The Avenue des Champs-Élysées (, ; ) is an
avenue in the
8th arrondissement of Paris
The 8th arrondissement of Paris (''VIIIe arrondissement'') is one of the 20 Arrondissements of Paris, arrondissements of the capital city of France. In spoken French, the arrondissement is colloquially referred to as ''le huitième'' ().
The ar ...
, France, long and wide, running between the
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde (; ) is a public square in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.
It was the s ...
in the east and the
Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the
Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Plac ...
is located. It is known for its theatres, cafés, and luxury shops; as the finish of the
Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
cycling race; and for its annual
Bastille Day military parade
The Bastille Day military parade, also known as the 14 July military parade, translation of the French name of , is a French military parade that has been held on the morning of Bastille Day, 14 July, each year in Paris since 1880, almost with ...
.
The name is French for the
Elysian Fields, the place for dead heroes in
Greek mythology
Greek mythology is the body of myths originally told by the Ancient Greece, ancient Greeks, and a genre of ancient Greek folklore, today absorbed alongside Roman mythology into the broader designation of classical mythology. These stories conc ...
. It has been described as the "most beautiful avenue in the whole world".
Description
The avenue runs for through the
8th arrondissement in northwestern
Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, from the
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde (; ) is a public square in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.
It was the s ...
in the east, with the
Obelisk of Luxor, to the
Place Charles de Gaulle (formerly the ''Place de l'Étoile'') in the west, location of the
Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Plac ...
. The Champs-Élysées forms part of the ''
Axe historique''.
The lower part of the Champs-Élysées, from the Place de la Concorde to the Rond-Point, runs through the
Jardin des Champs-Élysées Jardin may refer to:
Places
*Jardin, Isère
Jardin () is a Communes of France, commune in the Isère Departments of France, department in southeastern France. It is a suburb of Vienne, Isère, Vienne. It is located 4 km from the centre of V ...
, a park which contains the
Grand Palais
The (; ), commonly known as the , is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, France. Construction of the began in 1897 following the demolitio ...
, the , the
Théâtre Marigny
The Théâtre Marigny () is a theatre in Paris, situated near the junction of the Champs-Élysées and the Avenue Marigny in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, 8th arrondissement.
It was originally built to designs of the architect Charles Garnie ...
, and several restaurants, gardens, and monuments. The
Élysée Palace
The Élysée Palace (, ) is the official residence of the President of France, President of the French Republic in Paris. Completed in 1722, it was built for Louis Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, a nobleman and army officer who had been appointed g ...
on the
Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré
The Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré () is a street located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. Relatively narrow and nondescript, especially in comparison to the nearby Champs-Élysées, Avenue des Champs-Élysées, it is cited as being on ...
—
official residence
An official is someone who holds an office (function or mandate, regardless of whether it carries an actual working space with it) in an organization or government and participates in the exercise of authority (either their own or that of th ...
of the
President of the French Republic—borders the park, but is not on the Avenue itself. The Champs-Élysées ends at the
Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Plac ...
, built to honor the victories of
Napoléon Bonaparte
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
.
History
Until the reign of
Louis XIV
LouisXIV (Louis-Dieudonné; 5 September 16381 September 1715), also known as Louis the Great () or the Sun King (), was King of France from 1643 until his death in 1715. His verified reign of 72 years and 110 days is the List of longest-reign ...
, the land where the Champs-Élysées runs today was largely occupied by fields and kitchen gardens. The Champs-Élysées and its gardens were originally laid out in 1667 by
André Le Nôtre
André Le Nôtre (; 12 March 1613 – 15 September 1700), originally rendered as André Le Nostre, was a French landscape architect and the principal gardener of King Louis XIV of France. He was the landscape architect who designed Gardens ...
as an extension of the
Tuileries Garden
The Tuileries Garden (, ) is a public garden between the Louvre and the Place de la Concorde in the 1st arrondissement of Paris, France. Created by Catherine de' Medici as the garden of the Tuileries Palace in 1564, it was opened to the public in ...
, the gardens of the
Tuileries Palace
The Tuileries Palace (, ) was a palace in Paris which stood on the right bank of the Seine, directly in the west-front of the Louvre Palace. It was the Parisian residence of most French monarchs, from Henri IV to Napoleon III, until it was b ...
, which had been built in 1564, and which Le Nôtre had rebuilt in his own formal style for Louis XIV in 1664. Le Nôtre planned a wide promenade between the palace and the modern Rond Point, lined with two rows of
elm trees on either side, and flowerbeds in the symmetrical style of the
French formal garden
The French formal garden, also called the , is a style of "Landscape architecture, landscape" garden based on symmetry and the principle of imposing order on nature. Its epitome is generally considered to be the Gardens of Versailles designed ...
. The new boulevard was called the "Grand Cours", or "Grand Promenade". It did not take the name of Champs-Élysées until 1709.
In 1710 the avenue was extended beyond the Rond-Point as far as the modern Place d'Étoile. In 1765 the garden was remade in the Le Nôtre style by
Abel François Poisson, the marquis de Marigny, brother of the
Madame de Pompadour
Jeanne Antoinette Poisson, Marquise de Pompadour (, ; 29 December 1721 – 15 April 1764), commonly known as Madame de Pompadour, was a member of the French court. She was the official chief mistress of King Louis XV from 1745 to 1751, and rema ...
and Director-General of the King's Buildings. Marigny extended the avenue again in 1774 as far as the modern
Porte Maillot.
Following the
French Revolution, two equestrian statues, made in 1745 by Nicolas and Guillaume Coustou, were transferred from the former royal palace at
Marly and placed at the beginning of the boulevard and park. After the downfall of Napoleon and the restoration of the French monarchy, the trees had to be replanted, because the occupation armies of the Russians, British, and Prussians during the
Hundred Days
The Hundred Days ( ), also known as the War of the Seventh Coalition (), marked the period between Napoleon's return from eleven months of exile on the island of Elba to Paris on20 March 1815 and the second restoration of King Louis XVIII o ...
had camped in the park and used the trees for firewood.
The avenue from the Rond-Point to the Étoile was built up during the
Empire
An empire is a political unit made up of several territories, military outpost (military), outposts, and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a hegemony, dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the ...
. The major monument of the Boulevard, the
Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Plac ...
, had been commissioned by
Napoleon
Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
after his victory at the
Battle of Austerlitz
The Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805/11 Frimaire An XIV French Republican calendar, FRC), also known as the Battle of the Three Emperors, was one of the most important military engagements of the Napoleonic Wars. The battle occurred near t ...
, but it was not finished when he fell from power in 1815. The monument remained unfinished until 1833–1836, when it was completed by King
Louis Philippe. The Champs-Élysées itself became city property in 1828, and footpaths, fountains, and, later, gas lighting were added.
In 1834, under King
Louis Philippe I
Louis Philippe I (6 October 1773 – 26 August 1850), nicknamed the Citizen King, was King of the French from 1830 to 1848, the penultimate monarch of France, and the last French monarch to bear the title "King". He abdicated from his throne ...
, the architect Mariano Ruiz de Chavez was commissioned to redesign the
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde (; ) is a public square in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.
It was the s ...
and the gardens of the Champs-Élysées. He kept the formal gardens and flowerbeds essentially intact, but turned the garden into a sort of outdoor amusement park, with summer garden cafés, such as the
Café des Ambassadeurs and the
Alcazar d'Été; two restaurants, the Ledoyen and the restaurant de l'Horloge; a theater, the Lacaze; the Panorama, built in 1839, where large historical paintings were displayed; and the cirque d'eté (1841), a large hall for popular theater, musical, and circus performances. He also placed several ornamental fountains around the park, of which three are still in place.
In 1846, Prince Louis-Napoléon Bonaparte, the future
Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
, Emperor of the French, lived for a brief period in lodgings just off
Lord Street, Southport
Lord Street is the main high street, shopping street of Southport, in Merseyside. It is long, with a roundabout marking each end of the street. There are many water features, gardens and architectural buildings along the entire street, with a m ...
. It is claimed the street is the inspiration behind the Champs-Élysées. Between 1854 and 1870, Napoléon III orchestrated the reconstruction of the French capital. The medieval centre of the city was demolished and replaced with broad tree-lined boulevards, covered walkways and arcades.
In 1855, Emperor
Napoleon III
Napoleon III (Charles-Louis Napoléon Bonaparte; 20 April 18089 January 1873) was President of France from 1848 to 1852 and then Emperor of the French from 1852 until his deposition in 1870. He was the first president, second emperor, and last ...
selected the park at the beginning of the avenue as the site of the first great international exposition to be held in Paris, the . The park was the location of the Palace of Industry, a giant exhibit hall which covered thirty thousand square meters, where the
Grand Palais
The (; ), commonly known as the , is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, France. Construction of the began in 1897 following the demolitio ...
is today. In 1858, following the Exposition, the Emperor's prefect of the Seine,
Georges-Eugène Haussmann, had the gardens transformed from a formal French garden into a picturesque English style garden, based on a small town called Southport, with groves of trees, flowerbeds, and winding paths. The rows of elm trees, which were in poor health, were replaced by rows of chestnut trees.
By the late 19th century, the Champs-Élysées had become a fashionable avenue; the trees on either side had grown enough to form rectangular groves (''cabinets de verdure''). The gardens of the town houses of the nobility built along the Faubourg Saint-Honoré backed onto the formal gardens. The grandest of the private mansions near the Avenue was the
Élysée Palace
The Élysée Palace (, ) is the official residence of the President of France, President of the French Republic in Paris. Completed in 1722, it was built for Louis Henri de La Tour d'Auvergne, a nobleman and army officer who had been appointed g ...
, a private residence of the nobility which during the
Third French Republic
The French Third Republic (, sometimes written as ) was the system of government adopted in France from 4 September 1870, when the Second French Empire collapsed during the Franco-Prussian War, until 10 July 1940, after the Fall of France duri ...
became the official residence of the Presidents of France.
The park served again as an exposition site during the
Universal Exposition of 1900; it became the home of the
Grand Palais
The (; ), commonly known as the , is a historic site, exhibition hall and museum complex located in the 8th arrondissement of Paris between the Champs-Élysées and the Seine, France. Construction of the began in 1897 following the demolitio ...
and . It also became the home of a new panorama theater, designed by
Gabriel Davioud, the chief architect of Napoleon III, in 1858. The modern theater Marigny was built by
Charles Garnier, architect of the
Paris Opera
The Paris Opera ( ) is the primary opera and ballet company of France. It was founded in 1669 by Louis XIV as the , and shortly thereafter was placed under the leadership of Jean-Baptiste Lully and officially renamed the , but continued to be kn ...
, in 1883.
Throughout its history, the avenue has been the site of military parades; the most famous were the victory parades of German troops in 1871 and again in 1940 celebrating the
Fall of France
The Battle of France (; 10 May – 25 June 1940), also known as the Western Campaign (), the French Campaign (, ) and the Fall of France, during the Second World War was the German invasion of the Low Countries (Belgium, Luxembourg and the Net ...
on 14 July 1940, and the three most joyous were the parades celebrating the Allied victory in the First World War in 1919, and the parades of Free French and American forces after the liberation of the city, respectively, the
French 2nd Armored Division on 25 August 1944, and the
US 28th Infantry Division on 29 August 1944.
File:Charles Fichot, Vue générale de Paris prise du rond-point.jpg, A view of Champs-Élysées in the 1860s, looking from the Rond-Point toward the Place de la Concorde.
File:Charles Rivière, Paris. Place de la Concorde - Library of Congress (cropped).tif, The Champs-Élysées seen in a bird's-eye view of Paris, .
File:Paris.Avenue des Champs-Elysées.Fiacres.1890.jpg, The Champs-Élysées seen from the Place de la Concorde, .
File:Bundesarchiv Bild 146-1994-036-09A, Paris, Parade auf der Champs Elysée.jpg, German soldiers marching past the Arc de Triomphe after the surrender of Paris, 14 June 1940.
File:Crowds of French patriots line the Champs Elysees-edit2.jpg, The Free French 2nd Armored Division marches down the Champs-Élysées on 26 August 1944 to celebrate the Liberation of Paris.
File:American troops march down the Champs Elysees.jpg, American troops of the 28th Infantry Division march down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Paris
Paris () is the Capital city, capital and List of communes in France with over 20,000 inhabitants, largest city of France. With an estimated population of 2,048,472 residents in January 2025 in an area of more than , Paris is the List of ci ...
, in the Victory Parade on 29 August 1944.
Champs-Élysées Association and retail stores on the avenue
In 1860, the merchants joined to form the ''Syndicat d'Initiative et de Défense des Champs-Élysées'', an
association to promote commerce along the avenue. In 1980, the group changed its name to the ''Comité des Champs-Élysées'' and to ''Comité Champs-Élysées'' in 2008. It is the oldest standing committee in Paris. The committee has always dedicated itself to seeking public projects to enhance the avenue's unique atmosphere, and to
lobby the authorities for extended business hours and to organizing special events. Today, the committee, in coordination with other professional organisations, may review with the Parisian administration the addition to the avenue of new businesses whose floor area would exceed 1000 square meters.
File:Champs Elysees Paris Wikimedia Commons.jpg, North sidewalk of the Avenue des Champs-Elysées at dawn, featuring Christmas decoration lights.
The arrival of global chain stores in recent years has strikingly changed its character, and in a first effort to stem these changes, the
City of Paris (which has called this trend "''banalisation''") initially decided in 2007 to prohibit the
Swedish clothing chain
H&M from opening a store on the avenue;
however, a large H&M store opened two years later at 88 Champs-Élysées. In 2008, American clothing chain
Abercrombie & Fitch
Abercrombie & Fitch Co. (A&F) is an American lifestyle store, lifestyle retailer, founded in 1892 which focuses on contemporary clothing targeting customers in their early 20's to mid 40's. Headquartered in New Albany, Ohio, the company operate ...
was given permission to open a store.
The Champs-Élysées has mid-size shopping malls, extending the shopping area: Élysées 26 (26) with Agatha jewellery and l'Eclaireur fashion, Galeries du Claridge (74) with Annick Goutal perfumes, Fnac, Paul & Shark, Arcades des Champs-Élysées (78) with Starbucks. The list of fashion stores include Maje (35), lululemon (38), Salomon (42), Calvin Klein (44), Levi's (44), Lacoste (50), J.M. Weston (55), Foot Locker (66), Zara (74-92), Longchamp (77), Nike (79), Adidas (88), Sandro (91), The Kooples (93), Louis Vuitton (101), Hugo Boss (115), Massimo Dutti (116), Petit Bateau (116), JD Sports (118), Moncler (119), Yves Saint Laurent (123), Dior (127). The list of perfume stores include Guerlain (68) (Le 68 de Guy Martin), Sephora multi brand (70), Yves Rocher (102). Jewellers: Tiffany & Co. (62), Bulgari (136), Swarovski (146), Cartier (154). Book and music store: FNAC (74). The list of car show-rooms include Renault (53).
Events
Every year on
Bastille Day
Bastille Day is the common name given in English-speaking countries to the national day of France, which is celebrated on 14 July each year. It is referred to, both legally and commonly, as () in French, though ''la fête nationale'' is also u ...
on 14 July, the
largest military parade in Europe passes down the Champs-Élysées, reviewed by the
President of the Republic.
Every year during
Advent
Advent is a season observed in most Christian denominations as a time of waiting and preparation for both the celebration of Jesus's birth at Christmas and the return of Christ at the Second Coming. It begins on the fourth Sunday before Chri ...
,
Christmastide
Christmastide, also known as Christide, is a season of the liturgical year in most Christianity, Christian churches.
For the Catholic Church, Lutheran Church, Anglican Church, Methodist Church and some Orthodox Churches, Christmastide begins ...
, and
Epiphany, the 'Champs-Élysées' Committee contributes for the holidays seasons lighting of the Champs-Élysées. This generally occurs from late November until early January.
From 1975 to 2023, the
last stage of the
Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...
cycling race has finished on the Champs-Élysées. The subsequent awards ceremony also takes place directly on the avenue.
In 1995,
terror attacks by Algerian militants took place in France; one attack took place at the Arc de Triomphe on the Champs-Élysées, wounding 17.
Huge gatherings occasionally take place on the Champs-Élysées in celebration of popular events, such as New Year's Eve, or when
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
won the
FIFA World Cup
The FIFA World Cup, often called the World Cup, is an international association football competition among the senior List of men's national association football teams, men's national teams of the members of the FIFA, Fédération Internatio ...
in
1998
1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''.
Events January
* January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...
and
2018
Events January
* January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency.
* January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...
. The Champs-Élysées has occasionally been the site of large political protest meetings.
On 20 April 2017,
a police officer was shot dead on the Champs-Élysées by an extremist and two other officers were injured. They were all sitting in a parked police van, when the attacker pulled up in front of the van. The attacker tried to shoot civilians (including a tourist) and was immediately shot dead by other police on the spot. The shooting happened two days before the
first round of voting in the 2017 French presidential election.
On 19 June 2017, a suspected terrorist
drove a munitions-laden car into a police vehicle on the Champs-Élysées. The attacker was then shot dead.
On 16 March 2019,
Gilets Jaunes
The yellow vests protests or yellow-jacket protests (, ) were a series of populist, grassroots weekly protests in France that began on 17 November 2018 and ended on 28 June 2020. Some minor protests started again after the restrictions linked ...
protests on the Champs-Élysées erupted into violence. A portion of the 10,000 protesters in the city, about 1,500 people, looted and/or set on fire some 80 shops, restaurants, a bank, and newspaper kiosks along the avenue.
File:Champs-Élysées from the Roue de Paris, 11 July 2016 001.jpg, The historical axis, looking west from the Obelisk of Luxor in the Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde (; ) is a public square in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.
It was the s ...
.
File:Avenue des Champs-Elysées from top of Arc de triomphe Paris.jpg, The Champs-Élysées seen from the Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Plac ...
.
File:Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Paris 15 July 2006.jpg, View at pedestrian level as seen from the middle of the avenue looking west.
File:2007 news kiosk Paris 1406808950.jpg, Newspaper kiosk
Historically, a kiosk () was a small garden pavilion open on some or all sides common in Iran, Persia, the Indian subcontinent, and in the Ottoman Empire from the 13th century onward. Today, several examples of this type of kiosk still exist ...
on the Champs-Élysées.
File:Avenue des Champs-Élysées (Paris) 20171223.jpg, Night view of the Champs-Élysées from the Place Charles de Gaulle.
File:Illuminations de l’avenue des Champs-Élysées, 14 déc 2013.jpg, Illuminations on the Champs-Élysées.
Public transport
Paris Métro Line 1
Paris Métro Line 1 (French language, French: ''Ligne 1 du métro de Paris'') is one of the sixteen lines of the Paris Métro. It connects in the northwest and in the southeast. With a length of , it constitutes an important east–west transp ...
runs under the Champs-Élysées. Several stations are located along it - stations from west to east are:
Charles de Gaulle – Étoile
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''* ...
at the street's west end at
Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile, often called simply the Arc de Triomphe, is one of the most famous monuments in Paris, France, standing at the western end of the Champs-Élysées at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle, formerly named Plac ...
,
George V
George V (George Frederick Ernest Albert; 3 June 1865 – 20 January 1936) was King of the United Kingdom and the British Dominions, and Emperor of India, from 6 May 1910 until Death and state funeral of George V, his death in 1936.
George w ...
by the
Hôtel George-V,
Franklin D. Roosevelt
Franklin Delano Roosevelt (January 30, 1882April 12, 1945), also known as FDR, was the 32nd president of the United States, serving from 1933 until his death in 1945. He is the longest-serving U.S. president, and the only one to have served ...
at the rond-point des Champs-Élysées,
Champs-Élysées – Clemenceau at place Clemenceau and
Concorde
Concorde () is a retired Anglo-French supersonic airliner jointly developed and manufactured by Sud Aviation and the British Aircraft Corporation (BAC).
Studies started in 1954, and France and the United Kingdom signed a treaty establishin ...
at the southern end of the avenue, where the
Place de la Concorde
The Place de la Concorde (; ) is a public square in Paris, France. Measuring in area, it is the largest square in the French capital. It is located in the city's eighth arrondissement, at the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées.
It was the s ...
is located.
Problems and redesign
The Champs-Élysées has encountered rising problems with air pollution from the estimated 3,000 vehicles per hour which drive through its eight lanes. It is more polluted than the
Périphérique ring road
A ring road (also known as circular road, beltline, beltway, circumferential (high)way, loop or orbital) is a road or a series of connected roads encircling a town, city or country. The most common purpose of a ring road is to assist in reducin ...
which encircles the city, with
nitrogen dioxide
Nitrogen dioxide is a chemical compound with the formula . One of several nitrogen oxides, nitrogen dioxide is a reddish-brown gas. It is a paramagnetic, bent molecule with C2v point group symmetry. Industrially, is an intermediate in the s ...
levels twice as high as the recommended limit set by the
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization (WHO) is a list of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations which coordinates responses to international public health issues and emergencies. It is headquartered in Gen ...
.
Since 2016, the avenue has been closed to motor traffic on the first Sunday of every month, in an effort to cut pollution in the city.
A 2019 article in ''
The Guardian
''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in Manchester in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'' and changed its name in 1959, followed by a move to London. Along with its sister paper, ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardi ...
'' stated that the avenue "has more and more visitors and big name businesses battle to be on it, but to French people it's looking worn out.”
It has also become mainly a tourist attraction, which Parisians largely avoid. According to the architect Philippe Chiambaretta, 72% of the 100,000 pedestrians who visited the Champs-Élysées each day in 2019 were tourists and another 22% worked there.
File:Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile at night (38945430622).jpg, View of the Avenue des Champs-Elysées at night.
At the beginning of 2021, the
Mayor of Paris
The mayor of Paris (, ) is the Chief executive officer, chief executive of Paris, the capital and largest city in France.
The officeholder is responsible for the administration and management of the city, submits proposals and recommendations to ...
,
Anne Hidalgo
Ana María "Anne" Hidalgo Aleu (, ; born 19 June 1959) is a Spanish-French politician who has served as Mayor of Paris since 2014, the first woman to hold the office. She is a member of the Socialist Party (France), Socialist Party (PS).
Hidalg ...
, announced that the city would transform the Champs-Élysées into an "extraordinary garden" which will reduce the space for auto traffic by half, add more pedestrian space, and create "tunnels of trees" for improved air quality.
A walkway will connect over 200 acres of green space stretching between the Arc de Triomphe, the Place de la Concorde, and the Tuileries Gardens.
[ The city intends to adopt the plans formulated by the Champs-Élysées Committee, which has been campaigning for a redesign of the avenue since 2018 and which held a public consultation as to what the redesign should include. The plans are meant to make the avenue more "ecological, desirable and inclusive," and will cost an estimated €250 million. It will include a redesign of the Place de la Concorde as well. The work will not begin in earnest before the ]2024 Summer Olympics
The 2024 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXIII Olympiad () and branded as Paris 2024, were an international multi-sport event held in France from 26 July to 11 August 2024, with several events started from 24 July. P ...
are held in Paris, but the goal is to complete the project by 2030.
See also
* Axe historique
* Bastille Day Military Parade
The Bastille Day military parade, also known as the 14 July military parade, translation of the French name of , is a French military parade that has been held on the morning of Bastille Day, 14 July, each year in Paris since 1880, almost with ...
* Jardin des Champs-Élysées Jardin may refer to:
Places
*Jardin, Isère
Jardin () is a Communes of France, commune in the Isère Departments of France, department in southeastern France. It is a suburb of Vienne, Isère, Vienne. It is located 4 km from the centre of V ...
* List of leading shopping streets and districts by city
References
Bibliography
*
External links
Official website of the Champs-Élysées Paris since 1996 (All events, news, shops, restaurants, hotels… and the largest database of images about the avenue: more than 10,000 photos in the gallery)
Official website of the Champs-Élysées Avenue (Association comité Champs-Élysées, in charge of the Xmas enlightenment and promotion of its members.
Champs-Élysées Directory and Images
– current photographs as well as of the year 1900
Champs-Élysées Paris, official Fan Page on Facebook
Barry Bergdoll, Columbia University: Paris maps 404
Satellite image from Google Maps
{{DEFAULTSORT:Champs-Elysees
Streets in the 8th arrondissement of Paris
Articles containing video clips
Avenues (landscape) in Paris
Retailing in Paris
Shopping districts and streets in France
Tourist attractions in Paris
Urban public parks
Venues of the 2024 Summer Olympics
Olympic cycling venues
Olympic athletics venues
Articles with hCards
8th arrondissement of Paris