The RATP’s Treasures at Heritage Days

From sightseeing in vintage buses from the 1930s in a MS-61 driving simulator, to the 1961 metro, the RATP offers a rich and entertaining journey.

The 40th European Heritage Days will take place on September 16 and 17, 2023. This edition dedicated to living heritage includes a journey across the entire network to discover our heritage in a fun way with activities, exclusive experiences, tours…

For over 20 years, the European Heritage Days have provided the RATP with a unique opportunity to showcase its activities to the general public. On September 16 and 17, this edition will focus on the experience of travel through different eras.

About ten activities in Paris and Île-de-France, featuring beloved classics each year and new experiences!

Activities at or departing from the RATP House:

• Parisian bus rides from the 1930s,
• family workshops at the RATP House,
• a photo call inside an old bus,
• a sneak peek demonstration of a driving simulation video game for the MS-61 (1961 suburban metro. This is the first generation of equipment ordered by RATP for the RER),
• testing a virtual reality tool used for conductor training in public speaking,
• a tram driver simulator to practice driving through the streets of Washington, Florence, and Paris.

Behind-the-scenes network tours:

• guided routes revealing the treasures and secrets of the metro,
• guided tour of the upcoming L’Haÿ-les-Roses station on line 14,
• guided tour of the Rosny-Bois-Perrier station, the future terminus of line 11,
• guided tour of the new maintenance and storage site (SMR) of line 11,
• visit to the metro washing machine on line 2,
• guided tour of the maintenance and storage site of the Montrouge bus yard,
• guided tour of the maintenance and storage site of the Fontenay-aux-Roses bus yard,
• visit to the train maintenance workshops for line 7 in the 13th arrondissement of Paris,
• visit to the control and command center (PCC) for line 9,
• visit to the Saint Germain-en-Laye archives, which house many valuable documents bearing witness to the history of transport in Île-de-France—plans and tickets from all periods, posters, photos…
• exclusive tour of the historical reserve in Villeneuve-Saint-Georges, where metros, trams, RER, and buses from the 1900s onwards are collected. Under the theme “Heritage is Giant,” visitors can immerse themselves in the history of transportation by following extraordinary characters, giant puppets moving through this historic site.

To sign up

Registrations for heritage tours and behind-the-scenes visits at RATP (bus rides departing from the RATP House do not require registration) will open on Tuesday, September 5 and 12, 2023, at 12 PM on this page.

Registrations for the “Heritage, it’s Giant” activity at RATP’s historic rolling stock reserve will open on Wednesday, September 6 and 13 at 12 PM on this page.