September may be the single best month to be in Paris. The late-summer light still lingers on the river, café terraces stay open into the evening, the August crowds have thinned — and the cultural season restarts all at once. Within a few weeks the major museums open their autumn exhibitions, festivals take over the streets, and Parisians themselves come back to rediscover their own city.
Here are the 20 events worth planning your trip around in September 2026: 12 exhibitions (several in Paris’s biggest museums), the season’s festivals, and a solid run of things that cost nothing at all. Everything below is dated, priced and located, with the practical details international visitors actually need.
Quick answer: what’s on and when
| Dates | Event | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Aug 28 – Sep 6 | Jazz à la Villette festival | From €25 |
| Sep 10 – 19 | Paris Design Week | Free |
| Sep 11 | Tintoretto — Musée Jacquemart-André | ~€18 |
| Sep 14 | Fête du Sport | Free |
| Sep 15 | Bartholdi & the Statue of Liberty — Musée d’Orsay | ~€16 |
| Sep 15 | Eva Gonzalès — Petit Palais | ~€15 |
| Sep 16 | The Warhol Line — Musée du Luxembourg | ~€15 |
| Sep 16 | Trompe-l’œil — Musée Guimet | ~€13 |
| Sep 18 | Kerry James Marshall — Museum of Modern Art | ~€15 |
| Sep 19 | Techno Parade | Free |
| Sep 19 – 20 | European Heritage Days | Free |
| Sep 19 – 23 | Fine Arts Paris — Grand Palais | ~€20 |
| Sep 23 | Cézanne and Us — Grand Palais | ~€18 |
| Sep 24 | Guests of the Louvre — Musée du Louvre | Included in €22 ticket |
| Sep 24 | Landscapes, Monet to Hockney — Marmottan Monet | ~€14 |
| Sep 25 | Small Lives — The Panthéon | ~€13 |
| Sep 26 | Pigalle Carnival | Free |
| Sep 26 – 27 | Paris Garden Festival | Free |
| Sep 28 – Oct 6 | Paris Fashion Week | Street-side free |
| Sep 30 | Monet and Time — Orangerie · Look! — MAD | ~€14 / €15 |
Prices are standard adult admission and are indicative. Under-18s, and EU residents under 26, get free entry to national museums (Louvre, Orsay, Orangerie, Guimet, Panthéon) — bring photo ID.
The big museum exhibitions
1. Cézanne and Us — Grand Palais
23 September 2026 – 17 January 2027 · 3 avenue du Général Eisenhower, 8th arrondissement · Metro line 1 or 13, Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau
This is the season’s headline show. The newly reopened Grand Palais devotes its autumn blockbuster to Paul Cézanne and everything that came after him — the Mont Sainte-Victoire canvases, the still lifes, the bathers — set against the artists he made possible. If you only have room for one major exhibition, make it this one.
Booking note: timed-entry tickets go on sale roughly a month ahead and weekend slots sell out fast. Book before you fly, and pick a weekday morning if you can.
2. Bartholdi: Liberty Enlightening the World — Musée d’Orsay
15 September 2026 – 31 January 2027 · 1 rue de la Légion d’Honneur, 7th · RER C, Musée d’Orsay
If you are visiting from the United States, this one will land differently. The Statue of Liberty was built in a Paris workshop on rue de Chazelles, and Orsay tells the whole story: Bartholdi’s obsession, the early maquettes, the construction photographs, and the voyage across the Atlantic. It sits inside one of the most beautiful museums in the world — a converted 1900 railway station whose Impressionist floor is worth the ticket on its own.
Insider tip: Orsay runs a late opening on Thursdays until 9.45pm. It is the calmest, best-lit way to see the building.
3. Guests of the Louvre: Kader Attia & Elizabeth Peyton — Musée du Louvre
24 September – 14 December 2026 · Sully wing, Chapel room · Metro line 1 or 7, Palais-Royal–Musée du Louvre
The Louvre did something it has never done before: it gave two contemporary artists working studios inside the museum. Kader Attia and Elizabeth Peyton spent months in direct contact with the collections, and this show is the result. For first-time visitors who find the Louvre overwhelming, it is a genuinely useful anchor — a short, focused room that changes how you look at everything else.
How to do the Louvre in September: book a timed slot online (walk-ups are often refused), enter through the Carrousel du Louvre or the Porte des Lions rather than the Pyramid, and go on a Friday evening when it stays open until 9pm. Your ticket also covers the Musée Delacroix in Saint-Germain, which opens Delacroix: Horses and Other Animals on 12 September.
4. Monet and Time — Musée de l’Orangerie
30 September 2026 – 29 March 2027 · Jardin des Tuileries, 1st · Metro line 1, 8 or 12, Concorde
Marking 100 years since Monet’s death, the Orangerie takes on his most elusive subject: duration. The series paintings, the shifting light, the water lilies painted over years in the same pond. See the exhibition, then walk down into the two oval rooms where the monumental Water Lilies wrap around you — still one of the quietest, most affecting hours available anywhere in Paris.
5. The Warhol Line — Musée du Luxembourg
16 September 2026 – 10 January 2027 · 19 rue de Vaugirard, 6th · Metro line 4, Saint-Sulpice / RER B, Luxembourg
Everyone knows the soup cans. Almost nobody knows Warhol the draughtsman — the fine-line 1950s fashion illustrations, the cats, the shoes, all the work that came before the Factory. The museum is small and the visit takes about an hour, which leaves the rest of the afternoon for the Luxembourg Gardens next door.
6. Kerry James Marshall: The Histories — Museum of Modern Art of Paris
18 September 2026 – 24 January 2027 · 11 avenue du Président Wilson, 16th · Metro line 9, Iéna
The first major French retrospective of the American painter who spent his career putting Black figures back into the formats of Western history painting. Monumental canvases, saturated colour, unapologetic ambition.
Free bonus: the museum’s permanent collection — Matisse’s La Danse, Dufy’s vast La Fée Électricité — is free of charge all year round. Arrive an hour early and see it.
7. Eternal Tintoretto — Musée Jacquemart-André
11 September 2026 – 24 January 2027 · 158 boulevard Haussmann, 8th · Metro line 9 or 13, Miromesnil
Tintoretto is Venice at full speed: diagonal compositions, sudden light, bodies caught off balance. Jacquemart-André is the perfect setting — a fully furnished 19th-century mansion where you move from private salons into the exhibition rooms. Numbers are deliberately capped, so book a slot. The tea room under the Tiepolo ceiling is one of the best lunch stops in the city.
8. Eva Gonzalès — Petit Palais
15 September 2026 – 24 January 2027 · Avenue Winston Churchill, 8th · Metro line 1 or 13, Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau
Manet’s student and model, dead at 34, long reduced to a footnote: the Petit Palais finally gives Eva Gonzalès the exhibition she deserves. Clear, intimate Impressionist painting that has barely been shown. The building is directly across the road from the Grand Palais, so you can pair it with Cézanne in a single afternoon — and its permanent collection and interior garden café are free.
9. Landscapes, from Monet to Hockney — Musée Marmottan Monet
24 September 2026 – 31 January 2027 · 2 rue Louis-Boilly, 16th · Metro line 9, La Muette
A century and a half of landscape painting, from Monet’s haystacks to Hockney’s electric hills. The Marmottan is one of the most pleasant museums in Paris: never crowded, on the edge of the Bois de Boulogne, and holder of the largest Monet collection in the world — including Impression, Sunrise, the painting that gave Impressionism its name.
10. Look! 40 Years of Fashion at the Museum — Musée des Arts Décoratifs
30 September 2026 – 4 April 2027 · 107 rue de Rivoli, 1st · Metro line 1 or 7, Palais-Royal
Four decades of fashion exhibitions, told by the museum that staged them: silhouettes, sketches, fabric samples and archive set designs. It opens two days into Fashion Week, which makes it the natural companion to a week when the whole city is thinking about clothes.
Worth knowing: the Rafael Pavarotti, Photographer show at the same museum is often listed as a September opening. It actually opens on 2 October 2026.
11. Small Lives — The Panthéon
25 September 2026 – 31 January 2027 · Place du Panthéon, 5th · RER B, Luxembourg
An exhibition that deliberately contradicts its setting: in the monument built for France’s great men, it tells the stories of ordinary, anonymous lives. The contrast works. Combine it with the climb to the dome colonnade — open until late October — for one of the best views in Paris without the Eiffel Tower queue.
12. Knowledge in Trompe-l’œil — Musée Guimet
16 September 2026 – 4 January 2027 · 6 place d’Iéna, 16th · Metro line 9, Iéna
France’s national museum of Asian art explores illusion and deception across Asian traditions. A compact show, ideal late in the day, and a good excuse to discover a museum most visitors walk straight past — despite it holding one of the finest Asian collections outside Asia. It is a five-minute walk from the Museum of Modern Art, so the two pair naturally.
Festivals and major events
13. Jazz à la Villette
28 August – 6 September 2026 · Parc de la Villette, Philharmonie de Paris, 19th · Metro line 5, Porte de Pantin
Arrive in the first week of the month and you catch the tail end of the festival. Ten days of concerts across the Grande Halle, the Philharmonie and the Cité de la Musique, ranging from straight-ahead jazz to electronic and hip-hop crossovers. Indoor concerts are ticketed, but the park itself is free and lively during the day — and the Bassin de la Villette canal is one of the best spots in Paris for an early-evening drink.
14. Paris Design Week — free
10–19 September 2026 · Around 400 venues across Paris · Free entry
For ten days the city becomes an open-air design trail: showrooms, galleries, shops and institutions open their doors at no charge. It is probably the easiest way to get inside Parisian interiors you would otherwise never see — and one of the great free things to do in the city, whatever your budget.
- Le Grand Bouquet by Uchronia — a monumental floral installation at the Grand Palais (11–20 September)
- HANJIMANIA — traditional Korean hanji paper reworked by French designers, at the Hôtel de la Marine on Place de la Concorde (10–27 September)
- Gulahallat — contemporary Sámi art at the Finnish Institute (from 11 September)
- Everything’s in Order — art meets fashion at the Swedish Institute in the Marais (2 September – 4 October)
The Maison & Objet trade fair runs in parallel out at Villepinte (10–14 September), but that one is trade-only — the Paris programme is open to everyone.
15. European Heritage Days — free
19–20 September 2026 · Across Paris and the Île-de-France region · Free · 2026 theme: “Heritage at Risk”
If you can time your trip around one weekend, make it this one. Hundreds of buildings that are closed to the public for the other 363 days open their doors for free: the Élysée Palace (the French president’s residence), the Prime Minister’s Hôtel Matignon, the Senate inside the Luxembourg Palace, the Banque de France, private mansions, craft workshops, theatre backstages and restoration labs.
How to actually do it:
- The official programme is published about three weeks in advance at journeesdupatrimoine.culture.gouv.fr. Free reservations for the headline venues are gone within minutes of opening — set a reminder.
- Most sites do not take bookings at all: you simply queue. Saturday early morning or late Sunday afternoon cuts the wait roughly in half.
- The best experiences are rarely the presidential palaces. Craft workshops, archives and historic corporate headquarters have short queues and far more generous guides — and many run tours in English.
- Bring photo ID. Government buildings run airport-style security checks.
16. The Techno Parade — free
Saturday 19 September 2026 · Streets of Paris · Free
After a two-year absence, the Techno Parade is back, and organisers are expecting up to 400,000 people. Floats, sound systems and open-air DJ sets rolling through central Paris. Even if clubbing is not your thing, walking a few hundred metres against the flow is a genuine Paris experience.
Heads-up: it falls on the same day as Heritage Days. Monuments in the morning, bass in the afternoon is entirely doable — just expect metro station closures along the route and give yourself extra time.
17. Fine Arts Paris — Grand Palais
19–23 September 2026 · Grand Palais, 8th
A hundred or so galleries bring old master drawings, sculpture and paintings together under the glass nave. You are not expected to buy anything. The point is that you can stand inches away from works that will disappear into private collections for the next twenty years.
18. Paris Fashion Week
28 September – 6 October 2026 · Citywide · Shows are invitation-only; the street is free
You will not get into the shows, but the city changes character: the Palais de Tokyo, the Tuileries, Place Vendôme and the Marais turn into rolling photo sets, and several houses open exhibitions and pop-ups that anyone can walk into.
Budget warning: this is the one week in September when hotel rates spike. If you are travelling on a budget, aim for the first three weeks of the month instead.
Free things to do in Paris in September
19. Fête du Sport — free
Monday 14 September 2026 · Sports venues and public spaces across Paris · Free
Free taster sessions in dozens of sports, public facilities opened at no charge, and — a direct legacy of the Olympic Games — supervised swimming slots in the Seine when water quality allows. A good day to see Paris the way Parisians use it rather than the way visitors photograph it.
20. Paris Garden Festival — free
26–27 September 2026, 2pm–7pm · Main hub at Parc de Choisy (13th), plus events in all 20 arrondissements · Free
Gardening workshops, botanical walks, meetings with the city’s gardeners and tree surgeons, and one-off openings of community gardens and a handful of private ones. It is gentle, family-friendly, and one of the rare events that takes you into neighbourhoods no guidebook itinerary covers.
Bonus: the Pigalle Carnival — free
Saturday 26 September 2026 · Pigalle, 9th/18th · Free
Brass bands, costumes and a good-natured parade through one of the most storied neighbourhoods in Paris, just below Montmartre. Far less known to visitors than the Techno Parade, and much easier with children.
Practical guide for international visitors
Weather in Paris in September — and what to pack
Expect daytime highs of about 21–23 °C (70–73 °F) in early September, easing to 18–19 °C (64–66 °F) by the end of the month, with evenings dropping to around 12–13 °C (54–55 °F). Days are still long — sunset moves from roughly 8.15pm to 7.15pm over the month. Rain comes in short bursts rather than all-day drizzle.
Pack layers, a light jacket for the evenings, a compact umbrella, and shoes you can walk 15,000 steps in. Paris is a walking city and its pavements are unforgiving.
Tickets, passes and money-saving tips
- Book online, always. The Louvre, Orsay, the Orangerie and the Grand Palais all use timed entry. Weekend slots routinely sell out several days ahead in September.
- The Paris Museum Pass (2, 4 or 6 consecutive days) covers around 50 museums and monuments including the Louvre, Orsay, the Orangerie, the Panthéon and Versailles. It pays off from roughly three major sites a day — but note that it still does not let you skip timed reservations at the Louvre.
- First Sunday of the month (6 September): several national museums are free. They are also extremely busy — worth it only if your budget is tight.
- City-run museums are free year-round for their permanent collections: the Petit Palais, the Museum of Modern Art, the Carnavalet (the museum of Paris’s own history), the Musée de la Vie Romantique and Maison de Balzac. This is the single most underused money-saver in the city.
- Late openings are your best weapon: Louvre on Friday until 9pm, Orsay on Thursday until 9.45pm, Centre Pompidou most evenings. Fewer people, better light.
- Under 26 and an EU resident? National museums are free. Under 18, free for everyone regardless of nationality. Carry ID — it is checked.
Getting around
A single fare now covers all of central Paris, and the same ticket works on metro, bus, tram and RER within the city. Load fares onto a Navigo Easy card, or use contactless payment and the official Île-de-France Mobilités app on your phone — far simpler than paper tickets. A separate Paris–airport ticket covers RER B to Charles de Gaulle and Orlyval to Orly.
One date to plan around: on 19–20 September, the Techno Parade and Heritage Days together cause station closures and bus diversions across the centre. Check your route before setting out, and consider walking or cycling that weekend — the Vélib’ bike-share system takes foreign bank cards.
Eating out in September
Almost everything has reopened after the August closures, and terraces are still in full use. Book dinner a few days ahead for anything popular; lunch is usually easier and the formule (set menu) is far better value. Service is included by law — leaving a couple of euros is generous, not expected. Many kitchens close between roughly 2.30pm and 7pm, which catches out a lot of first-time visitors.
Frequently asked questions
Is September a good time to visit Paris?
It is arguably the best. The weather is still summery, shops and restaurants have reopened after the August holidays, accommodation costs less than in July, and the cultural calendar is the busiest of the year. The one caveat is the final week, when Fashion Week pushes hotel prices back up.
How far in advance should I book museum tickets?
For the Louvre and Orsay, two to three weeks before your visit is comfortable; for the Cézanne exhibition at the Grand Palais, book as soon as your dates are fixed. Smaller museums such as the Marmottan, Guimet or the Musée du Luxembourg can usually be booked a day or two ahead.
What can I do in Paris in September for free?
European Heritage Days (19–20), Paris Design Week (10–19), the Techno Parade (19), the Fête du Sport (14), the Paris Garden Festival (26–27) and the Pigalle Carnival (26) are all free. Add the permanently free collections of the city-run museums and you could fill a week without paying for admission once.
If I only have time for one exhibition, which should it be?
Cézanne and Us at the Grand Palais, from 23 September — the most ambitious show of the season. Arriving earlier in the month? Choose Bartholdi at the Musée d’Orsay (from the 15th) or Eternal Tintoretto at Jacquemart-André (from the 11th).
Do I need to speak French?
No. Museum labels in the major institutions are bilingual, audio guides come in several languages, and staff in tourist-facing roles speak English. Opening with bonjour before you ask a question in English still makes a noticeable difference — it is a courtesy, not a test.
Dates and venues verified against official museum and organiser listings in August 2026. Opening hours and access conditions can change — check each venue’s website before you travel.
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