Champs-Élysées

The Champs-Élysées extends over 1.9km (6233,6 ft) with a width of 70m (229.7 ft). It is part of the visual axis Axe historique. The prestigious avenue is located in the 8th Arrondissement and stretches from the Place de la Concorde with the noteworthy obelisk to the Place Charles de Gaulle, where the Arc de Triomphe stands in a 'star' formed by 12 streets. The avenue attracts 300,000 visitors a day, more than 70% of whom are tourists. The eight lanes of the road are on average driven by 3,000 cars an hour. However, the first Sunday of every month is car-free.

Paris wants to make the Champs-Élysées greener and therefore started a project in 2021 to transform the avenue into an extraordinary garden. This involves planting trees and gardens and providing benches for lingering.

The Comité des Champs-Élysées tries to maintain the prestige of the grand avenue and has a right of veto regarding the opening of new stores. The committee still wants to prevent McDonalds and Starbucks. The committee has also successfully fought against the opening of an H&M store to this day, the oldest existing committee in Paris.

On the Champs-Élysées, luxury stores line up one after another. A 100m² (1076.4 sq ft) retail space costs €900,000 a year. Therefore, only the biggest and most successful companies set up shop on the avenue.

One of the most traditional establishments is the store of Maison Guerlain, which has been located at Champs-Élysées 68 since 1913. The architect Peter Marino has turned the store into a charming cabinet of curiosities, dedicated to art and artists. The fragrance Champs-Élysées was created here. My highlight is the huge chandelier, which stretches from the ceiling to the floor in the middle of the spiral staircase and hangs at Tiffany & Co. at number 62. Also, the facades of Dior Headquarters (No. 103) and Yves Saint Laurent (No. 123) stand out - in my opinion, but not really in a positive sense. The world's largest Louis Vuitton store is at number 101 and resembles a cathedral. The Galeries Lafayette is a luxurious department store with unique interior architecture, where you can shop until you drop. On the rooftop terrace, visitors have a wonderful view of Paris and the Eiffel Tower.

My wallet is unfortunately too small, but if you want to shop for designer fashion, this is the place to be. For down jackets from Moncler, we head to No. 119. A polo shirt from Lacoste can be found at No. 50. A Longchamp bag you snatch at No. 77 and beautiful dresses, typical for Paris, we find at Maje at the house No. 35. Also, German fashion from BOSS is represented at No. 117. Furthermore, you find jewelers Cartier or Mauboussin on the point street. In front of Chanel, Christian Dior, or Versace, you may well find yourself in queues. I prefer to go window shopping here.

For visitors like me, who only bring a smaller budget to the Champs-Élysées, there are also Prêt-à-porter shops. At Sephora at No. 72, you can find a selection of makeup and perfume. Nike, Adidas, and Zara are also present on the Champs-Élysées. In the store of the famous Paris soccer club PSG, you can buy fan merchandise, unless you're visiting Parc des Princes (Paris Saint-Germain stadium), the legendary stadium of Paris Saint-Germain (PSG), on your Paris trip anyway.

The only casino in Paris, named Paris Elysées Club, is located on the Champs-Élysées. At Le Duplex Club, you can party every evening, and on Wednesdays, even with free admission. In Planches, the young elite celebrates Thursday, Friday, and Saturday at various theme nights. The club Raspoutine started as a Russian cabaret in 1965. Today, it is a legendary club with a theatrical atmosphere.

The queues in front of the well-known hotspots get longer each year, yet a visit to one of the restaurants on the Champs-Élysées is indispensable. Here you can enjoy with all your senses on huge terraces or in tastefully decorated rooms within an exceptional setting.

At Maison Ladurée, you can find the best macarons in all of Paris. Pay a visit to the restaurant & café at house number 75 and discover the elegant establishment with the small treats and the green Belle Époque façade.

If you want to catch a glimpse of a famous actor, or even a look at the French President, your best bet is Le Fouquet. The € 29 for a rather small portion of chicken sandwich was too much for me, though, and I walked on.

Michelin-starred restaurants like L’Atelier Étoile, Copenhague, or Ledoyen are there for an evening meal on the avenue. At Publicis Drugstore, you can enjoy the legendary Club Sandwich. At Alsace, you get Alsatian dishes like sauerkraut from the eastern region in France or snails and Fruits de Mer. Scandinavian specialties are available at Flora Danica, the Nordic institution in Paris. The fish is carefully selected by the chef, and in the summer, you enjoy the dishes on the exceptional terrace amidst quiet greenery.

Between cinemas, theaters, and exhibition spaces, you're spoilt for choice.

Historic cinemas from the 30s and arthouse cinemas invite visitors to get comfortable in dark rooms. Well-known addresses for this include Elysée Lincoln, UGC Normandie, UGV George V, and Gaumont Champs-Élysées. A particularly unique cinema experience is had at MK2 inside Grand Palais.

In the monumental Grand Palais, built for the 1900 World's Fair, you'll find exhibitions alongside the cinema. The main hall is also used for events. Opposite is the Petit Palais, an art museum that also opened in 1900 and has been used as a museum since 1902.

At Théâtre du Rond-Point, Théâtre Marigny, Espace Pierre Cardin, or Théâtre des Champs-Élysées you'll find contemporary as well as classic theater productions. The world's most popular revue theater, Lido, hosted spectacular shows filled with international artists until 2022. Even Josephine Baker, Édith Piaf, and Elton John have performed here.

Near the Place de la Concorde, you'll find the Jardins de Champs-Élysées. There, alongside theaters, stand also the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais. André Le Notre designed the gardens as an extension of the Jardin des Tuileries that lies between the Louvre Museum and Place de la Concorde. The gardens house statues, monuments, and fountains alongside ancient and exotic trees and plants.

Joe Dassin sings about the Champs-Élysées in a song of the same name about the romantic power of the street and the city of Paris.

Of course, the Champs-Élysées also often appear in film productions like 'The Devil Wears Prada' or series like 'Emily in Paris'. However, it is also the scene for the 'Champs-Élysées Film Festival', where American and French indie films are shown in the cinemas along the grand boulevard.

Image via Wallpaper by thedud3r on Wallpapers.com

Before the emergence of the Champs-Élysées, only gardens and fields were located opposite the Tuilerienpalast. In 1667, the garden architect of King Louis XIV, André le Nôrte, laid the first cornerstone. The Grand-Cours, from which the Champs-Élysées originated, was the exact extension of the central alley of the Tuileries Garden. This was established as a parallel promenade to the Cours la Reine on the suggestion of minister Jean-Baptiste Colbert and constructed by Queen Maria de’ Medici.

In 1724, the garden axis of the Tuileries Palace was connected to the promenade. By this time, it already stretched to the Place de l’Étiole, today's Place Charles de Gaulle. In the west, the road ran to the newly established Place du Pont Tournant, now Place de la Concorde.

By the end of the 18th century, clearings in the form of rectangles had been created from the grown trees, and the street became increasingly popular. The gardens of the newly constructed buildings bordered the park. The largest building was the Élysée-Palast built in 1722.

During his reign, Napoleon planned projects for beautification and modernization. This also led to the creation of the street from Rond-Point towards Place de l’Étoile where twelve streets meet today. In 1828, the Avenue came into the possession of the city of Paris, which installed fountains, footpaths, and street lighting.

By the end of the 19th century, the Champs-Élysées was especially popular among aristocrats and the upper middle class. In 1900, the Avenue experienced its first peak during the World Fair. Due to several construction projects, the Champs-Élysées changed. Lastly, in 1993, the sidewalks were widened. Since 2021, the avenue is set to be redeveloped to be more pedestrian and environmentally friendly by 2030 with a budget of 250 million.