How busy is Napoleon's Tomb?
The Musée de l'Armée as a whole had close to 1.5 million visitors last year, and almost every one of them walks through the Dôme at some point, because the tomb is the one thing nobody skips. The museum galleries are big enough to swallow a crowd; the Dôme isn't. It's a single round church with one viewing balcony around the open crypt, so when two or three coach groups arrive together the balustrade fills up and the guides' voices bounce off the marble.
The pattern is predictable. Groups tend to come between late morning and mid-afternoon, often doing the Dôme first because it's their headline stop. Independent visitors who arrive at the 10 am opening and go straight to the Dôme usually find it calm, and the last hour before closing is quiet again as groups move on to the Eiffel Tower.
Crowds by time of day
Crowds through the year
Expect the busiest weeks around Easter, July and August, the French school holidays and the European Heritage Days in September. Around 14 July the Invalides area is tied up with Bastille Day preparations, and the site is used for national ceremonies through the year, which occasionally close parts of it at short notice. Weekday mornings from November to March are the quietest time of all.
Crowds by day and time
From the typical weekly visitor pattern for Napoleon's Tomb, based on Google’s popular-times data.
Least busy time
Sunday, 10 am-12 pm
Busiest time
Tuesday, 11 am-6 pm
Tickets and prices
Napoleon's Tomb isn't sold on its own. The Dôme church is part of the Musée de l'Armée, so the standard "Museum and exhibitions" ticket covers the tomb, the permanent collections, the current temporary exhibition, the Musée de l'Ordre de la Libération and the Musée des Plans-Reliefs.
How to skip the queue for the tomb
There's no "skip-the-line" product that beats everyone else into the Dôme. What you can skip is the ticket desk, and the way to do it is simple: arrive with a ticket already on your phone, or with a Paris Museum Pass, and go through security straight to the entrance.
- Buy your ticket online the night before, or use the Museum Pass. No time slot is needed.
- Walk to the Place Vauban entrance, on the south side, under the gold dome. It's the closest door to the tomb and has its own ticket office.
- Be there at 10 am and go to the Dôme before anything else. You'll have the crypt balustrade almost to yourself for half an hour.
- Then cross to the Cour d'Honneur for the Army Museum galleries, which can absorb the late-morning crowds.
- Or come on a first Friday evening, when the whole site stays open until 10 pm for €10 and the ticket offices close at 9 pm.
The Dôme isn't step-free
The museum says the Dôme church is not accessible to visitors with disabilities because of its inside and outside staircases. The Esplanade entrance at 129 Rue de Grenelle is the step-free way into the rest of the museum, and wheelchairs can be borrowed at both ticket desks.
What you'll see in the Dôme
Jules Hardouin-Mansart started the Dôme as Louis XIV's royal chapel in 1677, and its gilded dome was the tallest thing in Paris until the Eiffel Tower. Napoleon turned it into a pantheon of military glory, and after King Louis-Philippe brought his remains back from Saint Helena, the architect Louis Visconti dug an open circular crypt under the dome so visitors look down on the tomb from above. Napoleon was laid in it on 2 April 1861.
1. The sarcophagus from the balustrade
Start at the upper level. The huge reddish-purple sarcophagus is usually called porphyry but is actually Shoksha quartzite from Russian Karelia, set on a green granite base from the Vosges. From up here you see the star-patterned mosaic floor around it and the scale of the whole thing.
2. Down into the crypt
Stairs behind the altar lead down to the crypt entrance, guarded by two bronze atlantes. A circular gallery runs around the tomb with twelve colossal Victories by James Pradier, each representing a campaign, and ten marble reliefs by Pierre-Charles Simart celebrating Napoleon's civil achievements, such as the Civil Code. In the inner room at the back stands Simart's statue of Napoleon in coronation robes; Napoleon II, "the Eaglet", lies beneath a slab in front of it.
3. The side chapels
Back upstairs, the chapels around the church hold the tombs of Napoleon's brothers Joseph and Jérôme Bonaparte, Marshal Foch (in a striking bronze group carried by soldiers), Marshal Lyautey, Vauban and Generals Bertrand and Duroc. Most visitors photograph the sarcophagus and leave, so the chapels stay quiet even at busy times.
4. The view through to the soldiers' church
Tomb only, or the whole museum?
You pay the same €17 either way, so most people should at least add the Louis XIV-Napoleon galleries in the Army Museum, across the Cour d'Honneur. They hold his uniforms and campaign equipment and a stuffed white horse displayed as Vizir, his last mount (the museum itself is careful about whether it's the original animal). If time is short, here's how to split it:
For the full museum, see our Musée de l'Armée guide and the Les Invalides overview.
Tips by visitor type
Families
Children and teenagers are free, so a family visit costs just the adults' tickets. The Dôme holds kids' attention for about 20 minutes; the cannons in the courtyard and the armour galleries are the bigger hit. Strollers can go in the cloakroom with your ticket.
Short on time
Come at 10 am, enter at Place Vauban, do the crypt and the side chapels, and you'll be out in 45 minutes. A 4-5 pm visit works too, but remember the tills close at 5:30 pm.
Wheelchair users
Unfortunately the Dôme is officially not accessible because of steps inside and outside. The rest of the museum is reached from the Esplanade entrance on Rue de Grenelle, and the museum has a dedicated disabled visitors page with current access details.
Photographers
The best overhead shot of the sarcophagus is from the balustrade at opening time, before people line the rail. Outside, the classic view of the gold dome is from Avenue de Breteuil to the south.
Getting there
The Dôme faces Place Vauban, at the southern end of the Invalides complex in the 7th arrondissement. The museum's postal address is 129 Rue de Grenelle, which is the Esplanade (north) side.
Bags up to 55 × 35 × 25 cm can be left free in the cloakroom with your ticket, along with coats, umbrellas and scooters.
FAQs
How much does it cost to see Napoleon's Tomb?
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€17 for adults with the Musée de l'Armée ticket, which includes the tomb and the whole museum. The reduced rate is €12, EU nationals and residents aged 18-25 pay €5, and under 18s are free.
Can you visit Napoleon's Tomb without visiting the Army Museum?
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You can choose to see only the Dôme, but there's no cheaper tomb-only ticket. The same ticket covers both.
Is Napoleon's Tomb included in the Paris Museum Pass?
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Yes. The pass covers the Musée de l'Armée, including the Dôme and the tomb, and you don't need to book a time.
Do I need to book Napoleon's Tomb in advance?
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No time slot is required. Buying online just lets you skip the ticket desk; bring the ticket on your phone or printed.
What are Napoleon's Tomb opening hours?
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Heading to Napoleon's Tomb?
See how busy it is right now and the quietest hours for your date, then walk in when the line is short.
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How we research: every guide is written by the BeatTheCrowd team from official sources and recent traveller reports, cross-checked against each other, and dated so you know how fresh it is. Last checked 10 November 2026. Prices and rules change, so always confirm on the official site before you book.
