Avenue Duquesne: where exactly is it, and which metro line serves it

We are at number 5, right at the start of the avenue, on the Place de l'École-Militaire and Avenue de Tourville side. The other end, 750 meters away, opens onto Rue Éblé and the Saint-François-Xavier church. The avenue is 36 meters wide, which explains the calm: it is a broad street, lined with buildings and government offices rather than shops, in a neighborhood that empties out in the evening.

For the metro, line 13 serves the area at Saint-François-Xavier station, at the southern end of the avenue. On the other side of the Hôtel des Invalides, Invalides station hosts lines 8 and 13.

The name comes from Abraham Duquesne (1610-1688), lieutenant-general of the naval armies. The avenue was built in three stages: a first section opened in 1858 between Avenue de La Motte-Picquet and Avenue de Ségur, a second was cut through in 1863 up to Avenue de Breteuil, and the whole was named Avenue Duquesne in 1864. The last part, between Place El Salvador and Rue Éblé, was opened in 1874 to clear the approaches to the Saint-François-Xavier church.

What you see as you walk up the avenue: at number 14, the building housing the ministries for Social Affairs and Health, built in 1930 by architect Guillaume Tronchet. At number 29, a plaque pays tribute to Alexandre Druhot, who died during the Liberation of Paris. At number 20 were the residence and studio of painter Henry Lerolle. And on August 6, 1918, a shell fired by the Big Bertha exploded at number 34.

It is therefore an administrative and residential address, not a nightlife street. Our guests looking for liveliness find it further away, on Rue Cler or in Saint-Germain; those seeking a quiet night are in the right place. For the rest, we have a bar, speakeasy-style, with classic cocktails.