Home › Explained sheets › History, geography and culture
French heritage: access to culture
Access to culture helps you know the history and identity of a territory better. It also helps inclusion.
Key points of the sheet
- The State and local authorities offer tools. The Pass Culture gives young people aged 15 to 18 a whole cultural offer. Many places have reduced prices or free entry for young people, students or jobseekers.
- The collections of most national museums are free on the 1st Sunday of each month. Example: the Louvre Museum.
- The European Heritage Days take place every year in September. They open, very often for free, places that are usually closed to the public.
- The Nuit Blanche is a free night event in Paris, with contemporary art. The fête des Lumières takes place every year in Lyon, for 4 days around 8 December.
- The fête de la musique was launched by the Ministry of Culture in 1982. It offers free concerts.
- More and more museums talk about varied subjects, such as immigration. The National Museum of the History of Immigration presents the history of migration in France.
- To find information, you can use the Internet, for example culture.gouv.fr. The social networks of cultural places also give their news.
- Tourist offices are present in almost all towns and regions. They give information and advice for free.
Words to know
- heritage (patrimoine)
- Discovering heritage means seeing and knowing monuments, works of art and traditions.
- Pass Culture (culture pass)
- It allows young people aged 15 to 18 to benefit from a whole cultural offer.
- European Heritage Days (Journées européennes du patrimoine)
- They take place every year in September and open places that are usually closed to the public.
- Nuit Blanche (White Night)
- It is a free night event in Paris, with contemporary art across the whole city.
- Festival of Lights (fête des Lumières)
- It takes place every year in Lyon for 4 days, around 8 December.
- Music Day (fête de la musique)
- The Ministry of Culture launched it in 1982. It celebrates music with free concerts.
- tourist offices (offices de tourisme)
- They are local bodies that give free information about places and activities.
Test yourself: 3 questions
Who is the Pass Culture for?
In French, the language of the exam: À qui s’adresse le Pass Culture ?
The Pass Culture allows young people aged 15 to 18 to benefit from a cultural offer.
In what year was the fête de la musique launched?
In French, the language of the exam: En quelle année la fête de la musique a-t-elle été lancée ?
The Ministry of Culture launched the fête de la musique in 1982.
In which city does the fête des Lumières take place?
In French, the language of the exam: Dans quelle ville a lieu la fête des Lumières ?
The fête des Lumières takes place every year in Lyon, for 4 days around 8 December.
You have read the sheet. See where you stand with 40 questions like the real exam.
Take the free mock exam (40 questions)Free mock exam · Exam Pass €19 incl. VAT, paid once, no subscription
Questions on the ministry's list that rest on this sheet
- When can you visit most national museums for free?
- During which September days can you often visit, for free, cultural places that are usually closed?
More in this topic (Culture)
- French heritage: iconic artists in the world of music
- French heritage: iconic artists who became French
- French heritage: iconic artists among authors (1/3)
Source
Sheet “Patrimoine français : l’accès à la culture” of the French Ministry of the Interior: formation-civique.interieur.gouv.fr. Content published under the Etalab Open Licence 2.0. This page is a plain-language adaptation made by Hexaciv, which is not an official site: if in doubt, the ministry's text is the one that counts.
Ministry sheet read on 23 October 2026, still identical on 25 October 2026.