/
France
/
Île-de-France
/
Paris
/
Tours & Activities
/
Napoleon and French Military History: Invalides and Dome Church Tour
2h30
Instant confirmation
About this activity
Itinerary
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Musee de l’Armee des Invalides, 129 rue de Grenelle Hôtel National des Invalides, 75007 Paris France
Commissioned by King Louis XIV and designed in the 17th century by Jules Hardouin Mansart (the same architect who designed the incredible Hall of Mirrors in Versailles) the Invalides was originally built as a hospital and home for wounded and retired soldiers returning from the king’s wars. The king knew that he owed his glories to his troops, so he ordered a most magnificent building for them. The Invalides is also home to the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte and the fascinating museum of the army, tracing the history of the French armies and their allies from the jousts of kings, through invasion and resistance to the Normandy landings of WWII. Nowadays you will still find veterans living there, and the gold-domed Cathedral of St. Louis is the seat of the Bishop of the Armies.
Your expert guide will take you on a historical journey. Hear of the exploits of General Bonaparte and learn how he became Emperor Napoleon, and hear how two British pilots were hidden in this very structure during La Resistance under German occupation in the 1940s.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Cathedrale Saint-Louis des Invalides, 53 boulevard de la Tour Maubourg, 75007 Paris France
Then visit the breathtaking tomb of the most famous general in European history. After crowning himself Emperor in 1804, Napoleon went on to conquer huge swathes of Europe, until his final defeat at Waterloo. Exiled until his death in 1821, his body was returned to France and placed here in the enormous sarcophagus built specially for him. His son is also buried next to him, his body brought to Paris by Hitler in 1940.
Join your guide on this compelling visit to the Invalides, and journey through war, defeat, resistance, and glory.
Duration: 1 hour
Read more
Show less
This is a typical itinerary for this product
Stop At: Musee de l’Armee des Invalides, 129 rue de Grenelle Hôtel National des Invalides, 75007 Paris France
Commissioned by King Louis XIV and designed in the 17th century by Jules Hardouin Mansart (the same architect who designed the incredible Hall of Mirrors in Versailles) the Invalides was originally built as a hospital and home for wounded and retired soldiers returning from the king’s wars. The king knew that he owed his glories to his troops, so he ordered a most magnificent building for them. The Invalides is also home to the tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte and the fascinating museum of the army, tracing the history of the French armies and their allies from the jousts of kings, through invasion and resistance to the Normandy landings of WWII. Nowadays you will still find veterans living there, and the gold-domed Cathedral of St. Louis is the seat of the Bishop of the Armies.
Your expert guide will take you on a historical journey. Hear of the exploits of General Bonaparte and learn how he became Emperor Napoleon, and hear how two British pilots were hidden in this very structure during La Resistance under German occupation in the 1940s.
Duration: 1 hour 30 minutes
Stop At: Cathedrale Saint-Louis des Invalides, 53 boulevard de la Tour Maubourg, 75007 Paris France
Then visit the breathtaking tomb of the most famous general in European history. After crowning himself Emperor in 1804, Napoleon went on to conquer huge swathes of Europe, until his final defeat at Waterloo. Exiled until his death in 1821, his body was returned to France and placed here in the enormous sarcophagus built specially for him. His son is also buried next to him, his body brought to Paris by Hitler in 1940.
Join your guide on this compelling visit to the Invalides, and journey through war, defeat, resistance, and glory.
Duration: 1 hour
Included
- 2.5 hour guided tour of Les Invalides
- Main courtyard, military museum and artillery collection
- Cathedral of Saint-Louis des Invalides
- Dôme des Invalides, tomb of Napoleon I
- Fully accredited local guide
- Limited groups of 20 people or fewer
- Headsets where appropriate so you can always hear your guide
- Entry/Admission - Musee de l’Armee des Invalides
- Entry/Admission - Cathedrale Saint-Louis des Invalides
Not included
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Gratuities
Additional
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Note that increased security measures may affect lines. However due to our Skip the Line privilege, we do have access to shortcuts to the security check
- Please arrive no later than 15 minutes prior to your departure time
Features
Tourism
90%
Cultural
75%
Reviews
Collections
This experience is part of these collections
You may also like
See all 52 Collections
Click to discover other experiences
See all
Collections
Eiffel tower
167 Activities
Collections
Louvre museum
196 Activities
Collections
City tour
83 Activities
Collections
Moulin Rouge
42 Activities
Collections
Hop-on Hop-off & Bus
55 Activities
Collections
Seine River cruise
227 Activities
Collections
Versailles
207 Activities
Collections
With a local
79 Activities
Collections
Other museums
107 Activities
Collections
Walking tour
179 Activities
An in depth tour. We were the only ones on the tour so our guide adjusted the tour to our needs. A little bit too long in my opinion. If you are a huge history buff you will love the tour.
I toured with Thibauld. He was a wealth of information on the museum, and crafted the tour to meet our interests. He was hilarious, and with the sheer size of the museum, it was incredibly useful to have an expert know where to take us. I loved this museum.