The Invalides
The Invalides are Louis XIV‘s largest architectural project after Versailles, built for his wounded soldiers in the second half of the 17th century. In fact, this double church was constructed by Hardouin-Mansart, architect who worked at Versailles. Then, the golden dome was covered with close to 28 pounds of gold leaf. Napoleon was buried here almost 20 years after his death, originally on the island of Saint Helena. Turned into a military museum in 1905, with more than 300 000 items on display, it is one of the largest museums of Paris.
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Information
Fee : 12 € per adult. Special price for groups. Opening hours : 10h-18h (Apr 1 to Oct 31 – Jul and Aug until 19h – until 21h on Tues). Closed at 17h the rest of the year.
Highlights
Guided tour of the Dome for approximately 1h30-2h00, including the tomb of Napoleon, the courtyard, church Saint Louis of soldiers and the armoury rooms.
My favorite monuments
Join me to visit some of my favourite monuments of Paris. The Opera Garnier has an unbelievable architecture and it keeps fascinating me.
The Pere Lachaise cemetery is really a place to stroll around, to discover its amazing statues and graves. Its quiet alleys surrounded by old trees, are full of charm.
Basilica of Saint Denis is a delightful monument, where you can appreciate the most important number of recumbent medieval statues and the first example of the gothic style in France.
