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Why you'll love the Champs Elysees
The Champs Elysees is one of the most fashionable and beautiful avenues of Paris. The French people even refer to it as “the most beautiful avenue in the world”.
Whether you come to do some high-end shopping, people- watching in the fashionable cafes, come to see the end of the Tour de France, or because France has just won an important soccer match, this avenue is a must-see during your time in Paris.
For those shop-a-holics, you can choose from Luis Vuitton, MontBlanc, Cartier, Gucci, or Lacoste. And if shopping is not what you came to the Champs Elysees for, there are plenty of cafes, cinemas, and restaurants to satisfy anyone’s taste.
As a note to the reader, the above are not required activities for this avenue: the avenue it simply a beautiful stroll and what you do on your way up it, is completely up to you!
A little
bit of history about the Champs Elysees
With the Concorde at its base and the Arch of Triumph at its summit, the Avenue des Champs Elysee has not always been so grand a boulevard. If you were to go back the 17th century, you would no longer be among the rich and famous, but rather in the middle of a wheat field.
You have a choice of whether you would like to start at the top of the Champs Elysee or the bottom. We recommend starting near the bottom and working your way up to the Arch of Triumph.
To do this, take Metro 1 or 9 to stop FRANKLIN D. ROOSEVELT and take the exit Avenue des Champs Elysee côté Paire.
The avenue is amazingly lit at night during the winter months and definitely worth viewing.
For the best stay in Paris or even to capture a little hollywood magic, the Georges V and the Ritz Carlton are just a few steps away.
But change was soon to follow. In 1616, Marie de Medici decided to create a walkway outside of her palace, which was then the Louvre. In 1667, Le Nôtre, the architect for the Chateau of Versailles, transformed a pathway into a fashionable place to walk. In 1724 the boulevard was extended to the location at which the Arch of Triumph would later be located.
Now, over 300 years later, with its many high-end shops, it is still what Le Notre had envisioned: a fashionable and highly desirable avenue.
