• Free
• With family

The best of the 2026 Science Festival in Paris: free museums

SCIENCE FESTIVAL IN PARIS
October 2-12, 2026

Ten days of free museums for the whole family, and a theme to savor: "Scholarly Flavors".

The Carnavalet Museum celebrates its 160th anniversary: a free weekend and a special evening event

CARNAVALET MUSEUM
October 3 and 4, 2026

Two days of free entry, a late-night opening until 11 p.m. on Saturday, an immersive game in the collections and a concert in the gardens: Carnavalet celebrates its 160th anniversary.

• With family
• Unavoidable

L'appel des profondeurs : la grande plongée du musée national de la Marine

MUSÉE NATIONAL DE LA MARINE
Du 14 octobre 2026 au 4 avril 2027

Huit cents mètres carrés sous la surface : le musée national de la Marine raconte l'exploration des fonds marins, de l'Antiquité à nos jours.

Exhibition "Restituer," Philippe Guesdon facing Dürer at the Louviers Museum

A contemporary painter repaints Dürer's engravings, facing the Louviers altarpiece which had copied them in the 16th century.

Chateaubriand and Juliette Récamier Exhibition at the Maison de Chateaubriand, Vallée-aux-Loups

The first exhibition dedicated to the story of Chateaubriand and Juliette Récamier, in the house where he began his Memoirs.

The "Long Live the Bride!" exhibition at the Arab World Institute

ARAB WORLD INSTITUTE
From September 29, 2026 to February 28, 2027

Forty Maghreb wedding costumes never before shown in France, and twenty-seven contemporary artists who respond to them.

• Discovery

First Nations - Arts and Cultures of Northwest America at the Quai Branly Museum

Musée du quai Branly - Jacques-Chirac
From September 29, 2026 to January 17, 2027

Along 1,800 kilometers of coastline, the First Nations of the American Northwest built societies without agriculture or writing, yet sedentary and hierarchical. The Quai Branly Museum allows visitors to read their sculpted language.

• Fashion
• Photo

Rafael Pavarotti exhibition at the Museum of Decorative Arts

Museum of Decorative Arts
From October 2, 2026 to May 2, 2027

Rafael Pavarotti photographs fashion as a ceremony: at the Museum of Decorative Arts, two hundred images where black beauty finally occupies the center of the frame.

• Movie theater
• Unavoidable

Belmondo, the Magnificent exhibition at the French Cinematheque

THE FRENCH FILM LIBRARY
From October 7, 2026 to January 31, 2027

Belmondo, the Magnificent: family archives, costumes and unpublished photos, plus thirty-five films

• Photo
• Unusual

Nadar Exhibition, Inventing Paris, from the Depths to the Sky, at the Catacombs of Paris

CATACOMBS OF PARIS
From September 29, 2026 to January 31, 2027

Nadar's work is on display twenty meters underground, in the galleries he was the first to photograph.

• Photo
• Unavoidable

Remember Me Exhibition: Masterpieces of Photography at the Bourse de Commerce

EXCHANGE FOR TRADE - PINAULT COLLECTION
From October 7, 2026 to January 18, 2027

Seven hundred photographs from the Pinault Collection for the two hundredth anniversary of the medium

• Classic
• Unavoidable

Exhibition Kurt Schwitters, the chaos-world at the Picasso Museum

Picasso National Museum, Paris
From October 6, 2026 to February 7, 2027

Kurt Schwitters, the inventor of Merz, joins Picasso

• Contemporary
• Unavoidable

Talisman Exhibition, a carte blanche for Ali Banisadr at the Gustave Moreau Museum

GUSTAVE MOREAU NATIONAL MUSEUM
From September 9 to December 7, 2026

A living painter enters Gustave Moreau's home

The TOP shows to see in Paris

Theatre, musical comedy, opera, stand-up: the Parisian shows of the moment, chosen to stay on the bill for quite a while.

• Free
• Discovery

From figurative to abstract: sixteen painters and one sculptor at the Galerie de l'Europe

GALLERY OF EUROPE
From September 22 to October 17, 2026

A large family gathering, on Rue de Seine.

• Classic
• With family

Marie-Caroline, Duchess of Berry. Rebel Princess, the exhibition at the Château de Sceaux

Château de Sceaux, Departmental Museum
From September 13, 2026 to February 14, 2027

Marie-Caroline, one of the most fascinating figures of the 19th century.

• Unavoidable
• Contemporary

Kanal-Centre Pompidou: a Citroën garage becomes a museum in Brussels

On November 28, the former Citroën garage in the northern district of Brussels opens as a museum: 40,000 square meters, ten exhibitions and a long-term agreement with the Centre Pompidou.

Paris under the Nanking moon: the Mid-Autumn Festival at the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris

One evening, a courtyard, mooncakes, and a troupe from Nanjing. The Mid-Autumn Festival is being held at the Chinese Cultural Center in Paris; admission is free with reservation. After the New Year, the Mid-Autumn Festival is the most celebrated…

A Gallic rampart beneath the Hôtel-Dieu: the first trace of the Lutetia of the Parisii

Twenty meters of burnt wall beneath a courtyard of the Hôtel-Dieu. For the first time, Gallic Lutetia ceases to be a textual hypothesis. Since February, a team led by David Couturier, from the Department of Architectural History and Archaeology in…

• Contemporary
• Unavoidable

Constellations exhibition at the Beyeler Foundation, in Peter Zumthor's new buildings

The Beyeler Foundation is expanding and exhibiting approximately 230 works from its collection. The new Wyss Museum, designed by Peter Zumthor, opens alongside them. Riehen, on the outskirts of Basel. Since 1997, the foundation had been housed in…

• Contemporary
• Free

Exhibition "Happy Retirement Dad," Rayane Mcirdi at the Frac Île-de-France, Le Plateau

Forty years in the factory, and one last day. Rayane Mcirdi filmed his father's retirement and turned it into an exhibition that you walk through standing up. The film exists, but Le Plateau doesn't show it like a film. The artist has deconstructed…

• Unavoidable

Pope's visit to Paris: museums closed Saturday, September 26

PARIS
Saturday, September 26, 2026

The Mass of Leo XIV at Place de la Concorde on Saturday closes the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, the Orangerie, and the Tuileries Garden. What remains open, and where to go instead.

• News
• Contemporary

The City of Architecture celebrates its 20th anniversary: a new era for all

City of Architecture and Heritage

2027 marks a historic turning point for the Cité de l’architecture et du patrimoine. Celebrating its two decades of existence, the institution is not simply looking back: it is embarking on a profound transformation to become a more accessible, more…

• Free
• Discovery

TOP: Free exhibitions to see in Paris from September 30 to October 6, 2026

Parisian exhibitions to see for free, from the most recent openings to current shows. Cultural institutes, foundations and galleries, no ticket required.

The top stories of the last few days in the regions

Exhibitions in the regions that are closing soon. Worth seeing before the walls empty.

• Unavoidable
• With family

Too Cute! The Art of Happiness Exhibition at the Louvre-Lens

Louvre-Lens
From September 23, 2026 to January 18, 2027

Why do some images make us feel good? The Louvre-Lens takes the question seriously.

• Shows
• Unavoidable

The Clemency of Titus at the Palais Garnier

Mozart wrote his last opera in a few weeks, for a coronation: at the Palais Garnier, an emperor betrayed by his best friend chooses to forgive.

• Shows
• Unavoidable

Uprising, by Angelin Preljocaj, at the Théâtre de la Ville

Angelin Preljocaj makes the crowd a choreographic material: twelve bodies that come together, fall and get up again, to the techno of Irène Drésel.

• Shows
• Unavoidable

The Benjamin Millepied cycle at the Folies Bergère

Benjamin Millepied takes over the Folies Bergère for three weeks and installs dance where the revue once reigned, from Barbara to November Ultra.

• Shows
• Unavoidable

Wagner's Ring Cycle at the Opéra Bastille

Four operas, sixteen hours of music: the Opéra Bastille presents Wagner’s Ring cycle in one go, and Calixto Bieito replaces the gods with boards of directors.