Things have changed a lot at Hangar Y since our visit in September 2014, so it was time for a new visit and review. The Hangar has been fully refurbished and repaired, it now (since March 2023) operates as a museum focussing mainly and obviously on the history of balloons and dirigibles airships, plus some side galleries hosting temporary exhibitions (modern art more (or less) related to air and space). The parc around is accessible as well, with a restaurant at the side of the basin, and a “guinguette” (open in summer only).

The main interest is of course seeing the “nave” of the building, and visiting it, which is done with virtual reality headset. You will meet the engineers of the 19th century and witness the first flight in closed loop of a human-made creation (the “France” dirigible airshift). This choice is a good one I think, because you can still see the inside of the building in full and its structure, there is nothing to obstruct the view (and I really enjoy this type of industrial building and heritage). Please understand as well : the building looks empty when you enter it… See the attached picture, taken from the same place as the one of my previous review – and ten years later.

On the down side, we found the experience quite expensive (everything adds on : the entrance to the site and parc, the virtual reality tour, the modern art exhibition etc), the restaurant is not cheap (we visited on a cold day in January, but finally turned away after looking at the menu and the prices – as an alternative, it is possible to enjoy your own picnic in the park, weather permitting) and please save some money for the separately charged car park. And, for not being far from Paris, it is not very well served by public transport. All in all, I think I regretted a bit the “adventure (or privilege?) feeling” of our first visit ten years ago.

I would recommend booking your virtual reality tour timeslot ahead of your visit, and checking the opening times on the website, as the place can sometimes be closed for private events. The nearby TWHS “air and space research centre” and its famous wind tunnel, a few hundred meters away, is still off limits for visitors, unfortunately.