A National Pass to Visit 500 Monuments

French Culture Minister Catherine Pégard announced on June 11 at the Orangerie of the Château de Versailles, during a celebration of the 30th anniversary of the Fondation du patrimoine, the launch of a new Pass patrimoine (Heritage Pass) in September. The pass will grant access to nearly 500 monuments, museums, castles, and gardens across France, including iconic sites like Versailles, Chambord, Fontainebleau, and Chantilly, as well as lesser-known locations such as the Maison de Colette and La Devinière-Musée Rabelais. Priced around €100 per year, the pass will be operated by the Fondation du patrimoine as a new membership formula, aggregating a diverse network of public and private heritage sites without the foundation owning or managing them directly.

This initiative matters because it represents a significant shift for the Fondation du patrimoine, which traditionally focused on fundraising and restoration, into a direct access and visitor engagement role. The model draws inspiration from the UK's National Trust and English Heritage, but differs by not transferring site ownership or governance to the foundation. Its success hinges on unresolved details such as pricing, entry conditions, reservation systems for busy sites, and revenue distribution to partners. The announcement also revives a mission commissioned by former Culture Minister Rachida Dati in January 2025, led by Marie Lavandier of the Centre des monuments nationaux, to explore adapting the British National Trust model to France, with a report submitted in July 2025 containing about 20 proposals.