My review of the Les Invalides ticket
Verdict: this is the ticket nine visitors in ten need, and the only essential one. It opens everything the free part leaves shut: the Dôme by Hardouin-Mansart and Napoleon’s tomb, the Army Museum collections, the relief maps under the roof, the Order of the Liberation and the Charles de Gaulle Historial. Rated 4.6 across more than ten thousand reviews. The real issue is not the quality of the ticket, it is how much time you had planned.
What the ticket really opens
You walk onto the site freely, and the ticket is checked further in, at the museum doors and at the door of the Dôme. From there everything changes character: you go from an architectural complex you walk through to a stack of collections that takes hours. The Dôme first, with its cupola painted by Charles de La Fosse and the open crypt cut in 1842 below the rail. Then the armour, one of the finest sequences in Europe. Then the Louis XIV–Napoleon III story, with the Saint Helena objects. Then the two World Wars, across several floors.
And two things half of all visitors never see: the relief maps in the attics, and the Museum of the Order of the Liberation. Both are on the same ticket. The full detail is on the ticket page.
Included
- The Dôme, the royal church and the tomb of Napoleon I
- The permanent collections of the Army Museum
- The Museum of Relief Maps, under the roof
- The Order of the Liberation and the Charles de Gaulle Historial
- The temporary exhibitions currently running
Not included
- The courtyard and the cathedral, which are free anyway
- The multimedia guide, taken separately on site
- Large bags and suitcases, which are not accepted
- The Rodin Museum, a neighbour but independent
What recurs in the reviews
Three themes, and they repeat with striking regularity. The first is duration. Visitors say they came for an hour and spent three, often without seeing everything. That is not a criticism of the place, it is a misunderstanding about what you are buying: you think you are buying a ticket to a tomb, you are buying a ticket to four museums. I wrote a whole page to prevent it.
The second is arrival time. Those who come early or late describe a quiet Dôme and low light; those who arrive around midday describe a rail occupied continuously. It is the only space on the site where crowding really changes the experience: see the best time to come.
The third is disappointed expectations, among a steady minority: visitors who only wanted to see the tomb and find themselves in a vast military museum whose size and subject they had not planned for. That is an honest review, and those are exactly the people I wrote the is-it-worth-it page for.
What works
- One ticket for the Dôme, the tomb and four museums
- Valid all day: you can go out for lunch and come back
- No time slot, so no risk from running late
- Clear bilingual labels, among the best in Paris
Worth knowing
- No commentary included: the museum has to be read
- The scale surprises people: allow two hours minimum
- Non-refundable ticket
- Some spaces close on the first Monday of the month
Who it is for, and who it is not for
For: anyone coming to Les Invalides for the tomb, and anyone interested in classical architecture. Families with children of seven to fourteen too: the armour works very well, and under-18s get in free.
Not for: if military history leaves you cold and you only have one day in Paris, walk through the great courtyard for nothing and keep your time for something else. I would rather write that than sell a ticket to someone who will be bored.
Book this ticket
Day-by-day availability is below.
Frequently asked questions
Is the tomb included?
Yes, at no extra cost: the Dôme is part of the route this ticket opens.
How long should you allow?
Two to four hours. One hour is enough for the Dôme alone: see the how-long page.
Does the ticket impose a time slot?
No, it is valid for the whole day and you go in when you like.