CHAMPS ELYSEES PARIS

The most famous street in Paris was built in the XVIIth century, but did not attract fashionable society until after the French Revolution. The avenue extends from the Arc de Triomphe at one end to the Place de la Concorde at the other.

Champs-Elysées during the day with their heavy car traffic and continuous pedestrian animation. People from all over the world are going to the theater, shopping, going to a restaurant or just walking and looking around : Lido cabaretor trying to get past the bouncers at Queen, invest it with a certain glitzy charm. For a glimpse of a more elegant world, take a look at the mansions at the Rond-Point and wander down Avenue Montaigne with its Haute Couture houses including, Vuitton, Chanel, Christian Dior, Guy Laroche, Mugler and Ungaro.

The lower half of the avenue toward the place de la Concorde has a different character, with gardens and smart restaurants running off either side. Between the Champs Elysees and elegant rue du Faubourg Saint Honore lie the vast gardens of the Elysees Palace, home of the French President. On the other side of the Avenue are the Petit Palais and glass-domed Grand Palais, used for major art exhibitions, and the adjoining science museum, the Palais de la Decouverte.

The Champs Elysees have been recently renovated with large granite sidewalks and plane trees.