Laid out in the 1600s as a garden promenade and named for the Elysian Fields of Greek mythology, the Champs-Élysées runs arrow-straight for nearly two kilometers from the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe. It's genuinely spectacular to walk once, especially at night when it's lit end to end, though most Parisians treat its flagship stores and chain restaurants as a tourist zone rather than somewhere they actually shop.
- The avenue is split into two distinct halves: a leafy, park-like stretch near Concorde, and the commercial strip of flagship stores toward the Arc de Triomphe
- The Tour de France's final stage finishes here every July, and the avenue hosts France's biggest national celebrations, including Bastille Day and New Year's Eve
- Side streets just off the avenue — particularly toward Avenue Montaigne — hold the quieter, more exclusive end of Paris luxury shopping
- Hours
- Avenue always open; individual shops typically 10:00–20:00
- Price
- Free to walk
- Tip
- Walk it once for the spectacle, but eat and shop a few streets away — prices on the avenue itself carry a heavy tourist markup.
Nearby
- A Arc de Triomphe · monument
- P Place de la Concorde · square
- A Avenue Montaigne · shopping