Guided Tour Les Invalides (Army Museum)

The Hotel des Invalides was founded by Louis XIV to accommodate the veterans and wounded soldiers. Today it hosts one of the largest collections of weapons and armory in the world dating from ancient times to the present day.

Led by a guide, you will discover the history and the architecture of this emblematic and historical place for France. You will see, for example, one of the most beautiful pieces of the 16th-century collection: the armor of François 1er (the arch enemy of King Charlemagne), weighing more than 30 kilos (!). Your guide will also show you the famous painting of Napoleon by French painter Ingres, which shows the Emperor Napoleon 1st in coronation costume on the imperial throne.

You will have the opportunity to visit the magnificent Cathedral of Saint-Louis, which was originally the soldiers’ church and is connected directly to the Dome of Invalides. There, under the Dome, you will be able to contemplate the impressive Tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte and the guide will tell you all about the legends surrounding the death of the Emperor in 1821 in Sainte-Hélène.