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Les Invalides in Paris: What to See, Tickets, Hours and Accessibility

Les Invalides combines a historic veterans’ institution with several museums. See what the ticket covers, how long to allow, how to get there and what to know about accessibility at the Dome.
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Les Invalides is both a historic veterans’ institution and a museum complex in central Paris. The Musée de l’Armée ticket includes the Dome church and Napoleon I’s tomb, as well as permanent collections and several other museum spaces. A complete visit takes more than four hours, according to the museum; visitors with limited time should choose a few areas, and anyone who cannot manage stairs should know that the Dome is not accessible to visitors with reduced mobility.

What is Les Invalides?

The Hôtel National des Invalides was founded by Louis XIV in 1670 as a place for people who had served in the royal army. It opened to veterans in 1674, and more than 4,000 boarders lived within the site. Its original roles included hospice, barracks, convent, hospital and factory. The institution still houses the Institution Nationale des Invalides. The Musée de l’Armée’s history of the Hôtel National des Invalides explains the site’s continuing institutional role.

Today, visitors encounter the Hôtel through the Musée de l’Armée and its associated museums. The complex’s gilded Dome is its most recognizable landmark, but the site is more than Napoleon’s tomb: it combines military collections with the history of the institution and its buildings.

What can you see at Les Invalides?

The standard “Museum and exhibitions” ticket listed by the museum includes the following spaces. Not every visitor will have time to see them all in one visit.

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  • The Dome church and Tomb of Napoleon I: The best-known stop, beneath the gilded Dome.
  • The Musée de l’Armée permanent collections: Military collections spanning different periods.
  • The current temporary exhibition: Included in the listed museum ticket; its subject changes.
  • The Musée de l’Ordre de la Libération: A separate museum within the complex.
  • The Musée des Plans-Reliefs: A collection of relief maps.
  • The Cour d’Honneur: An artillery collection covering 200 years of history.

The museum’s historical interpretation traces the site from its founding in 1670 to the creation of the museum in 1905, across royal, imperial and republican periods. The history gallery occupies the former refectory of Invalides pensioners and retains original murals; a floor timeline and two films help explain the site’s development. See Les Invalides: Between History and Memory for the museum’s account of these spaces.

How long should you allow?

The Musée de l’Armée says a complete tour of all its collections and the Dome takes over four hours. It advises visitors to limit a visit to two spaces. If your time is short, decide which part matters most before entering rather than trying to rush through the entire complex.

  • For a shorter visit: Prioritize the Dome and Napoleon I’s tomb if the stairs are manageable, then select one museum area that matches your interests.
  • For military-history collections: Focus on the permanent collections and choose whether to add the Dome or another museum space.
  • For the site’s institutional history: Include the history gallery and allow time for its timeline and films.
  • For a broad visit: Plan for more than four hours, with the understanding that the museum recommends focusing on two spaces.

Tickets and opening hours

The Musée de l’Armée’s official visitor page, checked on October 8, 2026, lists the following admission and hours. Prices, exhibitions and schedules can change, so verify the official opening times and prices for your date.

Item Information listed by the museum
“Museum and exhibitions” ticket €17 full price; €12 discounted
Late-night admission €10
Regular opening Daily, 10:00–18:00
First-Friday late opening 18:00–22:00; ticket offices close at 21:00
Regular closure dates January 1, May 1 and December 25

The ticket offices close 30 minutes before the museum. Free-admission categories and proof requirements vary; the museum says eligible visitors must still collect a ticket at the tills. Check the official page for the applicable conditions rather than assuming that free admission means no ticket is needed.

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The “Museum and exhibitions” ticket covers the permanent collections, Dome church and Tomb of Napoleon I, current temporary exhibition, Musée de l’Ordre de la Libération and Musée des Plans-Reliefs. The official page also says Paris Museum Pass holders may enter without advance booking; the pass covers the Musée de l’Armée spaces, including temporary exhibitions, and more than 50 museums and monuments in Paris and the region.

The museum lists a Musée de l’Armée–Musée Rodin combined ticket at €26, valid for three months from purchase. Its terms include museum access at the Army Museum and queue-cutting access to specified Rodin spaces. As with other listed offers, confirm current price and conditions before relying on them.

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Getting to Les Invalides

The museum’s directions and access information list these public-transport options:

  • Metro: Line 8 at La Tour-Maubourg or Invalides; line 13 at Varenne.
  • RER: Line C at Invalides.
  • Bus: Routes 28, 63, 69, 82, 83, 92 and 93.
  • Car: A paid car park is listed at 23 rue de Constantine.

Entrance instructions depend on the visit and time. For first-Friday entry from 18:00, the museum identifies 129 rue de Grenelle as the only possible entrance. It also directs visitors with mobility disabilities to a designated entrance; consult the official access page for current instructions before setting out.

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Is Napoleon’s tomb accessible?

No. The Dome, which contains Napoleon I’s tomb, is not accessible to visitors with reduced mobility because of steps both outside and inside. The museum describes its other museum spaces as accessible and equipped with lifts. Wheelchairs may be borrowed from reception or ticket desks subject to availability; the museum retains identity proof during the visit. Read the museum’s information for visitors with disabilities and confirm the route to the areas you plan to visit if you have specific access needs.

Is Les Invalides worth visiting?

It is a strong choice for visitors interested in Napoleon, French military history or the history of the site itself, especially because one ticket covers several distinct spaces. The trade-off is time: the full circuit is extensive, and the Dome’s stairs make the most famous stop inaccessible to some visitors. Choose the museum areas that fit your interests and mobility rather than treating the complex as a single, quick attraction.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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