You'll step inside one of Paris's most iconic landmarks and uncover the extraordinary history of Les Invalides, a monument that has stood at the heart of French military and political life for over three centuries. Originally commissioned by Louis XIV in 1670 to house wounded soldiers, the Hôtel des Invalides is today home to the Musée de l'Armée, one of the largest military history museums in the world, as well as the Dôme des Invalides, a masterpiece of Baroque architecture topped with 12 kilograms of gold leaf, visible from across the Parisian skyline.
Beneath its gilded dome rests the tomb of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, one of the most visited and celebrated monuments in France. Your expert guide will bring this complex and layered site to life, covering over 500 years of French history, from medieval knights and royal artillery to Napoleon's European campaigns, the trenches of World War I and the Liberation of Paris in 1944.
Whether you're drawn by the legend of Napoleon, the architectural grandeur of the Dôme or the depth of the military collections, Les Invalides offers one of the richest historical experiences available in Paris.
