Musée de la Légion étrangère

About the museum

The Foreign Legion Museum descends from the honor room of the 1st Foreign Regiment, created in 1892 in Sidi bel-Abbès, Algeria. It took its current name in the mid-1930s. After the Legion left Algeria from 1962, the collections were first kept at Puyloubier, and then a new museum opened in 1966 at the Camp de la Demande in Aubagne.

The museum was reorganized in 2003 and received the Musée de France label in 2011. It closed in 2012 for an extension that doubled its area; it was symbolically inaugurated on April 30, 2013, and reopened to the public in May 2014.

The permanent circuit follows the Legion's history from 1831 to 2000, then covers a range of themes. The visit ends in the honor room and the crypt, which bears the names of Legion officers killed in combat and where Captain Danjou's wooden hand is kept. The museum also hosts temporary exhibitions and a historical documentation center, accessible with authorization.

Highlights

• Free admission
• Permanent circuit on the history of the Foreign Legion, 1831 to 2000
• Honor room and crypt with Captain Danjou's wooden hand
• Free guided tours in French and English
• Tourisme & Handicap label for three types of disability

Permanent exhibition

• Parcours permanent sur l'histoire de la Légion étrangère – A chronological circuit from 1831 to 2000, followed by themes, with uniforms, weapons and objects, and an honor room with crypt.

Founded

1934

Operated by

Légion étrangère (armée de Terre)

Visitors per year

approx. 26,081 (2019)

Admission & discounts

Admission is free.

Free admission; guided tours are also free.

Accessibility

• Wheelchair accessible
• Elevator: no information
• Accessible restroom
• Accessible parking
• Service dogs welcome: no information
• Tactile models & exhibits: no information
• Sign language tours: no information
• Easy-to-read materials: no information
• Audio description: no information

Reserved parking spaces, access by a ramp, accessible toilets, a walking stick with a seat on loan at reception, and benches along the route. Written materials and a visual alarm for visitors who are deaf or hard of hearing; reception adapted for mental disabilities. The museum holds the Tourisme & Handicap label for three types of disability.

Kids & families

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Getting there & parking

The museum is on the Chemin de la Thuilière, signposted at the junction with the departmental road CD2. The nearest motorway exit is less than 5 km away.

Amenities & dining

• Museum shop

Shop on site. Parking for cars and coaches.

Events & venue rental

The museum hasn’t published any information on this.

Plan your visit