European Heritage Days (EHD): Discover the RATP Behind the Scenes

As a long-standing partner of the European Heritage Days (EHD), RATP opens the doors to its iconic sites every year. This is a unique opportunity to explore the architectural and technical heritage of the network, meet the people who keep public transport running every day, and enjoy an immersive experience at the heart of Paris.

Join us on 19 and 20 September 2026! As part of the 43rd edition of the event, go behind the scenes at RATP and enjoy a programme of exclusive activities, guided tours and immersive experiences. Discover the full programme below!

The activities taking place at the Maison de la RATP will be free and open to everyone.

Registration for the heritage tours and behind-the-scenes RATP tours will open at 12:00 p.m. on Tuesday 8 September and Tuesday 15 September 2026. Simply return to this page to register. Be sure to book as soon as registration opens, as places usually fill up within minutes.

Set to disappear by the end of the year, the iconic cardboard metro ticket takes centre stage at this year's event. Join us at the Maison de la RATP to discover:

• an exclusive exhibition retracing more than 125 years of the history of this iconic ticket;
• a talk led by Lise Brunet, a sociologist at Sociovision, and Grégoire Thonnat, a transport ticket specialist and collector;
• a behind-the-scenes look at the metro ticket maintenance workshop, from the ticket production process inside vending machines to the reading and validation technologies used every day by station ticket validators.

Every year, the Maison de la RATP, located in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, opens its doors to the public. Accompanied by the sounds of the Métro musicians, visitors of all ages can explore RATP’s living heritage through a wide range of fun workshops and activities. Designed for the whole family, this event will also welcome a much-loved guest of honour: Serge the Rabbit!

• RATP Photo Library: for the first time, let two passionate photo archivists guide you through the archive collection, usually closed to the public, which houses 400,000 historical photographs;
• “The Traveller’s Eye” photo exhibition: as part of the Bicentennial of Photography and its theme, “Celebrating Perspectives”, this brand-new exhibition will showcase photographs from RATP’s heritage collections, with travellers taking centre stage;
• Photo booth inside a 1930s bus: capture your visit in a cinematic setting;
• Creative workshops, drawings on the famous metro tiles and board games;
• Public Transport Licence: younger visitors can learn how to travel independently on public transport and leave with their very own licence;
• Driving simulator: step into the shoes of an RER B or Paris, Florence or Washington tram driver;
• Vintage bus ride and immersion in a Sprague-Thomson train carriage: embark on a journey back in time!

Among the most eagerly awaited events, don’t miss the two highlights of this year’s European Heritage Days:

• Guided tours of the metro network: a unique opportunity to dive into the heart of the network and its history, accompanied by expert guides;
• The Saint-Germain-en-Laye archives: home to a wealth of valuable documents that bear witness to the history of transport in the Île-de-France region (maps, metro tickets, posters, photographs, and more).

Behind the stations, trains and platforms lies a little-known industrial and human heritage. For this special occasion, RATP will exceptionally invite the public to step inside locations usually closed to passengers and discover the professions, expertise and equipment that keep the network running every day.

Details of these tours will be announced at a later date.

• A day in the life of a station agent: discover the role of station agents and the missions carried out every day by those who ensure stations run smoothly and welcome passengers;
• The Boulogne train maintenance workshop: step inside an RATP rolling stock maintenance workshop and climb aboard an MF19, the latest-generation metro train;
• The training centre for maintenance of station equipment and systems: find out how station facilities are maintained, including escalators, ticket gates, station access barriers and more;
• Line 2’s washing machine: this XXL train-washing machine will reveal all its secrets!
• The Malakoff Bus Centre: celebrate its 150th anniversary by discovering how an RATP bus centre operates and exploring the different professions involved;
• The catenary maintenance training centre: dive into the little-known world of overhead power lines and the “tightrope walkers” of electrical maintenance, who ensure the RER network’s power supply every day;
• The metro driver training centre: visit the centre and take a seat in its iconic simulator;
• The signage workshops: discover how the directional signs, station names and iconic markers that guide passengers every day throughout metro stations and RER stations are designed and maintained.

To make sure you don't miss out on any of the programme, find all the practical information or share your best photos, visit our social media pages and use the hashtag #JEPRATP!

• RATP Instagram Account
• RATP TikTok Account
• RATP Facebook Account
• RATP LinkedIn Account
• RATP X (formerly Twitter) Account
• Serge the Rabbit X (formerly Twitter) Account