A deliberate void
Left before the building so it could be seen whole from a distance.
William Jexpire — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Eric Gaba (Sting - fr:Sting) — CC BY-SA 2.5 · Francisco Anzola — CC BY 2.0 · Anonyme, photographe — CC0
A wide rectangular green space running from the front of the Hôtel des Invalides north to the Seine, about five hundred metres long. The design is deliberate: the architect Libéral Bruant wanted the building seen from a distance without obstruction in the seventeenth century, so a complete void was left before it. The result is that the golden dome of the Invalides appears whole from across the river and from the Pont Alexandre III. This is a recurring principle in Paris: long visual axes. From here an axis runs across the bridge to the Champs-Élysées, part of a network of straight lines linking the city's monuments, planned across centuries. The esplanade today is a public space Parisians use for running, football and sitting, and seasonal events and markets are held on it. A public space, open and free; entry to the Army Museum and Napoleon's tomb inside the building is ticketed.
Left before the building so it could be seen whole from a distance.
A straight line across the bridge to the Champs-Élysées.
Unlike many of Paris's fenced gardens.
Between the Invalides and the Seine
Pont Alexandre IIIParis has thirty-seven bridges over the Seine, and only one everybody agrees is 4 min walk
Musée de l'ArméeThrough the wings of Les Invalides runs the French Army Museum — one of the worl6 min walk
Petit PalaisThe best cultural bargain in all Paris stands opposite the Grand Palais, and mos7 min walk
Grand PalaisThe Grand Palais was built for the 1900 World's Fair "to the glory of French art7 min walk
Tomb of NapoleonBeneath the highest golden dome in Paris, in an open circular crypt designed so 8 min walkLooking for halal food near The Esplanade des Invalides? There are several options nearby, from Moroccan and Indian kitchens to quick casual spots and places with a view. Confirm the halal status and opening hours before you go — these can change.
New JawadHalalNew Jawad is an Indo-Pakistani restaurant on Avenue Rapp, a short walk from the 11 min walk · $$$
Ministry of SpiceHalalModern halal Indian cooking, the sit-down option for an unhurried dinner. About 14 min walk · $$$
Berkeley GardenHalalHalal Indian cooking that suits families and group dinners, about eight minutes'10 min walk · $$$
Snack&RushHalalHalal fast food at budget prices, about five minutes' walk from the tower. The m19 min walk · $NouraHalalNoura is not a discovery; it is the institution every Arab visitor to Paris has 17 min walk · $$$
Paris Marriott Champs-ÉlyséesThe Paris Marriott Champs-Élysées is one of a very small number of hotels with a16 min walk · $$$
Four Seasons George VThe George V is the benchmark the rest of luxury Paris is measured against. It o16 min walk · $$$$
Prince de GallesThe Prince de Galles is a direct neighbour of the George V on the same avenue, b16 min walk · $$$$A complex built by Louis XIV in 1670 as a hospital and home for wounded and elderly soldiers — an entirely new purpose in that age, when disabled soldiers were left to beg. It housed four thousand residents. Today it holds the Army Museum, among the world's most important military history museums, and the domed church to which Napoleon's remains were brought in 1840 and placed in a coffin of six layers.
Paris's most ornate bridge, built for the world exhibition of 1900 and named after the Russian tsar to mark the Franco-Russian alliance. A single steel arch spans the Seine without a central support — a condition imposed by the planning to preserve the visual axis between the Invalides and the Champs-Élysées. It is decorated with gilded statues, columns and Art Nouveau lamps. Walking across it is among the finest sights in Paris.
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