Officially known as Avenue des Champs-Élysées (“Avenue of the Elysian Fields” in French), the Champs-Élysées is an avenue in Paris, France that runs from Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe. Almost two kilometers long and seventy meters wide, the fame and notoriety it has established have allowed it to become recognized and utilized for branding purposes across France and the entire world.
Known for its theatres, cafés, shops and the many events that it host throughout the year, the Champs-Élysées is visited by nearly 300,000 people every day. This popularity demonstrates how streets and avenues can become important monuments and landmarks unto themselves to create engagement and serve as attractions for entire cities and regions.
The “Elysian Fields” of Greek Mythology
The origins of the Champs-Élysées can be traced to 1640 when what had been empty fields and gardens were cleared to plant a line of trees, which would later become an avenue. The name translates to “Elysian Fields” from Greek mythology, which is tied to the resting place of Greek gods and dead heroes. In 1667, Louis XIV opened the first stretch of the Champs-Elysées which changed the identity of the avenue and of Paris. The café scene soon arrived to further define what the Champs-Elysées was and what it would become.
In 1724, the Champs-Elysées was extended all the way to the Chaillot hill. It took its current form in 1838 with the creation of the Jardins des Champs-Elysées. Sidewalks, gas lamps and fountains were also installed along the avenue at this time. In 1994 the street’s sidewalks were further renovated by the city of Paris.
Today, the avenue is divided in two. The lower part, closest to the Place de la Concorde, runs through a park with buildings such as the Palais de la Découverte, the Petit Palais and the Grand Palais in full view. The higher part of Champs-Élysées begins at place Charles de Gaulle, where the Arc de Triomphe resides. Numerous high-end stores, restaurants, cinemas and large department stores are in this area.
While the character of the avenue has changed with the openings and closings of stores and shops over the centuries, the appeal of the Champs-Élysées itself has persisted to help attract audiences from across the city and world that want to discover what these establishments have to offer. However, these benefits have been enabled thanks to the very specific way they were developed.
Parisian Commerce and Economy
The Champs-Élysées Committee, a non-profit association, was created in 1916. For the past century, it has worked for the promotion, development and international renown of the Champs-Élysées avenue and district in Paris. The Committee has been focused on ensuring that the character of the shops on the Champs-Élysées further cultivate its popularity and identity as a Paris landmark.
Champs-Elysées stores include some of the largest in Paris. Louis Vuitton, Banana Republic, Levi’s, Gap, Zara, Lacoste and Apple have established flagship stores on Champs-Elysées. Additionally, products from many renowned French brands including J.M. Weston, Lacoste, Longchamp, Petit Bateau, and Éric Bompard are located in shops along the avenue. The Champs-Élysées is also home to a number of luxury brands like Guerlain, Cartier and Mauboussin.
Numerous food options exist up and down the avenue as well. There is a Ladurée, Pizza Vesuvio as well as 86 Champs, an innovative concept store that’s the result of a partnership between Pierre Hermé and L’Occitane. Michelin-starred restaurants along the avenue include Ledoyen, L’Atelier Étoile, Copenhague, Fouquet’s and Publicis Drugstore, which is famous for its club sandwich.
Most shops are open 7 days a week from 10 am to at least 9 or 10 pm, but these shops and stores aren’t the only places that residents and visitors can find activities and experiences along the Champs-Élysées.
Events, Activities and Experiences on the Champs-Élysées
Every year on Bastille Day, the largest military parade in Europe passes down the Champs-Élysées. The avenue is also the starting point for the Schneider Electric Marathon de Paris and is where cyclists riding the Tour de France cross the finish line after the final stage. Additionally, the Champs-Elysées Film Festival takes over the avenue every June, placing the spotlight on the best independent French and American films over an 8-day period with screenings, talks and showcase events.
Year-end festivities also take place on the avenue, while thousands of light bulbs hang in the giant trees at Christmas time. These decorations and events provide organizers and stakeholders with unique revenue opportunities relating to branding that are exposed to hundreds of thousands of people every day.
All of these events are in addition to what has become a monthly spectacle since cars are banned from the Champs-Élysées on the first Sunday of each month. The pedestrian-only Champs-Élysées initiative has allowed residents and visitors to experience the avenue in a whole new way.
For activities that aren’t specific to a time of the year, cinemas, theatres and exhibition venues are located all along the Champs-Élysées, including the famous Théâtre du Rond-Point, which puts on contemporary plays. The Théâtre Marigny, the Espace Pierre Cardin and the Théâtre des Champs-Elysées are also located on the avenue, which contains the largest number of cinemas in Paris. That includes ‘vintage’ halls dating back to the 1930s, like UGC Normandie, UGC George V and Gaumont Champs-Élysées. Arthouse cinemas like L’Elysée-Lincoln and Le Balzac are also located on the avenue.
The variety of things to do near the Champs-Élysées has helped it become an experience unto itself. It has become an attraction featured in numerous guides and maps of the city. All of this has enabled the Champs-Élysées to become one of the most famous avenues in the world which showcases what it can mean for what might otherwise be a simple road to become a true landmark.
One of the Most Famous Avenues in the World
While other roads across the world have been cultivated to create experiences, few have captured the imagination of both residents and visitors like the Champs-Élysée. Known in France as La plus belle avenue du monde (“The most beautiful avenue in the world”), the avenue highlights how roads and other simple means of transportation or infrastructure can become something monumentous that engages audiences across the eras.
