Napoleon's Tomb
Start under the Dôme with the red quartzite sarcophagus.
Les Invalides (Hôtel des Invalides) and Napoleon's Tomb, Paris
No reviews yet
One of 178 Things to Do in France
In short
Les Invalides is the vast 17th-century complex on the Left Bank of Paris that Louis XIV built for wounded soldiers, where Napoleon lies beneath the gilded Dôme. The combined ticket with the Musée de l'Armée costs €17, €12 reduced, and under-18s go free. It opens every day from 10:00 to 18:00, with a late evening on the first Friday. Most people spend two to three hours.
Les Invalides, the Hôtel national des Invalides, is the vast 17th-century complex on the Left Bank of Paris where Napoleon Bonaparte is buried, at 129 rue de Grenelle in the 7th arrondissement. Most visitors come for the Dôme church and the tomb beneath it. An hour covers the Dôme alone, and the Musée de l'Armée in the surrounding wings can fill the rest of a day.
Louis XIV commissioned the complex in 1670 as a hospital and home for wounded and aged soldiers. Libéral Bruant designed the main buildings around their courtyards and the soldiers' church. Jules Hardouin-Mansart then designed the royal chapel known as the Dôme des Invalides, finished in 1706. The gilded dome rises to about 107 metres at the tip and was among the tallest structures in Paris when it was built. It still marks the skyline at the end of the long esplanade running down to the Seine.
The site has not lost its first purpose. The Institution nationale des Invalides still houses about a hundred veterans and runs a medical and surgical centre, and military ceremonies take place in the main courtyard.
Visconti's crypt and the return of the ashes
Napoleon died in exile on Saint Helena in 1821 and was buried on the island. In 1840 King Louis-Philippe had his remains returned to France, an event known as the return of the ashes. The architect Louis Visconti dug a large open crypt beneath the dome to receive them, and the work took two decades. The body was placed in the tomb on 2 April 1861.
The sarcophagus is red quartzite on a green granite base. Twelve figures representing his campaigns, carved under the direction of James Pradier, stand around it, and visitors look down on it from a balustrade on the floor above. Other tombs share the Dôme: the marshals Turenne and Foch, Hubert Lyautey, Napoleon's brothers Joseph and Jérôme, and the heart of Vauban. Napoleon's son, Napoleon II, rests in the crypt.
Fact-checked by the bookingMentor Travel Desk
Reviewed · Updated when rules or prices change
Checked against trusted sources:
Musée de l'Armée
See the source
–/5
No reviews yet
Been here? Your review helps other travellers.
Key information
🏛️Building: Hôtel des Invalides, founded by Louis XIV in 1670
⚔️Collection: Arms, armour, uniforms and artillery from antiquity to the 21st century
👑Dôme: Napoleon's Tomb under the gilded dome
🗺️Also: Musée des Plans-Reliefs (scale models of fortified towns)
💰Currency: Euro (€ EUR)
🕕Time Zone: Central European Time (UTC+1; UTC+2 in summer)
🎧Audio guide: 1 language
Explore the area
Musée Rodin 400 m
Pont Alexandre III 700 m
Eiffel Tower 1.8 km
Grand Palais 1 km
La Tour-Maubourg metro (Line 8) 300 m
✦
Plan your visit to Les Invalides (Hôtel des Invalides) and Napoleon's Tomb, Paris
Dates, opening hours and how to get there are below. Booking ahead secures your preferred day.
Highlights Include:
Collections
- Medieval and Renaissance armour
- Louis XIV to Napoleon III
- World Wars galleries
Dôme des Invalides
- Napoleon's Tomb
- Gilded dome by Jules Hardouin-Mansart
More
- Musée des Plans-Reliefs
- Cour d'honneur with cannons
What They Offer
One ticket
Collections, exhibitions, Dôme and Plans-Reliefs
Late opening
First Friday of the month until 10:00 PM
Audio guide
Audio guide available
Visit duration
2–3 hours
Timed entry required No
Armour galleries
See royal armour and weapons in the west wing.
First Friday nights
Late opening until 10:00 PM on the first Friday of the month.
Accessibility
Most areas accessible with lifts; contact the museum for help.
Age limits
None.
What to pack
Ticket on your phone, ID for reduced or free entry
What to wear
Comfortable shoes
Not allowed
Touching the works, food and drink in the galleries, flash photography, large bags, selfie sticks
Amenities
Café, shop, cloakroom, restrooms
Tips for visiting Les Invalides and Napoleon's Tomb, Paris
- See the Dôme first thing in the morning, before groups arrive.
- Look up at the painted dome by Charles de La Fosse, completed in 1705.
- Walk the esplanade toward the Pont Alexandre III for the classic view.
- Buy tickets online and allow time for the Army Museum wings.
- Dress respectfully, as the Dôme and cathedral are religious buildings.
Driving
Paid parking around Les Invalides.
Public transportation
Metro La Tour-Maubourg (Line 8), Varenne (Line 13), Invalides (Lines 8, 13, RER C).
Address
Les Invalides is at 129 rue de Grenelle, 7th arrondissement; La Tour-Maubourg metro is about 300 m away. The Musée Rodin is about 400 m away and Pont Alexandre III about 700 m, a walk across the river toward the Grand Palais.
Opening Hours
- Monday10:00-18:00
- Tuesday10:00-18:00
- Wednesday10:00-18:00
- Thursday10:00-18:00
- Friday10:00-18:00
- Saturday10:00-18:00
- Sunday10:00-18:00
Last entry: About 30 minutes before closing
Closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.
Open daily; late opening on the first Friday of each month.
Special events
Temporary history exhibitions and First Friday evenings.
Best times to visit
Opening time; go to the Dôme first, before tour groups.
Best days to visit
Weekdays.
Best months to visit
Any time.
Admission tickets
Prices and how to get tickets.
Musée de l'Armée & Napoleon's Tomb
Official ticket for the collections, exhibitions, Dôme and Plans-Reliefs.
- Permanent collections
- Temporary exhibitions
- Dôme and Napoleon's Tomb
- Musée des Plans-Reliefs
Ticket prices
€17 full, €12 reduced, €10 first-Friday evening; €5 for EU residents aged 18–25; under 18s free
Opening hours
Closed now · 10:00 AM - 6:00 PM · Last entry About 30 minutes before closing
Visitor policy
Cancellation and prepayment
Tickets are generally non-refundable; check the museum's booking terms.
Children and admission
Under 18s free; EU nationals and residents aged 18–25 pay €5.
Groups
Groups must book in advance with the museum.
Pets
Only assistance dogs are admitted.
Photography
Personal photography without flash is generally allowed in the permanent collection; some temporary exhibitions forbid it.
Bags
Large bags and suitcases must be left in the cloakroom or are refused; bags are checked at the entrance.
Smoking
Not permitted inside the museum.
Accepted payment
Online or at the desk by card.
Contribute:
Recently viewed attractions
Others of this kind you opened on this device, so you can get back to them quickly.
Travelers are asking
Yes, the Dôme with Napoleon's Tomb is included in the museum ticket.
Yes, except 1 January, 1 May and 25 December.
Still looking?
Our team answers questions here
Stay in France
Where to stay near Les Invalides (Hôtel des Invalides) and Napoleon's Tomb, Paris
Hotels closest to Les Invalides (Hôtel des Invalides) and Napoleon's Tomb, Paris, nearest first, so you spend less time on the road and more time there.
Paris
Hôtel Fabric4-star hotel
No reviews yet4.5 km from Les Invalides
from$230.00/ night
- Free WiFi
- Fitness center
- Air conditioning
5 Rooms available
Book Now
Explore by Theme
Find your kind of trip: 24 travel themes, from Museums, Beaches, Art Galleries.
Top things to do nearby
More of the 7th arrondissement around Les Invalides.
France
Musée de l'Armée (Army Museum), Paris
The Musée de l'Armée in Paris is France's national army museum, housed in the Hôtel des Invalides at 129 rue de Grenelle in the 7th arrondissement. It covers ar...
No reviews yet
France
Musée Rodin, Paris
The Musée Rodin is the museum of the sculptor Auguste Rodin, in the Hôtel Biron at 77 Rue de Varenne in Paris's 7th arrondissement, a few minutes from Les Inval...
No reviews yet
France
The Thinker (Rodin), Paris
The Thinker is Auguste Rodin's bronze of a seated man lost in thought. The best-known monumental cast, about 185 centimetres tall, stands in the sculpture garde...
No reviews yet
France
Musée Maillol, Paris
The Musée Maillol is a private art museum at 59-61 rue de Grenelle in Paris's 7th arrondissement, devoted to the sculptor Aristide Maillol and to large temporar...
No reviews yet
France
Musée d'Orsay
The Musée d'Orsay is the Paris museum of French art from 1848 to 1914, housed in a former railway station on the Left Bank of the Seine in the 7th arrondissemen...
No reviews yet
France
Musée de l'Orangerie
The Musée de l'Orangerie is the Paris museum built around Claude Monet's Water Lilies, in the Tuileries Garden by Place de la Concorde in the 1st arrondissement...
No reviews yet
France
Grand Palais
The Grand Palais is a landmark exhibition and events hall on Avenue Winston-Churchill in Paris's 8th arrondissement, between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, o...
No reviews yet
France
Petit Palais
The Petit Palais is the City of Paris fine arts museum (Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris), on Avenue Winston-Churchill in the 8th arrondissement, oppos...
No reviews yet
France
Musée Fabre, Montpellier
The Musée Fabre is the fine arts museum of Montpellier in southern France, at 39 boulevard Bonne Nouvelle on the edge of the old town, about 300 metres from Pla...
No reviews yet
Save time: create a trip and get offers from locals
Tell us where and when you want to go, and local travel experts send you offers for your trip.
1 Create a trip
2 Get offers from locals
3 Pick the one you like
Create a trip
Need help?
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Answers based on the Musée de l'Armée's official information.
General
Yes. His remains were brought back from Saint Helena in 1840 and placed in the tomb under the Dôme on 2 April 1861. The red quartzite sarcophagus rests in an open crypt viewed from the floor above.
Louis XIV ordered it in 1670. Libéral Bruant designed the main buildings and the soldiers' church, and Jules Hardouin-Mansart designed the Dôme, finished in 1706.
The Dôme also holds the tombs of Turenne, Foch, Hubert Lyautey and Napoleon's brothers Joseph and Jérôme, and the heart of Vauban. Napoleon II rests in the crypt.
Yes. The Institution nationale des Invalides still houses about a hundred veterans and runs a medical and surgical centre, and military ceremonies are held in the main courtyard.
The gilded dome rises to about 107 metres at its tip. It was one of the tallest structures in Paris when completed.
Under-18s enter free. EU nationals and residents aged 18 to 25 pay 5 euros for the permanent collections and the Dôme, and still collect a ticket at the desk.
La Tour-Maubourg on line 8 is about 300 metres away. Varenne on line 13 and Invalides on lines 8 and 13 and RER C are also close.
Les Invalides (Hôtel des Invalides) and Napoleon's Tomb, Paris is in France. The street address and directions are under How to get there on this page.
Comfortable shoes.
Explore the area on this page lists 5 places around Les Invalides (Hôtel des Invalides) and Napoleon's Tomb, Paris, among them Pont Alexandre III and La Tour-Maubourg metro (Line 8).
Booking
Yes. The Dôme and the tomb are part of the Musée de l'Armée ticket, about 17 euros at full price in 2026, which also covers the museum and the Musée des Plans-Reliefs.
Timing & weather
It opens daily from 10:00 to 18:00 and is closed on 1 January, 1 May and 25 December. Last entry is about 30 minutes before closing.
Allow about an hour for the Dôme and the tomb. Add half a day if you also visit the Musée de l'Armée.
Getting there
You can reach Les Invalides (Hôtel des Invalides) and Napoleon's Tomb, Paris by public transport or by car. Both routes are described under How to get there on this page.
Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport (CDG) is the airport for Les Invalides (Hôtel des Invalides) and Napoleon's Tomb, Paris, about 24 km away in a straight line.
