Les Invalides

The next place on the list of most beautiful historical sites in France is Les Invalides. Les Invalides, or Hôtel des Invalides as it was originally known, is a collection of buildings on Paris's Left Bank with a long military history. In order to honor the sacrifices made by war veterans, Louis XIV had the hôtel erected in the 1670s to serve as a residence and hospital for aging and ailing soldiers who had nowhere else to go. The rabble that seized the Bastille also looted their weaponry here. The vast estate covers 196 meters of riverbank and has fifteen courtyards among its various structures (including a chapel).

Les Invalides is still used as a hospital and retirement home today, but it also includes a number of monuments and museums related to French war history, as well as the headquarters of the military governor of Paris and the iconic Dôme des Invalides, the cathedral where Napoleon lies entombed.

Location: Paris, France