Les Invalides in Paris: Napoleon's tomb and three museums
The golden dome of Les Invalides is visible from the Seine embankment long before you reach the entrance.
Behind it lies not just one museum, but an entire quarter: a cathedral, Napoleon's tomb, three museum collections, and a working veterans' home. The complex covers 13 hectares on the Left Bank in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, and the dome with its spire rises to 107 m (as of 09/2026, official museum website).
We've broken down the essentials: what to see inside, in what order to tour the halls, and how to avoid losing half a day in line. You'll also see which part of the entrance is free and on which days the building is closed entirely.
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History of Les Invalides
💡 In short:
- This single site in Paris's 7th arrondissement combines a war memorial, a museum, and a working veterans' home.
- The main highlights inside: Napoleon's tomb under the golden dome, the Cathedral of Saint-Louis, and the Musée de l'Armée.
- Admission is paid, but some visitors enter free of charge.
- Prices and opening hours: 09/2026, verified on the Horaires et tarifs page
Construction began in 1671 by order of Louis XIV. The king wanted old and wounded soldiers to receive not charity but a place to live, and he handed the project to the architect Libéral Bruant (as of 09/2026, official museum website).
The first veterans moved in just three years later, and all work was completed in 1677. The plan called for housing six thousand people, but the actual capacity turned out to be under four thousand. By the end of the 18th century, the complex had become a small town with barracks, an infirmary, dining halls, and a parade ground (as of 09/2026, official museum website). In 1706, a basilica rose in the center of the courtyard, modeled on Rome's St. Peter's Basilica.
The rules inside were military in nature. Residents were forbidden to smoke or drink alcohol, required to observe fasts, and had to wear their uniforms at all times. The veterans lived in squads, worked in workshops, and took turns standing guard. Rule-breakers were punished with meager rations or expulsion.
In 1777, part of the collection of relief maps was moved here from the Louvre, and 95 years later the Artillery Museum opened. In the early 18th century, Peter the Great visited Les Invalides: the Russian tsar was given apartments on the second floor (as of 09/2026, official museum website).
Architecture, the esplanade, and the golden dome
© Another one of my pictures: This photograph was taken by Medium69 (William Crochot) and released under the license state · CC BY-SAPhoto: Another one of my pictures: This photograph was taken by Medium69 (William Crochot) and released under the license state, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), Wikimedia CommonsThe best view of the complex opens from the Seine embankment and from the Pont Alexandre III. From there, an esplanade laid out by Robert de Cotte leads to the main entrance. On the lawns you will see a row of antique cannons and artillery trophies (As of 09/2026, official museum website).
The inner courtyard together with the esplanade forms the largest open space in the city. Nearby stand embassies and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of France, and on the other bank of the Seine the ensemble is closed off by the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais. The ceremonial facade, 196 m long, is crowned by an arched portal with a figure of the Sun King on horseback (As of 09/2026, official museum website).
The four-story buildings form fifteen courtyards. In the main courtyard stands a Baroque church with a round dome decorated with military trophies and topped by a lantern with a spire. The 1989 restoration of the dome took 12 kg of gold (As of 09/2026, official museum website).
Parameter | Value |
|---|---|
Complex area | 13 ha |
Dome height with spire | 107 m |
Dome diameter | 27 m |
Ceremonial facade length | 196 m |
Inner courtyards | 15 |
Figures: 09/2026, official museum website.
Cathedral of Saint-Louis
In 1676, Louis XIV was dissatisfied with the first chapel and handed the work to Jules Hardouin-Mansart. The young architect pleased the king: the basilica's facade rests on symmetry and connects the circle with the square (As of 09/2026, official museum website).
© Diliff · CC BYPhoto: Diliff, CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.5), Wikimedia CommonsThe central section projects forward and is framed by a pediment with Doric and Corinthian columns. The church's dome is visible from almost all the hills of the city. Nearby is a small garden where flowerbeds sit alongside trimmed bushes.
Inside, the cathedral is a Greek cross inscribed in a square. Behind the altar you can make out the features of a soldiers' church that opens onto the Cour d'Honneur. Hardouin-Mansart used a triple-dome system: in the lower vault he cut an opening through which the painting of the middle dome is visible, while daylight comes through the third, outer covering.
Four exit corridors lead to chapels where famous people of France are buried. Here Napoleon's brothers, his son, marshals Vauban, Turenne, Foch, and the author of "La Marseillaise," Rouget de Lisle, found their final resting place. The heart of the necropolis is the crypt by Louis Visconti, where the emperor's sarcophagus stands.
Tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte
© Livioandronico2013 · CC BY-SAPhoto: Livioandronico2013, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), Wikimedia CommonsIn 1840, the coffin with Napoleon's body was brought from the island of Saint Helena and carried into the Chapel of Saint Jerome to the mournful sounds of Mozart's "Requiem." Twenty-one years later, the remains were moved to the Cathedral of Saint-Louis (As of 09/2026, official museum website).
The sarcophagus was carved from crimson Karelian porphyry. The emperor lies in his guardsman's uniform (As of 09/2026, official museum website).
The tomb stands on a granite pedestal below floor level. To make out the engraved inscriptions, visitors bow their heads and involuntarily pay their respects to the emperor. Every day, twelve marble statues of the goddess Nike and two bronze atlantes holding an orb, crown, and scepter stand guard around it.
The crypt walls are decorated with medals, charters, and weapons. The sword Napoleon carried into battle at Austerlitz is also kept here.
Museums: three collections under one roof
Since the early 20th century, Les Invalides has also been a museum center. Its collections include more than five hundred thousand items on the military and political history of France (as of 09/2026, collections). Three permanent museums operate inside, and all of them are covered by one ticket.
Musée de l'Armée
© xiquinhosilva from Cacau · CC BYPhoto: xiquinhosilva from Cacau, CC BY (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0), Wikimedia CommonsMusée de l'Armée opened in 1905 and assembled the world's third largest collection of armor and weapons (as of 09/2026, museum's official website). The exhibition is divided into arms and historical sections, and the halls are organized by category.
The arms galleries look like an exhibition of knightly equipment: some of the armor is preserved as if its owner returned from battle yesterday. In the lobby you will see the enemy arsenal, banners and flags, as well as weapons from Persia, Japan, China and India.
In the historical hall, the ceiling is draped with a canopy that once belonged to a Chinese empress. The display cases hold Napoleon's personal belongings: uniforms, furniture, a campaign case and a posthumous face cast.
Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération
© Zakarie Faibis · CC BY-SAPhoto: Zakarie Faibis, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), Wikimedia CommonsThe Order of Liberation was established in November 1940 and was awarded to members of the Resistance movement. The order's insignia looks like a bronze shield with the Cross of Lorraine. The award was given to 1,061 people, including six women (as of 09/2026, museum's official website).
The museum occupies an area of one thousand square meters. Six halls and three galleries contain about four thousand authentic items: weapons, banners, documents, radios and uniforms of the order's recipients.
Musée Charles de Gaulle
The complex's youngest museum opened in 2008 (as of 09/2026, museum's official website). Its exhibition is fully interactive.
© Yann Caradec from Paris, France · CC BY-SAPhoto: Yann Caradec from Paris, France, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0), Wikimedia CommonsThe halls cover 2,500 m² (as of 09/2026, museum's official website). In the first hall, eighty portraits of the first president of the Fifth Republic greet you, and further on, a film about him is shown in a spherical room in eight languages.
De Gaulle's personal belongings, manuscripts, awards and video materials totaling more than twenty hours are gathered in the circular halls. You choose your own route and pace: the rooms are arranged in a circle, so you can walk in either direction.
Les Invalides today
© Небір Володимир · CC BY-SAPhoto: Небір Володимир, CC BY-SA (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0), Wikimedia CommonsThe complex still serves the purpose it was built for. Retirees and veterans live here under the care of the State Institution of Invalides, with a hospital, a pharmacy, and church services available to them. The palace also houses the administrative offices of the Paris military command.
For travelers, the complex remains one of the city's main landmarks. In addition to the cathedral, the necropolis, and the museums, there is a souvenir shop with mugs and figurines of the emperor, and near the entrance you will find stands with maps of the complex.
Plan your visit so you have time for the esplanade: from the lawns you can see the dome in full, and the evening lighting makes it even more striking.
Location and how to get there
Les Invalides stands in the 7th arrondissement on the left bank of the Seine, with an esplanade leading to it from the riverfront. There are two entrances: the south entrance from Place Vauban and the north entrance from Esplanade des Invalides. You can open the location on the map.
The most convenient option is to take the metro to Invalides station: lines 8 and 13 and RER C stop right at the complex, and it is a couple of minutes on foot from the exit to the gates (as of 09/2026, according to the museum).
If you are walking from the Eiffel Tower, allow about twenty minutes. You do not need to cross the bridge; the route follows the left bank.
Opening hours and ticket prices
The museums are open daily. One important detail: on the first Monday of each month, visitors are only allowed into the cathedral, so that day is not suitable for seeing the exhibition halls (as of 09/2026, Horaires et tarifs).
Ticket and rules | As of 09/2026 |
|---|---|
Full price | 17 € (as of 09/2026, the museum's official ticketing system) |
Free admission | children under 18, EU citizens under 26, unemployed EU citizens, journalists with press credentials, people with disabilities and their companions, military personnel in uniform |
Closed days | January 1, May 1, and December 25 |
Summer hours | in July and August, Napoleon's tomb can be viewed until 7:00 PM |
Source |
The line advice is simple: come after midday; the longest line forms at the ticket offices in the morning. It is better to buy tickets in advance with a fixed time slot: tickets to the Army Museum and Napoleon's tomb on Tiqets. That way you skip the ticket office and go straight to the dome.
Tours and tickets in Les Invalides
Guided tours, skip-the-line tickets and activities — most offers can be cancelled free of charge.
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Les Invalides on the map
The complex stretches from the Esplanade by the Seine in the north to Place Vauban in the south. Below is a point on the map: open it if you are planning a route on foot or from the metro.
⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions
How much time do you need for Les Invalides?
Allow half a day. The cathedral and Napoleon's tomb take about an hour, and the museums another two. If you are short on time, get the combined ticket and save Musée Charles de Gaulle for later: it is the newest and noticeably smaller than the other two collections in terms of exhibits.
What does the combined ticket include?
One ticket gives access to the Cathedral of Saint-Louis, Napoleon's tomb under the dome, Musée de l'Armée, Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération, and Musée Charles de Gaulle. Individual halls are sometimes closed for reinstallation, so check the exhibition status on the museum's official website before your trip.
When is the complex least crowded?
The worst time to come is in the morning on a weekend: a line forms at the ticket offices. Come on a weekday after midday, and the wait takes only a few minutes.
Who gets in for free?
Children under 18 and several other categories get in for free; they are listed in the table above. For the full list of concessions and required documents, see the pricing page.
On which days is the complex closed?
The complex is closed three days a year. Dates and summer hours are listed in the table above. The schedule changes on holidays, so check the official website before your visit.
In short: what to book
If you are visiting Paris for the first time, get a combined ticket with a fixed time slot: it covers the cathedral, Napoleon's tomb, and three museums, and you can check prices and discounts on the current rates page (as of 09/2026).
If you only want views and a walk, the esplanade is enough: entry to the square is free, and you can see the dome from the lawns.
If you want context, add a guided tour of Les Invalides: it makes it easier to keep track of the dates and names in the history hall.
A small editorial team writing guides for independent travel. We travel ourselves, but we haven’t been everywhere, so we check prices, opening hours and how to get there against official sources.