse, curator of the heritage collection, 1 hour · free, registration at the ticket office on-site
- 2:30 PM, 3:30 PM, 4:30 PM and 5:30 PM — Musée de Bretagne, 10 cours des Alliés · flash tours of the permanent exhibition "The Dreyfus Affair in Rennes," 30 min · free
- 3:00 PM — Rennes Train Station · concert by the Musique & Co wind band and the Rennes Railway Workers' Musical Ensemble: film scores, world music, variety · free, no reservation required
- 4:00 PM — Les Champs Libres Library, 46 boulevard Magenta · tour of the exhibition "Jeanne Malivel, an Art Deco Breton," dedicated to the artist who died in 1926, 1 hour · free, no reservation required
- 5:00 PM — Destination Rennes, tourist office, 1 rue de Saint-Malo · "Matrimony — Hélène Jégado, the greatest serial killer," following in the footsteps of the poisoner guillotined in Rennes in 1852, 1.5 hours · free, reservation required
- 5:00 PM, 6:00 PM, 7:00 PM and 8:00 PM — Former Jacques-Cartier prison, 56 boulevard Jacques-Cartier · "The Senses of the Door. Stories of the Jacques-Cartier prison," immersive performance based on accounts from former residents · free, reservation required, limited capacity, not suitable for children under 14
- 6:00 PM - 7:30 PM — Municipal Archives, 18 avenue Jules-Ferry · lecture "The Hôpital Sud: history and life of a Fontenoy-type industrial hospital (1970-1980)" by Capucine Lemaître, PhD in Art History at Rennes 2 University · reservation required
Sunday, September 20th, 2026
- 9:00 AM - 7:00 PM — Former Jacques-Cartier prison, 56 boulevard Jacques-Cartier · continuous self-guided tour · free, no registration required
- 9:00 AM, 10:30 AM, 2:00 PM and 3:30 PM — Hospital Heritage Conservatory, 64 rue de Saint-Malo · guided tour of the permanent collection, 1.5 hours · €1, 20 spots per tour, reservation required
- 9:30 AM - 12:30 PM and 1:30 PM - 6:00 PM — Parlement de Bretagne, place du Parlement-de-Bretagne · guided tour · free, walk-in entry on the day
- 10:00 AM - 12:00 PM and 1:30 PM - 5:00 PM — Former Hôtel de Courcy, Brittany Regional Council, 8 rue Martenot · guided tours, 1.5 hours · free, registration online or on-site
- 10:00 AM and 2:30 PM — Destination Rennes, tourist office, 1 rue de Saint-Malo · "Matrimony — Women in Rennes," guided tour on female figures in the city's history, 1.5 hours · free, reservation required
- 10:00 AM and 3:00 PM — Hospital Heritage Conservatory · guided tour of the exhibition "Are you current? Electricity and Medicine," 1.5 hours · €1, reservation required
- 10:00 AM - 12:30 PM — Rennes Train Station, 19 place de la Gare · concert by Musique & Co and the Rennes Railway Workers' Musical Ensemble · free
- 11:00 AM — Municipal Archives, 18 avenue Jules-Ferry · "Behind the Scenes," guided tour of the building in French Sign Language, led by Maud Lomenech, cultural mediator at Culture LSF 35 · free, reservation required
- 11:00 AM - 4:30 PM, departures at 11:00 AM, 11:30 AM, 12:00 PM, 1:30 PM, 2:00 PM, 2:30 PM, 3:30 PM, 4:00 PM and 4:30 PM — Municipal Archives · "Arcã - The Animated Box," visual and sound exhibition by Christophe Forget and Guillaume Obé, ten animated boxes to discover among the archive shelves, 30 min · free, reservation on-site
- 11:00 AM - 4:30 PM — Municipal Archives · exhibition "Exploring the future of the Hôpital Sud site," work by students and young architects on the site's future after 2029 · self-guided, free
- 1:30 PM, 2:30 PM, 3:30 PM and 4:30 PM — Municipal Archives · "Behind the Scenes," guided tour of the building, the archivist's profession, and some remarkable documents, 1 hour · free, reservation on-site
- 2:00 PM - 4:30 PM — Municipal Archives · workshop "Make your own story box!", family activity for ages 8+ · free, reservation on-site
- 2:00 PM - 6:00 PM — Les Champs Libres, 10 cours des Alliés · "Play, color, stamp...", family games with collections · free
- 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM — 40mcube, 48 avenue Sergent-Maginot · "s3lf.tech" exhibition · free admission
- 2:00 PM - 7:00 PM — Les Champs Libres, conference room · "Perspectives on the Dreyfus Affair" · free
- 2:15 PM, 3:45 PM and 5:15 PM — Les Champs Libres · tour of the Musée de Bretagne archives, from textiles to graphic arts and photography, 1 hour · free, limited capacity, registration at the ticket office on-site
- 2:30 PM, 4:00 PM and 5:30 PM — Les Champs Libres Library, 46 boulevard Magenta · tour of the archives with the heritage collection curator, 1 hour · free, registration on-site
- 2:30 PM, 3:30 PM, 4:30 PM and 5:30 PM — Musée de Bretagne, 10 cours des Alliés · flash tours "The Dreyfus Affair in Rennes," 30 min · free
- 3:00 PM - 5:00 PM — Sacrés-Cœurs Church, 1 rue de Villeneuve · tour of the organ built by the Mutin Cavaillé-Coll firm in 1910: organists explain how it works and perform several pieces · free, no reservation required
- 5:00 PM — Destination Rennes, tourist office, 1 rue de Saint-Malo · "Matrimony — Hélène Jégado, the greatest serial killer," 1.5 hours · free, reservation required
Prices European Heritage Days 2026
Hospital Heritage Conservatory: €1 per tour, 20 spots per slot.
"Shadow Resisters" tour at the Palais Saint-Georges garden: €9 adult, €5 for students under 25, job seekers, and youth aged 10-17. Groups of 8 to 25 people.
Reservation required for many tours: on the Destination Rennes website for the Jacques-Cartier prison and tourist office guided tours, online or on-site for the Hôtel de Courcy, on affluences.com starting September 3rd, 2026 for the signal box and SNCF Technicentre, and on-site for Les Champs Libres and the Municipal Archives.
The Parlement de Bretagne is free to enter, no reservation required.
Practical information — European Heritage Days
Practical information
Location
Rennes (35000) and the whole of Ille-et-Vilaine. Many sites also participate in Saint-Malo, Vitré, Fougères, and in the municipalities of the department.
Access
Access to the sites is spread throughout the city and the department. Details of open locations are specified each year in the official program.
Prices
Free access for the vast majority of sites and activities. Some visits or workshops may require prior reservation.
The European Heritage Days in Ille-et-Vilaine
A national and European cultural event, the European Heritage Days are held every year on the third weekend of September. In Rennes, in Ille-et-Vilaine (Brittany), as everywhere in France, they invite the public to discover for free a heritage often inaccessible the rest of the year: monuments, private mansions, public buildings, gardens, places of power, and natural sites.
An event to discover
Each edition offers a rich and varied program — guided tours, exhibitions, workshops, demonstrations of savoir-faire, conferences, and shows — inviting moments of sharing and discovery. The event contributes to the cultural dynamism and attractiveness of the Ille-et-Vilaine territory, in Rennes but also in Saint-Malo, Vitré, Fougères, and many municipalities in the department.
Information and program
To find out the detailed program and participation procedures (some visits require reservation), consult the official European Heritage Days portal or local tourist offices as the event approaches.
Where does it take place — European Heritage Days
European Heritage Days in brief
Other festivals near Rennes
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