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.
- 1,710 châteaux, manors and palaces open their doors, 1,133 of which have an entry on Chateaupedia.
- 2,929 visits and activities are announced from Friday 18 to Sunday 20 September 2026.
- 71 % of those visits are free (2,075 out of 2,929).
- 98 départements have at least one château opening.
- The three départements with the most openings: Maine-et-Loire (85 visits), Calvados (80) and Indre-et-Loire (77).
- 16 châteaux closed to visitors the rest of the year open exceptionally.
- 133 visits and workshops announce a programme for children or families.
- Sunday is the busiest day: 2,405 visits and activities, against 2,313 on Saturday.
Source: Chateaupedia, surveyed on September 10, 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 | 34 | 49 | 71 % |
| Deux-Sèvres | 36 | 48 | 81 % |
| Vienne | 29 | 43 | 81 % |
| Charente-Maritime | 25 | 41 | 63 % |
| Pyrénées-Atlantiques | 17 | 35 | 71 % |
| Haute-Vienne | 17 | 27 | 63 % |
| Charente | 20 | 26 | 50 % |
| Lot-et-Garonne | 16 | 25 | 72 % |
| Corrèze | 9 | 15 | 40 % |
| Creuse | 5 | 6 | 17 % |
| Landes | 4 | 5 | 40 % |
| Total Nouvelle-Aquitaine | 251 | 378 | 64 % |
| Calvados | 44 | 80 | 66 % |
| Eure | 31 | 65 | 72 % |
| Seine-Maritime | 38 | 58 | 59 % |
| Manche | 29 | 52 | 50 % |
| Orne | 23 | 41 | 80 % |
| Total Normandie | 165 | 296 | 65 % |
| Haute-Savoie | 15 | 44 | 86 % |
| Ain | 23 | 37 | 78 % |
| Loire | 19 | 28 | 89 % |
| Allier | 19 | 27 | 67 % |
| Haute-Loire | 14 | 24 | 88 % |
| Isère | 14 | 24 | 54 % |
| Rhône | 16 | 24 | 67 % |
| Ardèche | 16 | 23 | 57 % |
| Savoie | 4 | 20 | 95 % |
| Puy-de-Dôme | 11 | 18 | 89 % |
| Drôme | 9 | 13 | 85 % |
| Cantal | 4 | 7 | 43 % |
| Total Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes | 164 | 289 | 77 % |
| Aveyron | 22 | 33 | 48 % |
| Haute-Garonne | 22 | 33 | 76 % |
| Hérault | 19 | 33 | 64 % |
| Aude | 17 | 27 | 67 % |
| Gers | 13 | 20 | 45 % |
| Gard | 16 | 19 | 68 % |
| Lot | 16 | 19 | 68 % |
| Tarn | 15 | 18 | 67 % |
| Tarn-et-Garonne | 8 | 17 | 65 % |
| Hautes-Pyrénées | 3 | 12 | 92 % |
| Pyrénées-Orientales | 8 | 12 | 75 % |
| Ariège | 10 | 11 | 64 % |
| Lozère | 4 | 4 | 50 % |
| Total Occitanie | 173 | 258 | 65 % |
| Maine-et-Loire | 63 | 85 | 67 % |
| Loire-Atlantique | 37 | 67 | 93 % |
| Vendée | 24 | 41 | 71 % |
| Mayenne | 14 | 34 | 71 % |
| Sarthe | 22 | 30 | 70 % |
| Total Pays de la Loire | 160 | 257 | 75 % |
| Indre-et-Loire | 33 | 77 | 60 % |
| Loir-et-Cher | 23 | 41 | 41 % |
| Cher | 19 | 36 | 64 % |
| Indre | 22 | 36 | 75 % |
| Eure-et-Loir | 14 | 28 | 64 % |
| Loiret | 16 | 26 | 69 % |
| Total Centre-Val de Loire | 127 | 244 | 61 % |
| Yvelines | 22 | 50 | 94 % |
| Essonne | 19 | 42 | 90 % |
| Seine-et-Marne | 11 | 40 | 75 % |
| Paris | 9 | 27 | 96 % |
| Val-d'Oise | 10 | 24 | 88 % |
| Val-de-Marne | 5 | 12 | 83 % |
| Hauts-de-Seine | 4 | 8 | 100 % |
| Seine-Saint-Denis | 4 | 5 | 100 % |
| Total Île-de-France | 84 | 208 | 89 % |
| Bas-Rhin | 16 | 42 | 90 % |
| Haute-Marne | 13 | 29 | 55 % |
| Moselle | 14 | 28 | 75 % |
| Meurthe-et-Moselle | 16 | 21 | 81 % |
| Aube | 11 | 19 | 95 % |
| Ardennes | 5 | 14 | 71 % |
| Meuse | 10 | 14 | 93 % |
| Marne | 11 | 13 | 69 % |
| Haut-Rhin | 3 | 12 | 100 % |
| Vosges | 9 | 11 | 55 % |
| Total Grand Est | 108 | 203 | 79 % |
| Côte-d'Or | 34 | 49 | 45 % |
| Saône-et-Loire | 33 | 42 | 43 % |
| Nièvre | 20 | 26 | 50 % |
| Yonne | 19 | 22 | 64 % |
| Doubs | 6 | 21 | 95 % |
| Haute-Saône | 8 | 15 | 60 % |
| Jura | 8 | 9 | 67 % |
| Territoire de Belfort | 1 | 8 | 100 % |
| Total Bourgogne-Franche-Comté | 129 | 192 | 57 % |
| Nord | 17 | 58 | 83 % |
| Pas-de-Calais | 32 | 49 | 69 % |
| Aisne | 16 | 26 | 88 % |
| Oise | 10 | 20 | 65 % |
| Somme | 9 | 9 | 44 % |
| Total Hauts-de-France | 84 | 162 | 75 % |
| Finistère | 24 | 41 | 71 % |
| Morbihan | 29 | 38 | 79 % |
| Ille-et-Vilaine | 25 | 37 | 54 % |
| Côtes-d'Armor | 25 | 33 | 64 % |
| Total Bretagne | 103 | 149 | 67 % |
| Vaucluse | 12 | 45 | 93 % |
| Bouches-du-Rhône | 20 | 33 | 94 % |
| Alpes-Maritimes | 10 | 23 | 91 % |
| Alpes-de-Haute-Provence | 9 | 10 | 50 % |
| Hautes-Alpes | 3 | 7 | 100 % |
| Var | 2 | 3 | 100 % |
| Total Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur | 56 | 121 | 90 % |
| Corse-du-Sud | 2 | 4 | 100 % |
| Total Corse | 2 | 4 | 100 % |
| Martinique | 2 | 7 | 29 % |
| La Réunion | 3 | 6 | 100 % |
| Guadeloupe | 3 | 3 | 100 % |
| Region not recorded | 8 | 16 | 69 % |
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 number of Google reviews.
| Château | Town | Département | First opening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fort de Bertheaume | Plougonvelin | Finistère | |
| Château de La Petite-Pierre | La Petite-Pierre | Bas-Rhin | |
| Ancien archevêché, actuellement Palais du Tau | Reims | Marne | |
| Château de La Clayette | La Clayette | Saône-et-Loire | |
| Château de Châlus Maulmont | Châlus | Haute-Vienne | |
| Palais de Roure | Avignon | Vaucluse | |
| château de Châteaugay | Châteaugay | Puy-de-Dôme | |
| Château de Trémohar | Berric | Morbihan | |
| Château de la Vieuville | Le Châtellier | Ille-et-Vilaine | |
| château de la Goule aux Fées | Dinard | Ille-et-Vilaine | |
| Manoir de Bel-Air | Brélès | Finistère | |
| Manoir de Kerscao | Locmaria-Plouzané | Finistère | |
| Château d'Annéot | Annéot | Yonne | |
| château de la Grationnaye | Malansac | Morbihan | |
| Château de Promenois | Jouey | Côte-d'Or | |
| Castle of the Counts and Dukes of Bar | Bar-le-Duc | Meuse |
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 September 10, 2026
Example sentence
According to Chateaupedia’s census, 1,710 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.