Yes, both fit into a morning, and it’s actually the best way to do them. The Invalides and the Rodin Museum are neighbors in the 7th, a combined ticket for €26 covers both, and the sequence works: first the monumental, then the garden. It’s the itinerary we most often give at the front desk, so we might as well write it down properly.
We are at 5 Avenue Duquesne. For exact walking times, ask us on the morning of your visit rather than relying on an estimate: we prefer to give you the exact figure.
Start with the Army Museum, at opening
The Army Museum opens daily from 10 am to 6 pm, and the ticket office closes thirty minutes before the sites. Arriving at 10 am really changes the visit: the Dome is almost empty during the first hour, which is no longer true later in the day.
Full price is €17, reduced price €12 under conditions. One ticket gives access to the Dome church, Napoleon I’s tomb, the permanent collections, the current temporary exhibition, the Liberation Order museum and the Relief Maps museum. That’s a lot for a single ticket, and that’s precisely the trap: nobody does everything in one morning. If you have to choose, take the Dome and the Relief Maps, those fortified‑city models commissioned by Louis XIV that most visitors miss for lack of time.
The museum closes three days a year: January 1, May 1 and December 25.
An audio guide is included in the ticket, no download needed: connect to the Wi‑Fi network “Musee_Armee” and scan the QR codes in the rooms. Bring your headphones. Devices are also loaned for free at the reception desks from 10 am to 4:45 pm, on presentation of ID and while stock lasts.
What’s free at the Invalides
The Cour d’Honneur and the Saint‑Louis Cathedral of the Invalides are free entry, no ticket required. If you only have an hour, or you’re traveling with children who won’t endure a full museum, the courtyard alone is worth the detour: rows of cannons under the arcades, and the calm of a military courtyard in the middle of the 7th.
Two entrances serve the museum, 129 Rue de Grenelle and Place Vauban. They are not equal depending on where you come from. Ask us which to take, we’ll tell you in ten seconds.
Night openings on the first Friday
The Army Museum opens for night visits until 10 pm every first Friday of the month, ticket office closed at 9 pm, price €10. It’s the best deal in the area and the most pleasant version of the visit. If your stay includes a first Friday, keep the Invalides for the evening and free up your morning.
Follow with the Rodin Museum, garden included
The Rodin Museum is closed on Monday; it is open Tuesday through Sunday. Check the day’s closing time on the museum’s website before you go, it varies by season and will spare you a late‑afternoon surprise.
The museum occupies the Hôtel Biron, and the main attraction is outside, in the sculpture garden. The Thinker, the Burghers of Calais and the Gates of Hell are installed outdoors. That’s why we recommend this order: after two hours of indoor rooms at the Invalides, a garden is exactly what you need, and you won’t be watching the clock.
Regarding closures, the museum is closed January 1, May 1 and December 25. On December 24 and 31 it closes early at 5:30 pm, last entry 4:45 pm. If you are staying with us for the holidays, note this: it’s the most common inconvenience that week.
Which ticket to take
| Ticket | Price | What it covers |
|---|---|---|
| Army Museum, full price | €17 | Dome, Napoleon I’s tomb, permanent collections, temporary exhibition, Liberation Order, Relief Maps |
| Army Museum, night | €10 | First Fridays of the month, until 10 pm |
| Combined Army Museum & Rodin Museum | €26 | Both museums, skip‑the‑line access |
| Combined Rodin Museum & Orsay Museum | €21 | Both museums |
| Cour d’Honneur and Saint‑Louis Cathedral | free | No ticket required |
The €26 combined ticket is the right choice in almost every case: it saves you a few euros and, more importantly, avoids a line. If you prefer to spend your afternoon at Orsay rather than the Invalides, the Rodin‑Orsay combo at €21 is the other viable option.
Book a slot online on the official Army Museum ticketing site: you’ll enter without queuing at the box office. The on‑site box office is open daily from 10 am to 5:30 pm, and until 9 pm on night‑opening evenings.
And after
If you return to us late morning, our bar is ready: classic cocktails in a discreet lounge, a reasonable way to finish two museums. We’ll save you a seat.
One final practical note: these prices and hours are those published by the museums at the time of writing. Both institutions adjust their programming during the year, and we’ll gladly check for you the day before.