Paris

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Les Invalides & Musée de l’Armée

esplanade des Invalides, 7th

Its imposing gilded dome is misleading: the Hôtel des Invalides was (and in part still is) a hospital, commissioned by Louis XIV for wounded soldiers (the main façade has a relief of Louis XIV and the Sun King’s sunburst). The complex contains two connecting churches: the Eglise St-Louis was for the soldiers, the Eglise du Dôme for the king. Since 1840 the latter has been dedicated to the worship of Napoléon, whose body supposedly lies here. Included in the entry price is the excellent Musée de l’Armée, the Paris equivalent of London’s Imperial War Museum. For the military historian, the Musée is a must, but even if uniforms and cannons aren’t your thing, the building itself is splendid.

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