Description
On the third weekend of September, admission to Arles’s monuments is free. It’s the perfect opportunity to explore the city’s ancient history without having to worry about tickets, just as the off-season begins to clear the streets.
Key Information
Dates: Saturday, September 19, and Sunday, September 20, 2026—the 43rd edition of European Heritage Days
Free admission to all monuments and museums in Arles on these two days
2026 National Theme: The heritage of photography, marking the bicentennial of its invention—a theme that the Rencontres d’Arles explicitly embraces in its program, endorsed by the Ministry of Culture
Second National Theme: Heritage at risk, its conservation in the face of contemporary challenges
Detailed program (guided tours, opening hours by site) to be announced
Within an area that can be explored on foot, Arles boasts a concentration of ancient and Romanesque sites unmatched by any other city of its size in France. The amphitheater, the ancient theater, the cryptoporticoes, the Baths of Constantine, the Saint-Trophime cloister, and the Alyscamps are all within a few minutes’ walk of one another—the six monuments that, together, account for the city’s UNESCO designation. Heritage Days are the time of year when you can explore this route with no constraints other than the time you choose to devote to it.
The choice of the 2026 theme—photography—is no coincidence for Arles. The city is among the sites associated with the national bicentennial program, alongside the Grand Palais, the Musée d’Orsay, and the Musée Nicéphore-Niépce—a recognition that stems from what the Rencontres d’Arles has represented for French and international photography since 1970.
The full program, including guided tours and schedules by venue, will be announced shortly.
Accessible for disabled
