Become a Virtual Tourist Member Today!  Sign Up for Free | Sign In

Invalides, Paris

Search:
email to friend | help
Home » Travel Guides » Europe » France » Île-de-France » Paris » Things To Do » Invalides Reviews

Paris Travel Guide

Things to Do in Paris: Invalides tips and photos posted by real travelers and Paris locals.
Invalides
• 411 Photos
• 235 Reviews

Sponsored Links for Paris

Travel in France by Train
Economical, Practical and on time a France Rail pass is the way to go

Hotels in Paris
The top 100 preferred hotels in Paris in Video. Great rates!

Hertz.com Car Rentals
Book Your Rental Car at Hertz.com. Check Out Our Special Rates Online.

850 Hotels in Paris (Fr)
Hotels in paris from 40$ / night. Photos, hotel location, top deals.

3* Paris Hotels from £45
345 Hotels in Paris. Up to 75% off! Range & Price to suit all budgets.

Paris Invalides ReviewsTips 1 - 10 of 235  
Sort By:  Most Recent | Best Rated
Invalides: Musée de l'armée
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By breughel on September 8, 2007
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • Invalides - Cavalry helmets c.1900 - Paris
    Invalides - Cavalry helmets
    c.1900
    by breughel, 3 more photos
    Send Photo to a Friend
    The best department of this museum, i.e. the Département Moderne (1648 - 1871) with the splendid collections from King Louis XIV to Napoleon III is closed for renovation.
    Fortunately for the visitor, the WW I and WW II department has been renovated and extended what is a good thing because this part of the Invalides Army Museum was somewhat short in the previous years.
    This department deals with the military history from 1871 to 1945 on an expanded surface of 3500 m2 since July 2006.
    I was pleased to see that this period of history in which France had a central position is now up to other museums WW departments like the ones of Brussels, London or Vienna for example.
    Are exposed French and foreign uniforms, certain having belonged to major figures - Foch, Joffre, de Lattre, Leclerc - diverse armaments and objects of the everyday equipment of the soldier.
    I found very interesting the windows showing proposals around 1900 for less visible uniforms as those inherited from Napoleon III. (see cavalry helms around 1900 on photo 1). But they were finally refused so that the French soldiers went into the WW I with "garance" red coloured trousers (photo 2) what made of them quite visible targets for the German riflemen.

    I was much impressed by a model of the famous German heavy howitzer called "Grosse Bertha". My grand parents told me about that howitzer used in Belgium against the forts of Liège and Namur in 1914. It would fire 800 kg shells at 9 Km distance (photo 3).
    Is also shown one of the "taxis de la Marne" (photo 4). In September 1914, 600 taxis from Paris were requisitioned to bring troops to the Marne battlefield. The movement started at the Invalides and conveyed 5 infantry battalions (total 5000 man).

    What is not shown in this museum are heavy weapons like tanks or planes. For the tanks one should visit the "Musée des Blindés" in Saumur (on the Loire) where there are more than 800 tanks!

  • Address: Invalides, Musée de l'Armée.
  • Directions: Western wing of the Invalides.
  • Website: www.invalides.org

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Invalides
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Invalides: Hotel des Invalides
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By Jefie on April 29, 2007
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • The Dome at l'hotel des Invalides - Paris
    The Dome at l'hotel des
    Invalides
    by Jefie,
    3 more photos
    Send Photo to a Friend
    Hotel des Invalides was built in the 1670s by order of King Louis XIV as a hospital and nursing home for the thousands of French war veterans - it still serves as such for about a hundred people. Most of the complex has now been turned into a war museum, and the majestic Dome des Invalides is where Emperor Napoleon I has been laid to rest.

    Although it is free to walk around Les Invalides and to enter the church Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, it costs 8 Euros to visit the Dome and the war museum (but you can use your Museum Pass if you have one). Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, otherwise knows as the soldiers' church was completed in 1708. Its only ornaments are flags that were taken from the enemy in the course of France's numerous wars. Napoleon Bonaparte's tomb sits underneath the Dome des invalides and is surrounded by the tombs of other French war heroes, such as Marshal Foch.

    As for the war museum, we only visited the part of the exhibition that covered the two World Wars. We thought we'd just take a quick peak as we didn't feel like getting into something this heavy when we were so light-hearted but we ended up visiting the whole thing. The exhibition was captivating and very moving - I will always remember the uniform of a French soldier killed during the 1914-18 war, still covered in mud from the trenches, as well as the German street signs that were put up in Paris during the 1939-45 war.

    Leave a Comment

  • Address: 129 rue de Grenelle
  • Phone: 01 44 42 38 77
  • Directions: Metro Invalides, within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower
  • Website: http://www.invalides.org/pages/anglais/menu_ang.html

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Invalides
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Invalides: THE EMPEROR'S TOMB
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By Lady_Mystique on August 25, 2006
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • Ceiling above Napoleon's Tomb - Paris
    Ceiling above Napoleon's Tomb
    by Lady_Mystique, 1 more photos
    Send Photo to a Friend
    In 1840, it was decided that the remains of Emperor Napolean would be transferred.
    His national funeral took place December 15th of the same year.
    The sculptor Visconti was commissioned to build the tomb which was completed in 1861 and the Emperor's remains were then placed in it. (What I'd like to know, is where did they store Napolean's remains from 1840 to 1861?)

    The tomb, made in red porphyry [a type of rock consisting of feldspar crystals embedded in a compact dark red (or purple) groundmass], and placed on a base in green granite from Les Vosges, is surrounded by a wreath of laurel and inscriptions recalling the major victories of the Empire.

    In the circular gallery surrounding the tomb, a series of bas-reliefs sculpted by Simart represent the principal actions of his reign.
    At the centre, above the slab under which the King of Rome rests, stands a statue of the Emperor, bearing the imperial emblems.

    Napolean's Tomb can be visited until 7 p.m. from mid-June to mid-September.
    It opens at 10 a.m.

    Leave a Comment

  • Phone: 01.44.42.37.72
  • Directions: Inside the Dome Church in L'Hotel National des Invalides

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Invalides
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Invalides: Napoleon's deification.
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By breughel on September 8, 2007
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • Dôme with Napoleon's tomb. - Paris
    Dôme with Napoleon's tomb.
    by breughel, 1 more photos
    Send Photo to a Friend
    As I am not an admirer of Napoleon, or of the other potentates who put Europe in fire and in blood, I visited several times the Invalides leaving aside Napoleon's tomb.
    Nevertheless Bonaparte is not unknown to me because he lost the definitive battle in Waterloo, that is not far from my home.
    During my recent visit to the museum of the army at the Invalides, I took advantage of my museum pass to enter under the dome. No doubt that the dome with its gilts is one of the grandiose Paris' monuments. Furthermore the flowery gardens in front of the monument are beautiful

    Inside I was unpleasantly surprised by the almost deification of the emperor Napoleon, the monumental sarcophagus, the souvenirs of Bonaparte presented as saint's relics.
    The worship of the emperor is not for me; too many people suffered because of his megalomania.
    ==============================================

    La déification de Napoléon.====
    N'étant pas un admirateur de Napoléon, ni des autres potentats qui ont mis l'Europe à feu et à sang, j'ai visité plusieurs fois les Invalides en laissant de côté le tombeau de Napoléon. Pourtant le personnage ne m'est pas inconnu puisqu'il a perdu la bataille définitive à Waterloo, c'est-à-dire pas loin de ma demeure.

    Lors de ma récente visite au musée de l'armée aux Invalides, j'ai profité de mon museum pass pour entrer sous le dôme resplendissant de ses dorures. Le dôme est incontestablement un des monuments grandioses de Paris. De plus les jardins fleuris qui le précèdent sont de toute beauté.

    J'ai été désagréablement surpris à l'intérieur par la quasi déification de l'empereur Napoléon, le sarcophage monumental, les souvenirs de Bonaparte présentes comme des reliques de saint.
    Le culte de l'empereur n'est pas pour moi; trop de gens ont souffert à cause de sa folie des grandeurs.

  • Address: Invalides, Dôme.
  • Directions: Entrance South by Place Vauban.
  • Website: www.invalides.org

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Invalides
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Invalides: Les Invalides
  • Tip Rating:
  • By GUYON on December 19, 2004
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • Re-enactment at Invalides - Paris
    Re-enactment at Invalides
    by GUYON, 4 more photos
    Send Photo to a Friend
    Louis XIV built this "hotel" to shelter the disable soldiers of his numerous campaigns.
    One of my ancesters, a gendarme (French horserider policeman) died there in 1847. At this time, it was a house for retired soldiers.
    Napoleon's tomb is here. The emperor's body is protected by 6 coffins and nobody dares to make an autopsy to discover if he was poisened by Hudson Lowe, his jailer, in 1821.
    Les Invalides are also the Army Museum which is open from 10AM to 6PM (5PM and 5:30PM on Sunday, on low season).
    Ticket : 7 euros
    The museum presents uniforms, arms and paintings from the Middle Age to the contemporary time.
    During my last visit I was with a couple of American VTers and we had the chance to see a re-enactment in memory of the Napoleon's coronation, 200 years later, on December 2, 1804. I saw a grenadier of the Napolenic guard taking his cellular out of his pocket to answer a call...
    My advice : for history lovers (I am)

    Leave a Comment

  • Address: 129 rue de Grenelle 7e arrondissement
  • Phone: 331.44.42.38.77
  • Directions: Metro : Latour-Maubourg Nearby : Tour Eiffel, musee Rodin
  • Website: www.invalides.org

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Invalides
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Invalides: L'Hotel National des Invalides
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By Lady_Mystique on August 25, 2006
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • View of the dome through one of the arches - Paris
    View of the dome through
    one of the arches
    by Lady_Mystique,
    3 more photos
    Send Photo to a Friend
    In 1671, Louis XIV decided to create the 'Hotel des Invalides' designed to welcome his war veterans.

    At the end of the XVIIth century, the hotel, a true miniature city, governed by a religious & military system, housed up to 400 guests. The soldiers were divided into companies and operated workshops (cobbling, tapestry, illumination). Today, the national institution still persues its initial vocation for which it was founded.

    While at L'Hotel national des Invalides be sure to see:

    1. The Soldier's Church (St. Louis Church)
    2. The Dome Church
    3. The Emperor's Tomb where Napolean's remains were placed
    4. Weapons and Armour from Antiquity to the XVIIth C. (ground floor, west wing)
    5. The First and Second World War Rooms (2nd floor, west wing)
    6. Artillery Dept. (1st floor, west room)
    7. Emblem Dept. (ground floor, east wing)
    8. Vauban Room (French Army from 1680 to present)
    9. Rooms devoted to the Ancient Monarchy
    10. The Revolution & Empire Rooms
    11. The Bugeaud Room
    12. The Chanzy & Pelissier Rooms
    13. The Boutique
    14. The Cafeteria

    HOURS:
    10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from October to March (check for exact dates as they will vary year to year)
    10 a.m. to 5 p.m. April to September
    Napolean's Tomb can be visited until 7 p.m., from June to September.

    Leave a Comment

  • Address: Avenue de Tourville - 75007 Paris
  • Phone: (0)1 44 42 38 77
  • Directions: Esplanade des Invalides --- Subway station: Invalides, Latour-Maubourg, Varenne, Saint-Francois-Xavier Bus Lines no. 28/49/63/69/82/83/87/92 RER: Invalides
  • Website: http://www.invalides.org/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Invalides
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Invalides: Deja Vu at Napolean's tomb
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By bpacker on October 22, 2004
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • Here lies the little emperor - Paris
    Here lies the little
    emperor
    by bpacker
    Send Photo to a Friend
    When you're in Paris, you'll probably suffer from a serious case of jaw ache. I did . Each time I see an astounding piece of architecture, my jaw just drops.

    Yes, it dropped when I saw the golden Mansart's dome at Les Invalides, which was not too far from the Rodin Museum. Somehow, the grandeur of the place and the beautiful surrounding gardents just struck me with its familiarity. True indeed, I later found out that this place, which consists of a complex of museums and monuments as well as a hospital and a retirement home for war veterans was initiated by the Sun King, King Louis XIV in November 24, 1670. The same chap who put the finishing touches to the Versailles palace.

    Of course, I need to mention that this site also holds the notable tomb of Napoleon Bonaparte (1769-1821) in the crypt under Mansart's dome. How fitting, this grand building will fit this little emperor with a great ego pretty well.

    Leave a Comment

  • Address: Esplanade des Invalides , 75007 Paris
  • Directions: Metro: Varenne RER: Invalides Bus: 28, 49, 63, 69, 82, 83, 87, 92
  • Website: http://www.invalides.org/

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Invalides
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Invalides: The Museum of the Order of the Liberation
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By tiabunna on September 30, 2006
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • Façade of the Invalides - Paris
    Façade of the Invalides
    by tiabunna, 1 more photos
    Send Photo to a Friend
    Les Invalides is a huge building complex, originally built at the orders of Louis XIV as a refuge for old and infirm former soldiers. I can only say that Louis' wars must have left an awful lot of them! The façade of the building is nearly 200 metres long and four storeys high. The Invalides now houses four museums, the best known being the Musée de l’Armée, which apparently has a huge display of weapons and armour through the centuries.

    I chose to visit the Museum of the Order of the Liberation, which is in the Robert de Cotte wing of the Invalides, on the western side. Unfortunately there is a rule of no photos, so words will have to suffice. This is clearly not one of the more visited museums, I was one of very few visitors at the time. Entry through the foyer is past a black marble plaque listing the names of the individuals (only 1038), towns and units awarded the Cross of the Liberation, the second highest award in France after the Legion of Honour. Beyond that, there are rooms and galleries to the Free French Forces and their activities in various military theatres. There also is an extensive gallery on the French Resistance which gathered information, assisted people to escape, and assisted aerial operations. It also provided the nucleus for the ‘Maquis’, the fighting part of the operation: on display are sections of rail track and locomotive wheels destroyed by Maquis activities. The museum was making me increasingly depressed so I decided to skip the section about the Deportation – that would have been too much.

    Worth a visit? I suspect it depends on your enthusiasm for things military. A Museum Pass will gain you entry and there are no queues.

    Main photo: Façade of the Invalides
    Second photo: Main entrance to the Invalides.

  • Address: Hôtel Nat. des Invalides 129, rue de Grenelle
  • Phone: Ph/fax 01 47 05 04 10
  • Directions: In the Robert de Cotte wing of the Invalides, on the western side. If you are on foot, just head for the big gilt dome you can see across the Seine from the Place de la Concorde.
  • Website: www.ordredelaliberation.fr

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Invalides
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Invalides: Visit Napoleon
  • Tip Rating:
  • By tiabunna on September 26, 2006
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • Dome of the Invalides - Paris
    Dome of the Invalides
    by tiabunna,
    2 more photos
    Send Photo to a Friend
    ‘Le Petit Caporal’: was he just another megalomaniac, a restless visionary with a plan to unite Europe that was only about 200 years too early, a civil reformer, or even a great general? You could probably buy an argument with any of those propositions, not just in France but in most of the countries he touched with his influence.

    His story is well known through retelling many times in various forms of media. Suffice to say that he died in exile, a prisoner of the British at St Helena Island on 5 May 1821. Was he poisoned as he claimed, or was his death (as recently suggested) a result of stomach cancer? Either way, he was laid to permanent rest here in 1840. His remains rest inside six concentric coffins like a russian doll. These all are enclosed in a huge sculpted porphyry sarcophagus under the gilt Dome of the Invalides. A steady stream of visitors comes, if not to pay respects, at least to visit.

    Main photo: Dome of the Invalides
    Second photo: Napoleon’s sarcophagus under the dome
    Third photo: Inside the dome of the Invalides.

  • Address: Hôtel Nationale des Invalides
  • Directions: You can't miss the huge gilt dome from most of Paris.

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Invalides
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    Invalides: Eglise du Dome
  • Tip Rating:
  • Updated By Diana75 on February 16, 2006
  • Email Me
  • See My Paris Page
  • Send to a Friend
  • Eglise du Dome - the altar - Paris
    Eglise du Dome - the altar
    by Diana75, 3 more photos
    Send Photo to a Friend
    One of the most beautiful parts of Les Invalides is the magnificent Eglise du Dome designed by Jules Hardouin-Mansart and added to the ensemble in 1706.

    The elegant golden cupola, which can be remarked from far away, gives to the whole ensemble a royal aspect.

    The four Virtues lay on the corner of the balustrade.

    The interior, with beautiful painted cupolas and low-relief sculptures, was modified in order to receive Napoleon's body.

    In the six smaller lateral chapels, located on both sides, other tombs of important French people can be found, while the tombs of General Duroc and Bertrand are located at the entrace to the crypt.

  • Directions: M: Invalides (lines 8,13)

    • Add to Your Trip Planner  Post a Question  Write a Tip on Invalides
    Rate      Not Helpful  1   2   3   4   5  Very Helpful
    1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | ... 24
    More Paris Tips
    Overview
         		General Tips
    Tips: 2,380 - Photos: 1,924
    Restaurants
    Tips: 2,459 - Photos: 1,514    		Hotels and Accommodations
    Tips: 1,911 - Photos: 986
    Things To Do
    Tips: 9,663 - Photos: 8,786    		Nightlife
    Tips: 867 - Photos: 596
    Off the Beaten Path
    Tips: 1,645 - Photos: 1,434    		Tourist Traps
    Tips: 486 - Photos: 254
    Warnings or Dangers
    Tips: 746 - Photos: 307    		Transportation
    Tips: 1,517 - Photos: 959
    Local Customs
    Tips: 803 - Photos: 529    		Packing Lists
    Tips: 274 - Photos: 124
    Shopping
    Tips: 772 - Photos: 563    		Sports Travel
    Tips: 105 - Photos: 82
    Flights
    Tips: 94 - Photos: 58

    More Sponsored Links for Paris

    802 Paris Hotels
    Our selection of great hotels in Paris sorted by user rating.

    Paris Vacation Apartments
    90 apartments in the heart of Paris Professionalism + good prices!

    Holiday Inn Paris
    Airport & Downtown locations. Official site. Book online today.

    Search Hotels
    Find the best room rates
    All Paris Hotels

    Check-In Date:


    Check-Out Date:


    Guests

    Hotels by OneTime.com

    Popular Hotels and Accommodations in Paris

    » More Hotels and Accommodations in Paris

    Popular Things To Do in Paris

    » More Things To Do in Paris
    Find:        Matching:  Advanced