A day under the Empire

Tour of Les Invalides and the Maison d’Éducation de la Légion d'Honneur in Saint-Denis.

This offer is for groups and allows visitors to discover two places related to the Napoleon legend:

Les Invalides: the imperial legend and Grande Armée are recalled through personal mementos of the Emperor (frock coat, cocked hat, Austerlitz sword, portrait of Napoleon by Ingres), uniforms and symbolic weapons of the different units of the Grande Armée and marshals of the Empire. You will learn about Napoleonic strategy via descriptions of famous battles: victories (like Austerlitz in 1805) but also defeats (the Russian campaign in 1812) up until the first abdication in 1814.

The tour will end with a visit to the Dôme church which has housed the Emperor's impressive tomb since 1861. This tomb was designed by Visconti.

The former royal abbey of Saint-Denis: founded in the seventh century and completed in the eighteenth century during the reign of Louis XV, it was turned into a Legion of Honour Girls School by Napoleon. It now educates 500 pupils. The architectural ensemble, still marked by the former abbey buildings, looks on to extensive grounds and constitutes a magical setting right in the heart of the town.

Including lunch.

Length of tour: 6h00