The 8th arrondissement of Paris, also known as the arrondissement of Élysée, is one of the 20 arrondissements of the capital city of France. The 8th arrondissement is both a tourist hotspot and one of those where the upper middle classes reside. It hosts many shops, luxury hotels and headquarters of large companies.It is also the location of many places of interest, among them the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe (partial), and the Place de la Concorde, as well as the Élysée Palace, and the Ministry of the Interior, as well as seven embassies of G20 countries.
Located on the right bank of the Seine, the 8th arrondissement of Paris is one of the most touristic places in the capital and known for being home to many luxury hotels and department stores. The 8th arrondissement of Paris,, one of Paris’s main business districts, is situated on the right bank of the River Seine and centred on the Champs-Élysées. Most French fashion luxury brands have their main store in 8th arrondissement, Avenue Montaigne or Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, both in the Champs-Élysées Avenue shopping district.
The Champs Elysées is the spine of the 8th Arrondissement, running its entire east-west length, from Place de la Concorde (in the east) to the Arc de Triomphe in the west, where the 8th, 16th, and 17th Arrondissements meet. Like other Paris arrondissements, the 8th is defined by the Seine and certain landmarks. The river is its southern border and landmark points are Place de la Concorde, Place de l’Alma, with its bridge and golden flame, the Arc, Place des Ternes, Place de Clichy, and the church of La Madeleine.
The 8th Arrondissement is home to almost 40,000 Parisians and full of the things they need on a daily basis — boulangeries, boucheries, food markets, stylistes, and shoe stores. It’s also Hotel de Crillon; the Grand Palais and Petit Palais; the elegant Parc Monceau. and, of course, the shopping (and crowds) along Champs Elysées, probably still the most famous street in the world.
Paris is a cultural city par excellence, it hosts some of the most important museums in the world. In the 8th arrondissement are several prestigious museums. Such the Nissim-de-Camondo museum, housing an exceptional collection of furniture and works of art in a very beautiful residence, on the edge of the Monceau park. Another prestigious museum in the 8th arrondissement: the Grand Palais, which is also a remarkable monument. You can see many important large exhibitions, remarkable sculptures and very beautiful mosaics.
The 8th arrondissement is a strategic crossroads for public transport with Saint-Lazare station, a real hub for all the municipalities in the west of the Ile -de-France region. because its location, the 8th arrondissement is home to many hotels in Boulevard Haussmann testifying to the prestigious architecture of Paris. These are typically Parisian establishments, with high ceilings and waxed floors. Many 8th arrondissement rental offers are also available and offer the advantage of being located in the heart of the capital, close to the most beautiful sites in the city.
The 8th arrondissement is also the economic engine of the capital, concentrating more than 180,000 jobs, mainly from financial, service and tourism activities. It is also a strategic crossroads for public transport with Saint-Lazare station, a real hub for all the municipalities in the west of the Ile -de-France region. According to the 1999 census, it was the place of employment of more people than any other single arrondissement of the capital.
Quartiers of the 8th arrondissement
The four quartiers of the 8th arrondissement are as follows:
Quartier of Champs-Elysées
The Champs-Élysées district is above all a prestigious commercial district where major international brands are displayed, but it is also home to a large number of embassies and company headquarters. The Faubourg-du-Roule district is a more residential district, with a sociology close to the Ternes (17th) and Chaillot (16th) districts. It houses the headquarters of many financial institutions (banks, insurance companies, business law firms).
Extending all the way along the Champs-Elysées it encompasses the entire southern part of the arrondissement, including its part of the bank of the river Seine. This quartier is home to some of the most luxurious hotels and restaurants, as well as headquarters of luxury goods companies in its western part, and to the famous exhibition venues, the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, as well as Place Concorde in the east.
Apart from Champs-Elysées, the main streets of the quartier include Cours Albet 1er/Cours la Reine along the river Seine, Avenue Montaigne (luxury boutiques), Avenue George V (luxury hotels and restaurants) and Avenue Marceau (marking the border with the 16th arrondissement). All four meet at Place de l’Alma, from where the famous Pont de l’Alma bridges the Seine. Three of those (sans Avenue Marceau) are also joined by the perpendicular Rue Francois 1st, which plays host to some more luxury addresses. Avenue Franklin D. Roosevelt, with a large circular Rond-point des Champs-Élysées-Marcel-Dassault in the middle, marks the division between the densely-built part of the quartier to the east and the Jardins de Champs-Elysées to the west.
Quartier of Madeleine
The Madeleine district is an intermediate district mixing residential and business districts around the Opéra Garnier and the Boulevard Malesherbes, shops and luxury hotels around rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré. Named after the L’eglise de la Madeleine temple in its western extremity, this quartier houses some of the most important offices of state of the French Republic, including the presidential Elysee Palace, many embassies and more luxury goods companies and stores along its famous Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honore.
Quartier of Faubourg-de-Roule
Around rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré, but also places of high administration such as the Élysée Palace, the Ministry of the Interior, the embassies of the United States, Great Britain and Japan. It extends from the northern frontage of Champs-Elysées and encompasses the Avenue Friedland, the Avenue Hoche and the eastern frontage of Avenue Wagram.
Quartier of Europe
The residential and more popular district of Europe is home to an upper middle class comparable to the Batignolles district (17th district). However, it includes Parc Monceau, renowned for its posh side. It is also home to the very busy Saint-Lazare train station and many shops close to the department stores of the 9th arrondissement. This densely-built quartier around the Gare Saint-Lazare replaced the erstwhile faubourg of Petite-Pologne (“small Poland”) in the 19th century. The quartier was a centrally-planned development with streets extending from the Place de l’Europe bearing names of European cities such as rue de Vienne or rue de Saint-Pétersbourg.
Main Attractions
The 8th arrondissement of Paris is one of the most touristic places in the capital and known for being home to many luxury hotels and department stores. Illustrious monuments, temples of culture, world of luxury… the 8th district has many assets to seduce visitors. An essential arrondissement for any stay in Paris, the 8th arrondissement has many important buildings and monuments of the capital such as the Arc de Triomphe, the Obelisk of Place de la Concorde and the Théâtre des Champs Elysées.
Located on the right bank of the Seine, the 8th concentrates many remarkable historical sites, a rich and diversified cultural offer and a selection of the most prestigious luxury and haute couture addresses. In the 8th arrondissement are some of the most emblematic monuments of the capital. In the center of Place Charles de Gaulle sits the imposing Arc de Triomphe. Wanted in 1806 by Napoleon 1st to pay homage to the victories of the French armies, it houses the tomb of the unknown soldier whose flame is rekindled every evening. From its terrace you can enjoy a magnificent panoramic view of the Champs-Élysées to the Tuileries Gardens and the Louvre Museum.
At the foot of the arch, the mythical Avenue des Champs-Élysées stretches for 2 km between shopping addresses, starred restaurants, performance halls, cinemas, luxurious palaces and tree-lined promenade. It is, throughout the year, the setting for national, festive and sporting events. On the first Sunday of each month, the main artery becomes pedestrianized to the delight of walkers.
Paris 8 arrondissement is also the most beautiful avenue in the world: the Champs Elysées and its luxury boutiques. The octagonal Place de la Concorde at the end of the Champs-Élysées is the largest square in Paris. A place of execution during the French Revolution, today it is a majestic square overlooking the Seine and the Tuileries Garden. At its center stands the 3,200-year-old Obelisk of Luxor. 23 meters high, it forms the axis of a gigantic sundial. It is framed by the Fountain of the Seas and the Fountain of the Rivers which light up to offer a magical spectacle after dark. The square is bordered by two buildings with identical colonnaded facades which house the luxurious Crillon and a jewel of Parisian heritage the Hôtel de la Marine. Former Crown furniture storage then Ministry of the Navy, it is now open to the general public for an immersive visit of its sumptuous apartments and ceremonial lounges.
It also hosts seven embassies of G20 countries: United States, Canada, Brazil, United Kingdom, China, Japan and Saudi Arabia. It also concentrates think tanks, clubs and very closed circles of the economic elite: Institut Montaigne, Club des Cent, Travelers Club, Jockey Club, Automobile Club de France and circle of the Interallied Union.
Arc de Triomphe
The Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile 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. This iconic triumphal arch forms the focus of the main east-west road axis of Paris, running between the Louvre and the Grande Arche de la Défense in the west. The monument was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806 as a tribute to his victories as Emperor of France.
Inspired by the Arch of Titus in Rome, Italy, the Arc de Triomphe has an overall height of 50 metres, width of 45 m and depth of 22 m, while its large vault is 29.19 m high and 14.62 m wide. The smaller transverse vaults are 18.68 m high and 8.44 m wide. The arch is surrounded by a large roundabout, aptly known as l’Etoile – ‘the star’ – with 12 thoroughfares leading off from it.
The Arc de Triomphe is decorated with battle scenes and martial sculptures that includes La Marseillaise by Rude, honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars, with the names of all French victories and generals inscribed on its inner and outer surfaces. Beneath its vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I. its iconographic programme pits heroically French youths against bearded Germanic warriors in chain mail. It set the tone for public monuments with triumphant patriotic messages. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was placed beneath the arch in 1920, where an eternal flame burns in tribute to the French dead of both World Wars.
Visitors can purchase a ticket to climb to the top of the arch, from where magnificent views spread out over western Paris. Admission to a small museum devoted to the history and meaning of the monument is included. The central island and the arch are accessed by an underground passage.
Élysée Palace
The Élysée Palace is the official residence of the President of the French Republic. The official residence of the President of France since 1848. Dating to the early 18th century, it contains the office of the President and the meeting place of the Council of Ministers. The Élysée Palace is not open to the public, except occasionally during the annual National Heritage Days (usually a weekend in mid-September). Important foreign visitors are hosted at the nearby Hôtel de Marigny, a palatial residence.
Completed in 1722, it was built for nobleman and army officer Louis Henri de La Tour d’Auvergne, who had been appointed Governor of Île-de-France in 1719. It is located on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré near the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, the name Élysée deriving from the Elysian Fields, the place of the blessed dead in Greek mythology. Important foreign visitors are hosted at the nearby Hôtel de Marigny, a palatial residence.
The palace has been the home of personalities such as Madame de Pompadour (1721–1764), Nicolas Beaujon (1718–1786), Bathilde d’Orléans (1750–1822), Joachim Murat (1767–1815) and Charles Ferdinand, Duke of Berry (1778–1820). On 12 December 1848 under the Second Republic the French Parliament passed a law declaring the building the official residence of the President of France. The Élysée Palace, which contains the presidential office and residency, is also the meeting place of the Council of Ministers, the weekly meeting of the Government of France presided over by the President of the Republic.
Grand Palace of Paris
The Grand Palais is a Parisian monument located on the edge of the Champs-Élysées, opposite the Petit Palais, from which it is separated by the avenue Winston – Churchill in the 8th arrondissement. Its 77,000 m2 regularly host prestigious trade fairs and several temporary exhibitions every year. This type of building marks the culmination of eclecticism, specific to the “Beaux-Arts style”. The Grand Palais constitutes, in itself, a summary of the tastes of the “Belle Époque “.
The work is one of the last milestones of an era before the era of the electricity. It reflects this moment of large transparent structures, heirs of the Crystal Palace in London designed by Joseph Paxton in 1851, where the supply of natural light is still essential for any large human gathering.
The main space, nearly 240 meters long, consists of an imposing space surmounted by a large glass roof. The slightly lowered barrel vault of the north and south naves and the transverse nave (paddock), the cupola on pendentives and the dome weigh approximately 8,500 tons of steel, iron and glass. The total weight of metal used reached 9,057 tonnes. Deglane’s colonnade carefully conceals the splendid innovation of the metallic structure.
The Petit Palais
The Petit Palais is an art museum in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France. The Petit Palais, built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900 by the architect Charles Girault, houses the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la ville de Paris. It is located in Paris 8th, avenue Winston-Churchill, opposite the Grand Palais.
The Petit Palais was built to be a lasting building that would become a permanent fine arts museum after the exhibition. The exhibition spaces are located on the first floor, the ground floor being originally devoted to offices and storage. The facade is almost 125 m long, centered by a monumental porch surmounted by a dome. Ionic columns with diagonal volutes adorn the main face as well as the semi-circular peristyle of the inner courtyard. The decor is completed by numerous bas-reliefs.
The Petit Palais is organized around a semi-circular garden. The materials of the building—stone, steel, and concrete as well as the decoration were to demonstrate that the Petit Palais was built to be enduring. The Beaux-Arts style Petit Palais was designed by Charles Girault, its ionic columns, grand porch, and dome echo those of the Invalides across the river. The tympanum depicting the city of Paris surrounded by muses is the work of sculptor Jean Antoine Injalbert. Charles Girault had designed spaces only lit by natural light, creating glass roofs, transparent domes and large bay windows.
Religious heritage
Remarkable monument of the 8th arrondissement include the Church of the Madeleine visible from the Place de la Concorde in the perspective of the Rue Royale. Located on Place de la Madeleine, this church, whose construction is surrounded by 52 columns, looks like a Greek temple. Desired in 1806 by Napoleon 1st to glorify his Grande Armée, it finally became a religious building in 1845 after many years of work. On the Seine side, the majestic Alexandre III bridge in the Belle Époque style erected in 1891 celebrates the alliance between Russia and France.
The 8th arrondissement is also home to many other religious sites, including the imposing Saint-Augustin church, 100 meters long, combining Romanesque and Byzantine art, the Saint-Alexandre-Nevsky orthodox cathedral in the neo-Byzantine style, the Expiatory Chapel, place of memory of the royal family, located on the site where Louis XVI and Marie-Antoinette were buried without forgetting the Saint-Philippe du Roule church, the American cathedral of Paris and the Notre-Dame-de-Consolation chapel.
Madeleine Church
L’église de la Madeleine is a Catholic church occupying a commanding position in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. The Madeleine Church was designed in its present form as a temple to the glory of Napoleon’s army, and later named for Jesus’ companion, Mary Magdalene. Madeleine Church is one of the best-known and most beautiful churches in Paris, in the guise of a Corinthian order classical temple. Construction started in 1764, although the church was not finally consecrated until 1845. The Madeleine has a lavish interior of marble and gold.
The Madeleine is built in the Neo-Classical style and was inspired by the much smaller Maison Carrée in Nîmes, one of the best-preserved of all Roman temples. It is one of the earliest large neo-classical buildings to imitate the whole external form of a Roman temple, rather than just the portico front. Its fifty-two Corinthian columns, each 20 metres high, are carried around the entire building. The pediment sculpture of the Last Judgement is by Philippe Joseph Henri Lemaire, and the church’s bronze doors bear reliefs representing the Ten Commandments. It measures 108 by 43 m.
Inside, the church has a single nave with three domes over wide arched bays, lavishly gilded in a decor inspired as much by Roman baths as by Renaissance artists. At the rear of the church, above the high altar, stands a statue by Carlo Marochetti depicting St Mary Magdalene being lifted up by angels which evokes the tradition concerning ecstasy which she entered in her daily prayer while in seclusion. The half-dome above the altar is frescoed by Jules-Claude Ziegler, entitled The History of Christianity, showing the key figures in the Christian religion.
Church of Saint-Philippe-du-Roule
The Saint-Philippe-du-Roule church was built at the end of the 18th century and remodeled twice during the 19th century. It is located at 154 rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré between Place Chassaigne-Goyon and Place Théodore-Chassériau, in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. Saint-Philippe-du-Roule is one of the most remarkable and imitated religious building, revive the layout of the old early Christian basilicas.
The building originally had dimensions of 26 fathoms long by 14 wide (about 52 meters by 28). The facade, very simple, includes a peristyle with four Doric columns surmounted by a triangular pediment framed by two rectangular doors. Two towers were to rise on each side of the nave above the false transept but they were never built. However, a small metal campanile, containing a bell, and decorated with loudspeakers so that the sound carries further, was added much later.
The central nave is covered with a barrel vault supported by Ionic columns. Contrary to what was originally planned, this vault is not made of stone but of framework and mounted painted fabrics simulating stone caissons. The aisles, barrel-vaulted, have no chapels but altars simply leaning against the exterior wall and placed under the windows. Chapels, surmounted by false galleries with balustrades, are found only in the last bay, where the high altar was originally located. At this level, the columns were replaced by a wall adorned with fluted pilasters which continued while rounding off to form an apse, vaulted in a cul-de-four lined with coffers.
Cultural space
The 8th arrondissement brings together an anthology of museums and cultural sites, in addition to the many prestigious architectural sites, it is worth highlighting the presence of renowned cultural and artistic sites such as the Grand Palais and the Petit Palais, built for the Universal Exhibition of 1900, the Rond Point des Champs-Élysées theater inaugurated in 1860, the Marigny theater built in 1883, or the Espace Pierre Cardin, former theater of the ambassadors, but also the Michel theater, the Mathurins theater, the Madeleine theater and many performance halls such as the Lido or the Crazy Horse Saloon. The district also has several world-renowned museums such as the Petit Palais, the Grand Palais, the Cernuschi museum, theNissim-de-Camondo museum, the Jacquemart-André museum. There is also the Palais de la Découverte which is open to science.
Other unmissable spots in the 8th arrondissement: the prestigious art galleries Hopkins, Malingre, Lelong, Gagosian, Kamel Mennour and even Emmanuel Perrotin, which unveil the most beautiful contemporary works to the public.
A cultural offer is enriched by the presence of several major theatres: the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, the Théâtre du Rond-Point, the Théâtre Marigny, the Théâtre de la Madeleine, the Théâtre des Mathurins and the Théâtre Michel. On their boards: great classical and contemporary plays, vaudevilles, musical shows, ballets, concerts… The Salle Pleyel, the Lido, the Salle Gaveau, the Crazy Horse and the Espace Pierre Cardin are also essential for entertainment enthusiasts.
Jacquemart-André Museum
The Jacquemart-André museum is a museum of fine arts and decorative arts located at 158, boulevard Haussmann. The Jacquemart-André Museum presents the most beautiful private collection of works of art in Paris, combined with the atmosphere of a large 19th century residence century. You can discover with an audio-guided visit this magnificent private mansion and its collection of Flemish painting, of the French 18th century, of the Italian Renaissance, of rare furniture. The Jacquemart-André café offers one of the most beautiful decorations in Paris.
The facade on Boulevard Haussmann, framed by two pavilions, is punctuated by pilasters and has a rounded central avant-corps, according to a layout inspired by the Petit Trianon. On the boulevard a high terrace is built on a base with shear walls only pierced by two carriage doors: the one on the right serves as a covered porch and leads into the main courtyard.
The courtyard is closed by a semicircular wall punctuated by cross-sections and blind arcades, which has an arch in its center which was pierced to allow access to a riding school, a tack room, stables for horses and a shed for cars. On the main courtyard, the main facade has a forepart pierced with semicircular bays and decorated with four Ionic columns. It is reached by a staircase flanked by two seated lions and two imposing lampposts. On the sides, the facade develops on two levels pierced with rectangular openings and surmounted by a cornice and a balustrade topped with stone vases. In the middle and above the avant-corps, there is a very large painter’s studio window surmounted by a triangular pediment.
Cernuschi Museum
The Cernuschi Museum is a Parisian museum devoted to Asian arts, and more specifically to those of the Far East: China, Japan, Korea and Vietnam. It is the second museum dedicated to Asian arts in France and the fifth dedicated to Chinese art in Europe. From 2001 to 2005 the museum was completely renovated. It preserves more than 12,000 works and notably constitutes one of the five major collections of Chinese art in Europe.
Originally its collections were overwhelmingly of objects from China and Japan, which have been complemented more recently by artefacts from Korea and Vietnam. Some 900 objects are on permanent exhibit. With more than a thousand works, the Cernuschi museum’s collection of bronzes is one of the most important in the world. Most prominent is the large Buddha of Meguro, a Japanese bronze from the 18th century, from the original collection of Henri Cernuschi.
More than 900 works are part of the permanent exhibition, dedicated to Chinese art. It has a unique collection in Europe of painters representative of imperial China under the Ming and Qing dynasties, as well as a fine collection of modern Chinese paintings from the first half of the 20th century 2. Many of these modern painters chose to live most of their life as painters in Paris and they made the transition between ancient art and modern Chinese art.
Musée Nissim de Camondo
The Musée Nissim de Camondo is a historic house museum of French decorative arts located in the Hôtel Camondo at 63, rue de Monceau. It houses an exceptional collection of 18th century french furniture and works of art in a private mansion preserved in the state in which it was inhabited at the beginning of the 20th century.
The Paris Convention and Visitors Bureau describes the museum as housing “a spectacular collection of French decorative art from the second half of the 18th century. Admire Aubusson tapestries, canvases by Élisabeth Vigée-Lebrun or items that once belonged to Marie-Antoinette. Also on display, a collection of Sèvres porcelain and furniture by cabinetmakers Riesener and Oeben”.
Palace of discovery
The Palais de la Découverte is one of the main science museums in Paris (along with the Cité des Sciences and the CNAM). It brings together permanent exhibitions on all fields of contemporary science, from biology to computer science, including mathematics and mechanics. The Palais de la Découverte’s mission is to bring experiments out of research laboratories by developing young people’s interest in science.
The Palais de la Découverte aims to popularize science. Its exhibitions, such as those on dinosaurs, attract a family audience. Visitors are encouraged to play researcher: observe, compare the scenes to get their own idea, then discuss with a real scientist whose objective is to present attractive experiments in order to give children the keys to understanding science and being interested in it. Lectures are held daily to present particular themes, the best known of which is electrostatics where members of the public see their hair stand on end.
Public space
This district, as a place of residence and life of the upper middle class, also has many shops and luxury accommodation, particularly in the golden triangle, as well as many 5-star hotels (Le Bristol, the Hôtel de Crillon, Plaza Athénée, La Trémoille, George-V, InterContinental Marceau, Royal Monceau and Fouquet’s Barrière) and 3-star restaurants (Pavillon Ledoyen, Fouquet’s and Pierre Gagnaire).
Avenue des Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is a thoroughfare in Paris, first created in 1667 by Louis XIV’s gardener, Andre Le Nôtre, in order to improve the view from the Tuileries garden. This elegant and broad avenue was extended towards the end of the 18th century, now running from the place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe. It is noted today as one of the most prestigious shopping boulevards of Paris. A major tourist site, it is often considered to be the most beautiful avenue in the capital, and is known in France as the “most beautiful avenue in the world”.
Avenue des Champs-Élysées is located in the northwest of the city. It stretches for 1,910 meters, from east to west, connecting Place de la Concorde, where the obelisk of Luxor stands, and Place Charles-de-Gaulle (formerly “Place de l’Étoile”), located north of the Chaillot hill at one of its highest points. Its rectilinear layout offers a long perspective born from the Louvre Palace, in which are aligned the equestrian statue of Louis XIV in the Napoleon courtyard of the Louvre, the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel, the Tuileries Garden, the Obelisk, the Arc de Triomphe, and further to the west, outside Paris, the Arche de la Défense. This is the historical axis of western Paris.
In its lower part, to the east of the Champs-Élysées-Marcel-Dassault roundabout, the avenue is bordered by service roads running along the Champs-Élysées gardens that the avenue thus crosses over all their lengths.
Place de la Concorde
The octagonal Place de la Concorde at the end of the Champs-Élysées is the largest square in Paris. Place de la Concorde, which covers 8.64 hectares, is the largest square in Paris with fantastic vistas in every direction. It was in this square (then called la Place de la Revolution) that the French King Louis XVI, Marie Antoinette and many others were guillotined during the Terror of the French Revolution. The large Egyptian obelisk in the centre of the Place de la Concorde was brought from the Temple of Luxor.
This monumental complex is, from the point of view of urban development, the most important creation of the Age of Enlightenment in the capital. It expresses a privileged moment in the evolution of French taste: that which saw, towards the middle of the 18th century, the decline of the rocaille style and the birth of a new classicism including Ange-Jacques Gabriel, its architect, and Edmé Bouchardon, The monuments that adorned or should have adorned its center: equestrian statue of Louis XV, Statue of Liberty, statue of Louis XVI, obelisk of Luxor. The sculptor of the equestrian statue of Louis XV erected in the center of the square and destroyed during the Revolution, are among the pioneers.
The name would have been chosen by the Directory to mark the reconciliation of the French after the excesses of the Terror. Its name has changed many times, it was called “place Louis XV”, then “place de la Révolution ” after August 10, 1792, “place de la Concorde” under the Directory, the Consulate and the Empire, again “place Louis XV” then ” place Louis XVI ” under the Restoration, “place de la Charte ” in 1830, to finally resume under the July Monarchythe name “Place de la Concorde”.
Today it is a majestic square overlooking the Seine and the Tuileries Garden. At its center stands the 3,200-year-old Obelisk of Luxor. 23 meters high, it forms the axis of a gigantic sundial. It is framed by the Fountain of the Seas and the Fountain of the Rivers which light up to offer a magical spectacle after dark. The square is bordered by two buildings with identical colonnaded facades which house the luxurious Crillon and a jewel of Parisian heritage the Hôtel de la Marine. Former Crown furniture storage then Ministry of the Navy, it is now open to the general public for an immersive visit of its sumptuous apartments and ceremonial lounges.
Boulevard Haussmann
Boulevard Haussmann is a Parisian thoroughfare that crosses the 8th and 9th arrondissements of Paris. 2,530 meters long, Boulevard Haussmann crosses the districts of Madeleine, Europe, Faubourg-du-Roule, Faubourg-Montmartre and Chaussée-d’Antin located in the 9th and 8th arrondissements of Paris and connects, to the east, the crossroads of Boulevard des Italiens and Boulevard Montmartre, where the Richelieu-Drouot metro station is located, to Avenue de Friedland which extends it to the west. This route starts from the district of the main bank headquarters, runs along the department stores with which its name is often associated today, then crosses districts comprising mainly offices, but still opulent.
Alexandre III Bridge
The Pont Alexandre III is a deck arch bridge that spans the Seine in Paris. It connects the Champs-Élysées quarter with those of the Invalides and Eiffel Tower. The bridge is widely regarded as the most ornate, extravagant bridge in the city. It is named after Tsar Alexander III, who had concluded the Franco-Russian Alliance in 1892. It has been classified as a French monument historique since 1975.
It is a metal bridge 45 meters wide consisting of a single arch of 107 meters with three points of articulation, allowing the Seine to be crossed without any intermediate point of support. Two stone tunnels are located at its ends. The style of the bridge reflects that of the Grand Palais, to which it leads on the right bank. The Beaux-Arts style bridge, with its exuberant Art Nouveau lamps, cherubs, nymphs and winged horses at either end, was built between 1896 and 1900.
The bridge was built by the engineers Jean Résal and Amédée Alby. It was inaugurated in 1900 for the Exposition Universelle (universal exhibition) World’s Fair, as were the nearby Grand Palais and Petit Palais. The construction of the bridge is a marvel of 19th century engineering, consisting of a 6 metres high single span steel arch. The design, by the architects Joseph Cassien-Bernard and Gaston Cousin, was constrained by the need to keep the bridge from obscuring the view of the Champs-Élysées or the Invalides.
The right abutment of the bridge was entrusted in 2017 by the Paris City Hall to Plateau Urbain, Freegan Pony, La Belle Friche, Ya+K and the Ressourcerie du Spectacle. These five associations are opening Le Génie d’Alex, an ephemeral cultural center open to all, with exhibition spaces, concerts, workshops, parties, DIY furniture construction, yoga, games, urban agriculture, canteen, solidarity bar. The left abutment was occupied from 1999 to 2012 by an artistic space developed by the association Les Gardiens du pont.
Parc Monceau
Parc Monceau is a pleasure garden located in the Europe district of the 8th arrondissement of Paris. Parc Monceau is a very elegant centre of green in the middle of cosmopolitan Paris. Due to its casual, informal “English” style planning, and is a contrast to other Parisian parks. Randomly placed throughout the park are scaled-down architectural replicas including an Egyptian pyramid, Dutch windmill, and a Chinese fort. Free Wi-Fi in the park.
The park notably includes a rotunda, a former pavilion, created by Claude Nicolas Ledoux, from the wall of the Farmers General. Marble statues of writers and musicians can be found around the groves; they represent Maupassant, work of Verlet, Chopin by Froment-Meurice, Gounod and Musset by Mercié, Ambroise Thomas by Alexandre Falguière or Édouard Pailleron by Bernstamm. Parc Monceau painted by Monet numerous times.
Shopping
The biggest fashion houses such as Chanel, Dior, Prada, Gucci, Givenchy, Yves Saint-Laurent, Louis Vuitton and other fashion boutiques have taken up residence in the Golden Triangle between Avenue Montaigne, Avenue des Champs -Elysées and avenue George V but also in the long rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré and around the places de la Madeleine and de la Concorde. The Galeries Lafayette recently installed on the Champs-Élysées offer ahigh-end concept store where you can find the big names in fashion and the most cutting-edge brands of the moment.
Hotel
The 8th arrondissement also has six palaces (Le Bristol, Hôtel de Crillon, the Four Seasons Hotel George V, the Plaza Athénée, the Réserve Paris and the Royal Monceau Raffles) and two 5-star hotels (Prince de Galles and Hôtel Barrière Le Fouquet’s). for an exceptional welcome and high-level services (concierge, catering orchestrated by great chefs, elegant and refined rooms and suites, etc.).
Cuisine
The 8th arrondissement is also known for its many starred restaurants. Alain Ducasse at the Plaza Athénée, Christian Le Squer for the restaurant Le Cinq du George V, Eric Fréchon for Épicure du Bristol, Yannick Alléno at the Pavillon Ledoyen, the restaurant Pierre Gagnaire, Le Chiberta de Guy Savoy without forgetting the great gourmet restaurants Maxim’s, La Table Lucas Carton, Lasserre, L’Arôme, Le Laurent, Le Clarence and La Scène.