Champs Élysées

Welcome to the Champs-Élysées, the world’s most beautiful avenue. This famous street stretches for two kilometers, lined with luxury stores and top-notch restaurants, all housed in buildings listed as historical monuments. It links the Concorde square to the l’Étoile square, and hosts France’s biggest events: the Bastille Day parade, the finish line of the Tour de France and the Paris Marathon starting line. It’s also seen its share of history! In 1789, 7,000 women marched down this very avenue all the way to Versailles to demand bread from the king. The Champs-Élysées was also the backdrop for the 1944 Liberation Parade and the 1998 and 2018 World Cup victory celebrations. Some 100 million people, French and tourists alike, walk along this avenue every year. It’s the epitome of luxury after all! This massive footfall translates into billions of euros in annual sales for the luxury brands that call the Champs-Élysées home. They’re staying put, even if that means paying a fortune for rent! In 2019, the total annual turnover of the shops was estimated at around 1.5 billion euros! But besides its international renown among luxury shoppers, just how much do you know about the Champs Élysées? First things first. It was designed by the famous landscape architect André Le Nôtre, who’s also behind the gardens of Versailles. He was tasked with redesigning the Tuileries Royal Garden and laying out a road to provide easy access to the Palace of Versailles, which was under construction at the time. Back then, the King was living in the now-defunct Tuileries Palace and sought a view as magnificent as possible. Perhaps also to to keep Parisians mindful of his rule and presence, once he had settled in Versailles. And so, the landscape gardener made do with the marshland there and laid out a grand avenue lined with trees and greenery. Despite all his efforts, however, the area remained rather disreputable and unfrequented. At first, it was known as Grand Cours. The name Champs Élysées came into use in 1694, but only became official in 1709. In Greek mythology, the Champs-Élysées were the resting place of heroes and virtuous souls in the realm of the dead. A kind of Paradise. Some say Parisians renamed the avenue to mock its former marshy state. And a fun fact for you before we move on: twice a year, the sun sets directly behind the Arc de Triomphe. So, if you’re lucky enough, you might catch this once-in-a-lifetime celestial show. Fingers crossed!