Immerse yourself in French military and art history on a private tour of Les Invalides and the Musée Rodin. With an art-expert guide, tour Les Invalides, the 17th-century complex of military museums, churches and tomb of Napoléon Bonaparte. View the armory, models and monuments, and visit the Dôme des Invalides to see Napoleon’s imperious six-coffin sarcophagus. Afterward, explore the galleries and gardens of the Musee Rodin to admire works by the great 19th-century French sculptor and artist Auguste Rodin, including ‘The Thinker’ and ‘The Gates of Hell.’

Private art history walking tour of central Paris
Explore Les Invalides with your art historian guide and admire its monuments and museums
Visit the Rodin Museum and marvel at famous works such as ‘The Thinker’ and ‘The Gates of Hell’
Learn about the many important events that have taken place there over the centuries
Admire the tomb of Napoléon Bonaparte
Discover the 17th-century Royal Church of St Louis

What's Included

Professional art historian guide
All tickets included
Private tour

Gratuities
Food and drinks
Hotel pickup and drop-off

Meeting And Pickup

Meeting point

Les Invalides
129 Rue de Grenelle, 75007 Paris, France
Departure Point: Les Invalides, central Paris Address: Place des Invalides (main entrance to the museum) Rue de Grenelle 75007 Paris Directions: The closest metro stations are La Tour-Maubourg (line 8) and Varenne (line 13) Dates: Daily except Monday

End point

Rodin Museum
77 Rue de Varenne, 75007 Paris, France
Return point: Rodin Museum, central Paris

What To Expect

Make your own way to Les Invalides on the banks of the Seine River in central Paris. Meet your art historian guide and set out on your private walking tour.

Hear how King Louis XIV commissioned Les Invalides in 1676 to provide accommodation to 4,000 disabled war veterans, and learn how it now incorporates several monuments and museums, including the tomb of Napoléon Bonaparte and Musée de l'Armée (Army Museum).

Admire the classical exterior and then explore the main museums, including the Musée de l'Armée and Musée des Plans-Relief (Museum of Relief Maps). Inspect the collections of armory and artillery drawn from the 13th to the 20th centuries, and view the scale models of fortified cities and towns showcased in the relief-map exhibition.

Learn the background to key exhibits and how in 1789, the mobs of the French Revolution broke into the building and stole the weaponry they used to storm the Bastille.

Stroll inside the St Louis-des-Invalides Cathedral, whose walls are hung with historical military banners, and see Napoléon’s tomb in the Dôme des Invalides (Dome Church). View the sarcophagus that holds the military leader’s six coffins and hear how his remains were transferred here in 1861 after his death in exile on St Helena.

Afterward, head along the Boulevard des Invalides to the Musée Rodin (Rodin Museum), where many sculptures and works by the great French artist Auguste Rodin are housed in an 18th-century mansion and gardens.

Follow your guide around the indoor and garden collections, and take in highlights such as the The Thinker and The Kiss as you gain insight into Rodin’s life and work.

Your tour then concludes at the museum.

Musee Rodin

The Musee Rodin is where the entirety of the Private Tour will take place.

3 hours • Admission Ticket Included

Additional Info

Confirmation will be received at time of booking
Not wheelchair accessible
A moderate amount of walking is involve; please wear appropriate footwear
Stroller accessible
Service animals allowed

Near public transportation
No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
This is a private tour/activity. Only your group will participate

Cancellation Policy

You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.

For a full refund, you must cancel at least 24 hours before the experience’s start time.
If you cancel less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time, the amount you paid will not be refunded.

Any changes made less than 24 hours before the experience’s start time will not be accepted.
Cut-off times are based on the experience’s local time.

Reviews

4.0

8 reviews

Total review count and overall rating based on Viator and Tripadvisor reviews

Reviews by Viator travelers.

Showing 1-7 of 8 reviews

The tour guide is extremely...

Eugene N, Aug 2018

The tour guide is extremely knowledgeable, however, the bad review is for the price of the tour. For a party of two the cost is over 200 for a tour which ended up being a 2 hour walking tour of Napoleon's tomb and Rodin's museum. I just feel you would get the same value with an audio headset at a much lower price. The military museum was also not included in the tour. As I said the tour guide is exceptional and very knowledgeable, but is very expensive for what you get.

The Tour kind was knowledgeable, kind...

norman_k, Aug 2018

The Tour kind was knowledgeable, kind , funny - we loves her

Our guide was charming and...

Jenny B, Apr 2017

Our guide was charming and knowledgeable, we really enjoyed the tour and would definitely recommend it. My husband, our children ages 20 and 17 all had a good time and learned a lot.

Private tour, just the four of us...

Ken P, Apr 2016

Private tour, just the four of us and brilliant. Les invalids and Napoleon was great and the Rodin tour topped it off.

This tour is a must. Selina was...

Mark R, Oct 2015

This tour is a must. Selina was amazing, and the whole experience was relaxed and highly informative. Be prepared for a lot of walking.

Our guide Gwen Cairou did a great...

Meeks V, Jul 2015

Our guide Gwen Cairou did a great job of listening to the topics we wanted to cover most and going into great depth on those: Napoleon, WW1 and WW2. We spent four rich hours at Les Invalides and would welcome the chance to visit another site with Gwen. Highly recommended.

Vale realmente la pena tomar este tour...

JAQUELINE_F, Jan 2017

Vale realmente la pena tomar este tour. Hermoso lugar !