Historic Site · Paris, France
Les Invalides
The Hôtel des Invalides, commonly called Les Invalides, is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and an old soldiers' retirement home, the building's original purpose. Built 1671–1687.
Photo: CaBLe27 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0. Cropped and resized for display.
Landmark facts
| Location | Paris, France |
|---|---|
| Type | Historic Site |
| Built | 1671–1687 |
| Architect | Libéral Bruant, Jules Hardouin-Mansart |
| Coordinates | 48.8550° N, 2.3125° E |
Every fact above is taken from the sources listed below; anything no source states is left blank rather than guessed.
What Les Invalides is known for
The Hôtel des Invalides, commonly called Les Invalides, is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and an old soldiers' retirement home, the building's original purpose.
About Les Invalides
The Hôtel des Invalides, commonly called Les Invalides, is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and an old soldiers' retirement home, the building's original purpose. The buildings house the Musée de l'Armée (the museum of the Army of France), the Musée des Plans-Reliefs, and the Musée d'Histoire Contemporaine. The complex also includes the Cathedral of Saint-Louis-des-Invalides, the national cathedral of the French military.
History
Louis XIV initiated the project by an order dated 24 November 1670 to create a home and hospital for aged and disabled (invalide) soldiers, the veterans of his many military campaigns. The initial architect of Les Invalides was Libéral Bruant. The selected site was in the then suburban plain of Grenelle (plaine de Grenelle).
Planning a visit? Visit the official Les Invalides website — the official site has the current visiting information.
How to get there
| Nearest town | Paris |
|---|---|
| Nearest airport | Paris-Orly Airport (ORY) |
| Distance from the airport | 9.0 miles (straight line) |
Nearest major airport by straight-line distance from the landmark’s coordinates; road distance will be longer.
Airports near this landmark
The airports a visitor would actually fly into, nearest first — each link opens its profile on our sister site AirportProfiles.
- Paris-Orly Airport (ORY) · Paris (Orly, Val-de-Marne), France · 8.9 miles away
- Charles de Gaulle International Airport (CDG) · Paris (Roissy-en-France, Val-d'Oise), France · 15.3 miles away
- Beauvais-Tillé airport (BVA) · Beauvais, France · 42.4 miles away
Landmarks nearby
The closest landmarks in this library, by straight-line distance.
More landmarks in France
More historic sites
Frequently asked questions
What is Les Invalides?
The Hôtel des Invalides, commonly called Les Invalides, is a complex of buildings in the 7th arrondissement of Paris, France, containing museums and monuments, all relating to the military history of France, as well as a hospital and an old soldiers' retirement home, the building's original purpose.
Where is Les Invalides located?
Les Invalides is in Paris, France. Its coordinates are 48.8550° N, 2.3125° E.
How do I get to Les Invalides?
The nearest town is Paris, and the nearest airport is Paris-Orly Airport (ORY), about 9.0 miles away (straight line).
When was Les Invalides built?
Les Invalides was built 1671–1687.
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Les_Invalides — Wikipedia article — overview, history and core facts (CC BY-SA).
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q188977 — Wikidata — built year, architect, height/size, visitors, official website (CC0).
- https://www.invalides.fr/ — Official website of the landmark / managing body.
- https://github.com/jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports — Nearest major airport computed from landmark and airport coordinates (haversine); airport list: jbrooksuk/JSON-Airports.
Page last updated 13 November 2026.