Press kit
Figures to quote
Computed from the official programme published by the venues on the Ministry of Culture agenda, re-read every night and cross-checked with the Mérimée database.
- 1,845 châteaux, manors and palaces open their doors, 1,229 of which have an entry on Chateaupedia.
- 3,160 visits and activities are announced from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 September 2026.
- 71 % of those visits are free (2,230 out of 3,160).
- 98 départements have at least one château opening.
- The three départements with the most openings: Maine-et-Loire (102 visits), Indre-et-Loire (90) and Calvados (82).
- 28 châteaux closed to visitors the rest of the year open exceptionally.
- 141 visits and workshops announce a programme for children or families.
- Sunday is the busiest day: 2,590 visits and activities, against 2,505 on Saturday.
Source: Chateaupedia, surveyed on October 17, 2026
By département
Each département links to its detailed list, with the opening hours of every visit. Subtotals are per region.
| Département | Châteaux | Visits and activities | Free share |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dordogne | 39 | 58 | 45 % |
| Gironde | 37 | 52 | 69 % |
| Deux-Sèvres | 38 | 51 | 80 % |
| Vienne | 30 | 44 | 80 % |
| Charente-Maritime | 26 | 43 | 63 % |
| Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 18 | 36 | 69 % |
| Charente | 21 | 27 | 52 % |
| Haute-Vienne | 17 | 27 | 63 % |
| Lot-et-Garonne | 16 | 25 | 72 % |
| Corrèze | 10 | 16 | 44 % |
| Creuse | 5 | 6 | 17 % |
| Landes | 5 | 6 | 50 % |
| Total Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 262 | 391 | 64 % |
| Maine-et-Loire | 77 | 102 | 66 % |
| Loire-Atlantique | 38 | 72 | 93 % |
| Vendée | 31 | 55 | 75 % |
| Mayenne | 16 | 40 | 70 % |
| Sarthe | 26 | 39 | 64 % |
| Total Pays de la Loire | 188 | 308 | 74 % |
| Haute-Savoie | 16 | 46 | 87 % |
| Ain | 24 | 39 | 77 % |
| Loire | 23 | 32 | 78 % |
| Allier | 19 | 27 | 67 % |
| Haute-Loire | 16 | 26 | 88 % |
| Rhône | 16 | 26 | 65 % |
| Ardèche | 17 | 24 | 58 % |
| Isère | 14 | 24 | 54 % |
| Savoie | 4 | 20 | 95 % |
| Puy-de-Dôme | 12 | 19 | 84 % |
| Drôme | 10 | 14 | 86 % |
| Cantal | 4 | 7 | 43 % |
| Total Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 175 | 304 | 76 % |
| Calvados | 45 | 82 | 66 % |
| Eure | 31 | 65 | 72 % |
| Seine-Maritime | 39 | 59 | 59 % |
| Manche | 31 | 54 | 52 % |
| Orne | 24 | 42 | 81 % |
| Total Normandie | 170 | 302 | 66 % |
| Hérault | 22 | 39 | 69 % |
| Aveyron | 25 | 36 | 50 % |
| Haute-Garonne | 22 | 33 | 76 % |
| Aude | 18 | 28 | 68 % |
| Gard | 17 | 20 | 70 % |
| Gers | 13 | 20 | 45 % |
| Tarn | 16 | 20 | 70 % |
| Lot | 16 | 19 | 68 % |
| Tarn-et-Garonne | 8 | 17 | 65 % |
| Hautes-Pyrénées | 3 | 12 | 92 % |
| Pyrénées-Orientales | 8 | 12 | 75 % |
| Ariège | 10 | 11 | 64 % |
| Lozère | 5 | 6 | 33 % |
| Total Occitanie | 183 | 273 | 66 % |
| Indre-et-Loire | 35 | 90 | 52 % |
| Loir-et-Cher | 23 | 42 | 40 % |
| Indre | 23 | 37 | 73 % |
| Cher | 18 | 34 | 68 % |
| Eure-et-Loir | 14 | 28 | 64 % |
| Loiret | 16 | 26 | 69 % |
| Total Centre-Val de Loire | 129 | 257 | 58 % |
| Bas-Rhin | 17 | 45 | 91 % |
| Moselle | 16 | 35 | 74 % |
| Haute-Marne | 13 | 30 | 57 % |
| Meurthe-et-Moselle | 17 | 23 | 83 % |
| Aube | 12 | 20 | 95 % |
| Ardennes | 5 | 14 | 71 % |
| Marne | 11 | 14 | 71 % |
| Meuse | 10 | 14 | 93 % |
| Haut-Rhin | 3 | 12 | 100 % |
| Vosges | 9 | 11 | 55 % |
| Total Grand Est | 113 | 218 | 79 % |
| Yvelines | 22 | 51 | 92 % |
| Essonne | 20 | 43 | 91 % |
| Seine-et-Marne | 13 | 42 | 76 % |
| Paris | 9 | 27 | 96 % |
| Val-d'Oise | 11 | 25 | 88 % |
| Val-de-Marne | 5 | 12 | 83 % |
| Hauts-de-Seine | 6 | 11 | 73 % |
| Seine-Saint-Denis | 4 | 5 | 100 % |
| Total Île-de-France | 90 | 216 | 88 % |
| Côte-d'Or | 36 | 53 | 45 % |
| Saône-et-Loire | 35 | 44 | 41 % |
| Nièvre | 21 | 28 | 54 % |
| Yonne | 24 | 27 | 67 % |
| Doubs | 7 | 22 | 95 % |
| Haute-Saône | 8 | 15 | 60 % |
| Jura | 8 | 10 | 60 % |
| Territoire de Belfort | 1 | 8 | 100 % |
| Total Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | 140 | 207 | 57 % |
| Nord | 20 | 65 | 80 % |
| Pas-de-Calais | 37 | 59 | 69 % |
| Aisne | 18 | 31 | 87 % |
| Oise | 14 | 26 | 62 % |
| Somme | 13 | 15 | 67 % |
| Total Hauts-de-France | 102 | 196 | 74 % |
| Finistère | 28 | 45 | 73 % |
| Morbihan | 34 | 45 | 76 % |
| Ille-et-Vilaine | 27 | 40 | 57 % |
| Côtes-d'Armor | 26 | 35 | 66 % |
| Total Bretagne | 115 | 165 | 68 % |
| Vaucluse | 14 | 48 | 94 % |
| Bouches-du-Rhône | 20 | 34 | 94 % |
| Alpes-Maritimes | 10 | 27 | 93 % |
| Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 9 | 10 | 50 % |
| Hautes-Alpes | 3 | 8 | 100 % |
| Var | 2 | 3 | 100 % |
| Total Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | 58 | 130 | 91 % |
| Corse-du-Sud | 3 | 5 | 100 % |
| Total Corse | 3 | 5 | 100 % |
| Martinique | 3 | 9 | 44 % |
| La Réunion | 3 | 5 | 100 % |
| Guadeloupe | 4 | 4 | 100 % |
| Region not recorded | 10 | 18 | 72 % |
Exceptional openings
These châteaux are closed to visitors the rest of the year: a named source told us so, or their website announces no visit. They open for the 2026 edition. Sorted by renown: Google searches and reviews.
| Château | Town | Département | First opening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort de Bertheaume | Plougonvelin | Finistère | |
| Château de La Petite-Pierre | La Petite-Pierre | Bas-Rhin | |
| Château de La Clayette | La Clayette | Saône-et-Loire | |
| Château d'Arcelot | Arceau | Côte-d'Or | |
| Ancien archevêché, actuellement Palais du Tau | Reims | Marne | |
| Manoir de Bel-Air | Brélès | Finistère | |
| Château de Surgères | Surgères | Charente-Maritime | |
| Manoir de Kerscao | Locmaria-Plouzané | Finistère | |
| Château de Châlus Maulmont | Châlus | Haute-Vienne | |
| Château de Chassay | Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire | Loire-Atlantique | |
| Château de Trémohar | Berric | Morbihan | |
| Château de la Vieuville | Le Châtellier | Ille-et-Vilaine | |
| Château de Commercy | Commercy | Meuse | |
| Palais de Roure | Avignon | Vaucluse | |
| Château d'Apremont, Arthel | Arthel | Nièvre | |
| Château de Blâmont | Blâmont | Meurthe-et-Moselle | |
| château de Châteaugay | Châteaugay | Puy-de-Dôme | |
| Château de Saint-Saturnin (Lozère) | Saint-Saturnin | Lozère | |
| château de Forges | Concremiers | Indre | |
| Château de Mesnil-Voisin | Lardy | Essonne |
Free to reuse
The figures and lists on this page may be reused freely, commercially included, provided you credit Chateaupedia and share the same freedoms on derived data (ODbL 1.0 licence). The programme of each opening comes from the Ministry of Culture agenda, published under the Licence Ouverte. ODbL 1.0
Credit line to paste
Source: Chateaupedia, https://chateaupedia.com/en/journees-du-patrimoine, surveyed on October 17, 2026
Example sentence
According to Chateaupedia’s census, 1,845 châteaux open their doors for the 2026 Heritage Days, and 71 % of visits are free.
Download
- chateaupedia-jep-2026.csv (one row per visit or activity: château, town, département, region, title, dates, free entry, conditions, official link)
Opens in Excel or Google Sheets. No key, no sign-up, regenerated on every download.
Press contact
Nicolas, founder of Chateaupedia, replies within the day. presse@chateaupedia.com
A breakdown by town, or a selection for your département or region, is available on request within the day.