Located in the seventh arrondissement, Les Invalides is one of Paris’ most recognizable landmarks, and welcomes millions of visitors each year. In addition to its practical functions, the complex also contains three museums: the Musée de l’Armée (one of the world’s biggest collections dedicated to military history and art), the Musée des Plans-Reliefs (which contains historical models of fortified cities), and the Musée de l’Ordre de la Libération (a small museum that explores the French Resistance during World War II).
The jewel of Les Invalides is the Dôme des Invalides, which was inspired by St. Peter’s Basilica in Rome. Considered a masterpiece of French Baroque architecture, the church’s gilded dome is, at 351 feet (107 meters) high, the loftiest in Paris. Within, the church houses the tombs of notable figures—most famously that of Napoleon Bonaparte. For those looking to explore further, Les Invalides is a frequent stop on hop-on hop-off bus tours; walking tour itineraries, meanwhile, make it simpler to navigate the enormous site, and also frequently include skip-the-line privileges.