This may well be our favourite weekend of the year in Paris – Open House – when great buildings that are usually closed to the public open their doors to show off their treasures.

Every year, new venues are added to the event, often with spectacular interiors. For example, we are very eager to enter the Institut d’art et d’archéologie, a superb building close to our hotels that is taking part for the first time.

Here are all the details, with loads of ideas for this great weekend!

Welcome to the 33rd edition of the Les Journées du Patrimoine, also known as Open House, and this year’s theme is ‘Patrimoine et citoyenneté’, which means something like ‘Heritage and citizenship’.

Near to our hotels several spots are opening for the first time ever, like the Académie d’Agriculture de France (guided visit of their beautiful building – sign up here) and the great Roger-Viollet photo agency, responsible for many historic shots of Paris (45-minute visit – sign up here).

Other places exceptionally open include the Théâtre de l’Odéon (just seconds from the Hôtel Baume) which can be visited, there are the historic rooms of the Lycée Henri-IV to be seen, the hothouses of the Jardin du Luxembourg for you to marvel at, and an astonishing neo-mauresque building – the Ecole Nationale d’Administration de Paris – dating from the 19th century.

There’s more, of course – visits of the Chapelle des sœurs auxiliatrices a minute away from the Hôtel and Spa la Belle Juliette, the historic townhouse now used by the Overseas Ministry, Matignon (the home of our Prime Minister)…

In fact, just nearby in the 5th and 6th arrondissements, fifty venues will be opening their doors for the weekend, offering nearly a hundred events!

For the full programme, click here. You can also consult a PDF guide for the Paris region here.

Les Journées du Patrimoine (Open House) is happening in Paris (and indeed around Europe) on the 17th and 18 September 2016

Website: www.journeesdupatrimoine.fr

Facebook: facebook.com/journeeseuropeennesdupatrimoine

Twitter: twitter.com/jepofficiel – #JEP2016

Instagram: instagram.com/jepofficiel – #JEP2016