The Edit

What to see in Paris – autumn and winter 2026

Hôtel Plaza Athénée

When the seasons turn, Paris shifts. The light changes, the galleries fill, and the city pulls you back into its rhythm. If you're looking for the best things to do in Paris in autumn 2026, start here: our pick of the exhibitions, encounters and quiet pleasures shaping Paris’s cultural calendar this autumn and winter.

Aerial view of the Tuileries gardens with a smooth yellow light, at sunset. A pond with a fountain and chairs around it is at the center of the picture, at the Tuileries gardens, Paris

Cézanne and Us – Grand Palais

September 23, 2026 – January 17, 2027

The Grand Palais welcomes Cézanne back with a retrospective tracing his quiet revolution, from Provençal landscapes to the generations of artists he set in motion. One of the most anticipated Paris art exhibitions of 2026, and one that rewards a slow visit (we suggest taking a whole morning here).

Discover more

Art Basel Paris – Grand Palais

October 23 – 25, 2026

For three days, the architecturally glorious Grand Palais becomes the world's largest temporary museum. Over 200 galleries present 20th and 21st century works – but the energy between the stands is what you’ll be going for. If you're wondering what to see in Paris this October, this is where to begin.

Discover more

In-Situ Works – Bourse de Commerce

Until December 31, 2026

At the Pinault Collection's Bourse de Commerce, artists have been invited to create works that respond directly to the building itself, inside and out. The architecture’s an essential part of the conversation: leave yourself time to wander.

Discover more

Monet, Painting Time – Musée de l'Orangerie

September 30, 2026 – January 25, 2027

A century after his death, Monet returns to the place where his magnificent Nymphéas (Water Lilies) live. This exhibition explores his lifelong fascination with time, light and the turning seasons – and takes a new look at his evolution as an artist.

Discover more

European Heritage Days – across Paris

September 19 – 20, 2026

One weekend a year, Paris opens its most private doors. Courtyards, ateliers, grand institutions usually kept behind closed gates: the city shows you what it normally keeps to itself. Note that high-demand (or high-security) locations require advance booking.

Discover more

Babel – Le Bon Marché

September 3 – December 31, 2026

Beneath the glass roofs of Le Bon Marché Rive Gauche, choreographer Mourad Merzouki reimagines the myth of the Tower of Babel through movement, energy and poetry. The show starts at 9.15pm, transforming the daytime space into something deeper, darker and stranger.

Discover more

Festive season

Mid-November, 2026 – early January, 2027

When the lights go up, the city softens. The Champs-Élysées glitters, avenue Montaigne glows, and the window displays tell their own stories. There's a particular warmth to Paris in December, and most of it is waiting just outside the door.

Two Dorchester Collection hotels sit at the centre of the season. Hôtel Plaza Athénée, a luxury hotel in Paris's 8th arrondissement, is for the energy: avenue Montaigne at your door and couture on every corner. Le Meurice is for the dreamers, with Tuileries light through tall windows and Parisian beauty at every turn. Start with one. You’ll find your way to the other.