Invalides: Napoleon’s Tomb & Army Museum Guided Tour
Highlights
- Take part in a small-group tour of Les Invalides, where a knowledgeable guide brings Napoleon's story to life within the Army Museum and at his grand tomb.
- Your English-speaking local guide meets you and leads the way into the Invalides complex, so you can focus on discovering rather than navigating on your own.
- Walk a guided path through highlights of the Army Museum and the Dôme des Invalides, then visit Napoleon's Tomb to appreciate its imposing surroundings up close.
- Listen to informative and engaging commentary in a small group, with opportunities to examine artifacts, memorials, and chapel interiors that animate military history.
- Pick the option that fits you, whether a semi-private indoor tour, a 2-hour Napoleon-focused visit, or an outdoor walking route around the Invalides grounds.
Take a small-group guided visit with priority access to Les Invalides, Napoleon's Tomb, and the Army Museum. Begin by meeting your English-speaking local guide outside Les Invalides at the meeting point shown on your voucher. Your mobile ticket is
What you'll do
Take a small-group guided visit of Les Invalides, Napoleon's Tomb, and the Army Museum, including priority entry that lets you bypass the regular lines.
Before you begin
Your English-speaking local guide will be waiting outside Les Invalides at the meeting point listed on your voucher. Staff scan your mobile ticket, and you enter the complex through the skip-the-line entrance, avoiding the main ticket queues. Once you've had a short orientation to the site and to how the small-group visit works, everyone heads together to the Dôme des Invalides.
What you'll see
Dôme des Invalides and Napoleon's Tomb
The domed church stands at the heart of the Invalides complex and is where Napoleon's Tomb is located. Together with your guide, you'll follow a path that weaves the emperor's biography into the story of the grand monument that now holds his remains.
Highlights
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Enter the Dôme des Invalides to see Napoleon's Tomb while your guide recounts his ascent, major battles, political changes, and years of exile.
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Develop a richer understanding of how Napoleon shaped French history as you walk around the circular crypt and the chapels that surround it.
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Your ticket already includes admission to Napoleon's Tomb, so there's no need to make separate arrangements.
Army Museum galleries
The Army Museum fills a large portion of the Invalides complex and holds vast collections covering French and European military history. Your guide will take you through a selection of galleries, and afterward you're free to keep exploring on your own if time and your ticket option permit.
Highlights
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View thoughtfully arranged exhibits in the Army Museum galleries, from weapons and uniforms to artifacts representing various eras of French military history.
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Discover how these collections tie into the lives of soldiers who lived at Invalides and to broader European conflicts, explained clearly rather than with technical jargon.
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Your included admission to the Army Museum galleries applies according to the option you chose when booking.
Cour d'Honneur and Saint-Louis des Invalides Cathedral
The Cour d'Honneur serves as the main ceremonial courtyard, framed by historic buildings and artillery pieces. Close by, the Saint-Louis des Invalides Cathedral brings a religious and commemorative dimension to the site.
Highlights
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Cross the Cour d'Honneur, where artillery collections are on display, and learn how this area hosted military ceremonies and demonstrations of power.
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Enter or view the Saint-Louis des Invalides Cathedral, a church with historic ties to soldiers and military chaplains at the complex.
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These areas are part of your guided tour of Les Invalides, with no extra tickets required.
Museum of Relief Maps and Museum of the Order of Liberation
Both museums sit within the Invalides complex and offer another angle on France's military past. They pair well with the main Army Museum galleries and are available to visit during your time there.
Highlights
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At the Museum of Relief Maps, study intricate scale models once used to plan campaigns and assess strategic landscapes.
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At the Museum of the Order of Liberation, follow the stories of individuals recognized for their contributions to France's liberation in World War II.
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Admission to these museums comes with your access to the Army Museum galleries, depending on the option you pick.
Tour format and group size
Your Les Invalides visit is built around the small-group guided format. The intimate group size means more opportunities for questions and smoother movement through the complex.
Highlights
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Join either a 2-hour small-group guided tour or a 2-hour Napoleon-themed guided tour, based on the option you select at checkout.
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An English-speaking local guide stays with you throughout, leading either an indoor guided visit of Les Invalides or an outdoor Napoleon walking tour around the complex, depending on your chosen variant.
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Participate in a small group of up to 8 people on semi-private options, or a small-group English-guided tour with skip-the-line entry where the tour description specifies.