Chapelle Expiatoire

The Basics

Though the famed couple are now laid to rest at the Saint Denis Basilica, the altar in Chapelle Expiatoire crypt marks the precise place from which the couple was exhumed. Enter this landmark, along with dozens more of the city’s top attractions (such as the monarch’s former palace home at Versailles) for free with a Paris Museum Pass or Paris Pass. Passes also allow you to skip-the-line at must-see places such as the Louvre Museum and Centre Pompidou. Passes come in 2-6-day versions and include unlimited public transportation on select services, and free sightseeing tours such as hop-on hop-off buses and a cruise along the Seine.

Things to Know Before You Go

• Chapelle Expiatoire is an ideal monument for French history buffs.
• Adult admission is about US$7 for adults; entry is free if you have a Paris Museum Pass or Paris Pass, which is the unlimited version of the pass.
• Every other Thursday, the chapel offers free guided tours in French, English, and Spanish.

How to Get There

Chapelle Expiatoire is located along Rue Pasquier in Paris’s 8th arrondissement and is surrounded by Métro stations (Saint-Augustin, Gare St Lazare, Havre-Caumartin, and Madeleine) serviced by the 3, 8, 9, 12, 13, 14 lines. Bus lines 32, 43,49, 84 and 94 also make stops nearby.

When to Get There

Chapelle Expiatoire is open Tuesday through Saturday (October to March) and Thursday through Saturday (April through September). From 12:30pm to 1:30pm, the monument is closed for lunch. Come in the early mornings or early evenings, when you’ll most likely have the chapel to yourself.

Grand and Petit Trianon at Versailles Palace

Enhance your experience at Chapelle Expiatoire by making a trip to Versailles, the palace of Louis XIV and Marie-Antoinette. Within the grounds, don’t miss Grand Trianon, the king’s getaway from the pressures of court life. Petit Trianon was the domain of his young wife where she created a surreal recreation of a French village, and famously guarded her privacy within the lush confines of her “moving mirror room,” where an ingenious set of mobile wood panels kept the world at bay.

Ways to explore

Enter this landmark, along with dozens more of the city’s top attractions, for free with a Paris Museum Pass or Paris Pass Plus: Both passes are available in durations from two to six days. Or you might choose to visit with a guide, as a number of history-focused tours explore the chapel, including those focused on Napoleon III’s Paris. Along with the grand neoclassical frontage and the sculptures of deceased royalty, highlights include the lower chapel, where bones from the old cemetery are immured within the walls.

Accessibility

The chapel is not wheelchair accessible.

Age limits

None

What to pack

Bring a layer when visiting churches in the summer; temperatures can be on the cool side, plus it helps with modesty.

What to wear

This is a place of worship and mourning, so keep the spaghetti straps and short-shorts at home.

Not allowed

Leave the “jumping for joy” poses for the Eiffel Tower.

Amenities

Restrooms, shop

Address

The Chapelle Expiatoire is located off Boulevard Haussmann in Paris’ 8th arrondissement, about 1.5 miles (2.5 kilometers) east of the Arc de Triomphe.

Driving

Driving in Paris is not for the faint of heart, and parking is difficult. Make like a local and walk, bike, or use public transportation, or take a taxi or a rideshare.

Public transportation

The nearest metro station is Saint-Augustin (line 9), but Havre-Caumartin (lines 3 and 9) and Madeleine (lines 8, 12, and 14) are just a 5-minute walk away. So is Gare St. Lazare (lines 3, 12, 13, and 14), which has trains to Paris’ western suburbs and beyond.

Best times to visit

During the summer season (April through September), the chapel is open 10am–12:30pm and 1:30pm–6:30pm; during the cooler months, it’s open 10am–12:30pm and 1:30pm–5pm.

Best days to visit

The chapel is closed on Sundays and Mondays during the summer season, and Sundays, Mondays, and Tuesdays during the winter season. Saturdays are the busiest days.

Best months to visit

The Chapelle Expiatoire sometimes closes for private events, so check the website before visiting during wedding season.

Special events

Festivals and special events: French Royalists hold a commemorative mass for Louis XVI each year on the Sunday closest to January 21, the anniversary of his death and of the foundation of the chapel.