The 500-metre-long Esplanade des Invalides is nestled in the heart of the 7th arrondissement of Paris. It is bordered to the south by the Hôtel des Invalides and to the north by the Seine. Created at the beginning of the 18th century by the architect Robert de Cotte, the esplanade is sown with lawns and bordered by several rows of trees. The various courtyards of the Hôtel National des Invalides have formal gardens, such as the Intendant’s garden and the Abundance garden. A large green gap follows the Avenue de Breteuil, the Esplanade du Souvenir-Français, which starts at the Saint-François-Xavier church and ends at the Invalides.