Guide Tour of the area around Place de l’Étoile, Paris, France

Place Charles de Gaulle, historically known as the Place de l’Étoile, is a large road junction in Paris, France, the meeting point of twelve straight avenues including the Champs-Élysées. Paris’s historical axis cuts through the Arc de Triomphe, which stands at the centre of Place Charles de Gaulle. It was renamed in 1970 following the death of President Charles de Gaulle.

Place Charles-de-Gaulle is located north of the Seine, about 1 km from this river, in the western part of the city of Paris, generally associated with “beautiful districts”. It is thus the second largest square in Paris, after the Place de la Concorde (8.64 hectares). It has a diameter of 241 meters, giving it an area of ​​approximately 4.55 hectares. Shared between the 8th, 16th and 17th arrondissements, the square is one of the most prestigious places in Paris.

The original name of the area was the Butte Chaillot. At the time it was the point of convergence of several hunting trails. The Marquis de Marigny constructed monumental roadworks, completed in 1777, on the mound when he was establishing the plantations along the Champs-Élysées. This work included paving of the road in the form of a star, as it still exists today. The junction became known as the Place de l’Étoile. Pedestrian access to the Arc de Triomphe itself is via pedestrian underpass, to avoid the confluence of vehicular traffic from the juncture of twelve radiating avenues.

In 1787, during the construction of the Farmers-General Wall (Mur des Fermiers généraux), la Barrière de l’Étoile (also known as the Barrière de Neuilly) was built to the design of Claude Nicolas Ledoux for the collection of the octroi tax at the entrance to Paris. The wall and the two buildings built on either side of the Place de l’Étoile were demolished in the nineteenth century. The modern Place Charles de Gaulle and the avenues radiating from it were created during the Second French Empire of Napoleon III as part of Haussmann’s renovation of Paris.

It is covered with a decorative paving forming a star: cobblestones of a darker color form triangles whose base adjoins the central reservation and the point is directed towards each of the Maréchaux hotels; cobblestones in a tint drawing towards red form triangles which seem to crush the previous ones and whose point is directed towards the avenues which converge towards the square.

Beneath the square, the Etoile tunnel, closed to traffic in 2015, allowed direct passage from Avenue des Champs-Élysées to Avenue de la Grande-Armée. Another underground passage, the passage du Souvenir, is reserved for pedestrians, and connects the median where the Arc de Triomphe is located to the sidewalks of the avenue des Champs-Élysées and the avenue de la Grande-Armée.

Although the surrounding area is most known for the Avenue Champs-Élysées, the Place Charles de Gaulle area also lead to many place, include the 8th arrondissement encompasses the area between Avenue de Wagram and Avenue Marceau; the 16th arrondissement encompasses the area between Avenue Marceau and Avenue de la Grande-Armée; and the 17th arrondissement encompasses the area between Avenue de la Grande Armée and Avenue de Wagram.

The square is surrounded by two streets forming a circle around it: the Rue de Presbourg and Rue de Tilsitt, which have been so named since 1864, after diplomatic successes of Napoleon which led to the signing of the Treaty of Presbourg in 1805 and the Treaties of Tilsit in 1807.

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.

Avenues
The Place Charles de Gaulle is symmetrical and thus has six axes, the twelve avenues are the following:

Axis Avenue Mac-Mahon and Avenue d’Iéna
Axis Avenue de Wagram and Avenue Kléber
Axis Avenue Hoche and Avenue Victor-Hugo
Axis Avenue de Friedland and Avenue Foch
Axis Avenue des Champs-Élysées and Avenue de la Grande-Armée which is the Axe historique of Paris
Axis Avenue Marceau and Avenue Carnot

Quartier of Champs-Elysées

The Champs-Élysées district 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. The Avenue of Champs Elysées is the spine, 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.

The Champs-Élysées district have 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 Champs-Élysées district 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 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.

The Champs-Élysées district, as a place of residence and life of the upper middle class, also has many shops and luxury accommodation, also luxury palaces like Le Bristol, Hôtel de Crillon, the Four Seasons Hotel George V, the Plaza Athénée, the Réserve Paris and the Royal Monceau Raffles; and 5-star hotels like (Le Bristol, the Hôtel de Crillon, Plaza Athénée, La Trémoille, George-V, Inter Continental Marceau, Royal Monceau and Fouquet’s Barrière. for an exceptional welcome and high-level services like concierge, catering orchestrated by great chefs, elegant and refined rooms and suites, etc.

The Champs-Élysées district 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 and the great gourmet restaurants Maxim’s, La Table Lucas Carton, Lasserre, L’Arôme, Le Laurent, Le Clarence and La Scène.

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. All four streets meet at Place de l’Alma, from where the famous Pont de l’Alma bridges the Seine. Known as the “golden triangle” is the unofficial nickname for part of the Champs-Élysées district of the 8th arrondissement of Paris. The district extends over a dozen hectares. This area brings together the most high-end luxury hotels in Paris and the headquarters of luxury brands. The price of real estate per square meter in 2017 was between 20,000 and 30,000 euros.

The golden triangle is delimited by the avenues Montaigne, des Champs-Élysées and George-V, and is home to wealthy families, companies and luxury shops. The following are notably located within it: hotels such as the Plaza Athénée (avenue Montaigne) and the Hôtel Fouquet’s Barrière (avenue George-V); the Champs-Élysées theater; Artcurial at the Champs-Élysées-Marcel-Dassault roundabout, and the Crazy Horse on Avenue George-V. LVMH ‘s head office is located in the golden triangle, at 22, avenue Montaigne.

Three of those streets 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.

To the south-east of Avenue Montaigne extends the “little golden triangle”, articulated around the Place François – Ier and delimited to the south by the Seine and the Cours Albert -Ier, to the north by the circle -point of the Champs-Élysées and to the east by Avenue Franklin-D.-Roosevelt. The price of real estate there is on average slightly higher than that of its neighbour, making this sector one of the most expensive in Paris.

Main Attractions
The Quartier of Champs-Elysées 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… Quartier of Champs-Elysées 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, Quartier of Champs-Elysées 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 Quartier of Champs-Elysées 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.

The octagonal Place de la Concorde at the end of the Champs-Élysées is the largest square in Paris, 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.

Avenue des Champs-Élysées
The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, Avenue des Champs-Élysées 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. The centred on the Champs-Élysées, is situated on Paris’s main business districts which known for being home to many luxury hotels and department stores.

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is known for its theatres, cafés and luxury shops, as the finish of the Tour de France cycling race, as well as for its annual Bastille Day military parade. 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.

The name Champs-Élysées is French means “the Elysian Fields”, the place for dead heroes in Greek mythology. The Avenue des Champs-Élysées is 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.

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. 1.9 kilometres long and 70 metres wide, running between the Place de la Concorde in the east and the Place Charles de Gaulle in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe is located.

Avenue des Champs-Élysées is 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.

The lower part of the Champs-Élysées, from the Place de la Concorde to the Rond-Point, runs through the Jardin des Champs-Élysées, a park which contains the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, the Théâtre Marigny, alongside several restaurants, gardens and monuments. The Élysée Palace on the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré-official residence 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, built to honour the victories of Napoléon Bonaparte.

Known as the most beautiful avenue in the world: the Champs Elysées and its luxury boutiques offers a rich and diversified cultural offer and a selection of the most prestigious luxury and haute couture addresses. The Avenue des Champs-Élysées stretches between shopping addresses, starred restaurants, performance halls, cinemas, luxurious palaces and tree-lined promenade.

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 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 location of the Avenue des Champs -Elysées. The Galeries Lafayette recently installed on the Champs-Élysées offer ahigh-end concept store where the big names in fashion and the most cutting-edge brands of the moment.

Nowaday, the south side having been chosen by brands such as Lancel, Lacoste, Hugo Boss,Louis Vuitton, Nike, Omega, Eden Shoes and the Parisian palace Fouquet ‘s Barrière and the north side by Cartier, Guerlain, Montblanc, McDonald’s, Adidas, and the famous and only hotel having its entrance on the avenue: the Marriott.

The Champs-Élysées has mid-size shopping malls, extending the shopping area: Élysées 26 (No.26) with Agatha jewellery and l’Eclaireur fashion, Galeries du Claridge (No.74) with Annick Goutal perfumes, Fnac, Paul & Shark, Arcades des Champs-Élysées (No.78) with Starbucks.

The list of fashion stores include Adidas (No.22), Abercrombie & Fitch (No.23), Zara (No.40 and No.44), J.M. Weston (No.55), Foot Locker (No.66), Longchamp (No.77), Nike (No.79), Levi’s (No.76), H&M (No.88), Morgan (No.92), Lacoste (No.93-95), Marks & Spencer (No.100), Louis Vuitton (No.101), Hugo Boss (No.115), Massimo Dutti (No.116), Petit Bateau (No.116), Milady (No.120), Dior (No.127), Celio (No.146 and No.150). The list of perfume stores include Guerlain (No.68) (Le 68 de Guy Martin), Sephora multi brand (No.70), Yves Rocher (No.102).

Jewellers: Tiffany & Co. (No.62), Bulgari (No.136), Swarovski (No.146), Cartier (No.154). Book and music store: FNAC (No.74). The list of car show-rooms include Citroen (No.42), Renault (No.53), Toyota (No.79), Mercedes (No.118), Peugeot (No.136).

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 Champs-Élysées district 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 Champs-Élysées district 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 Champs-Élysées district: 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.

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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).

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.

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 Champs-Élysées district 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 Champs-Élysées district 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.

Quartier of Ternes

The Ternes district located in the southwestern areas of the 17th arrondissement, commonly referred to as Wagram-Monceau-Ternes, feel like an extension of the Champs Élysées and 16th arrondissement, with high-end shopping galore and fancy apartments. At the gates of Paris and not far from the Place de l’Etoile, it is a strategic and heterogeneous crossroads but also one of the most elegant areas of Paris with its many Haussmann buildings. The Ternes district is much more dynamic than the rest, being in fact the extension of the Champs-Élysées. The area around the avenue de Clichy, shared with the 8th, 9th and 18th arrondissement of Paris, is occupied by a lot of shops. This is the third biggest avenue of Paris in terms of sales.

The Ternes district used to be suburban and industrial area, but after gentrification, the main streets of the area are now filled with a variety of shops. The 17th arrondissement of Paris lies directly north of the Arc de Triomphe, a finest, wealthiest, and most eclectic of Paris. This area has a high quality of life, but compared to the rest of Paris, it lacks well-known attractions, just amazing Haussmannian architecture, countless restaurants, and that quintessential Parisian atmosphere you always imagined.

The Ternes district is full of fascinating architecture, opulent buildings and discreet villas, from Austrian style to Belle Époque Art Nouveau. From Ternes to Batignolles via Les Épinettes brings together neighborhoods as charming as they are different. In perpetual evolution, this district is both popular and trendy, commercial and cultural, family and solidarity. A mix of genres that makes it unique.

The Ternes district includes the famous avenue des Ternes, a busy shopping avenue where the Fnac des Ternes store is located (in the premises of the former Étoile United Stores). Both upscale and friendly, the streets are very lively, thanks in particular to the proximity of the markets, such as the flower market on Place des Ternes or the covered market on Rue Lebon. Many food shops, bistros and small restaurants share a clientele of regulars. The Ternes district is also dotted with many Haussmann-style apartments; it is located about ten minutes (on foot) from the Arc de Triomphe and the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.

Batignolles and Épinettes district is a calm and bourgeois community, famous for its beautiful buildings where the Haussmannian style is king, its sumptuous mansions, its wide green spaces, its lively squares, its markets and its brand new eco-district. The southwestern part of the arrondissement is very dense in offices, mostly for services. Several big companies have their headquarters there. The head office of Dailymotion is located in the Immeuble Horizons 17. Gaz de France had its head office in the 17th arrondissement.

Main Attractions
The cultural offer of the 17th arrondissement is particularly diversified. The many cinemas, museums, cultural centers and performance halls reflect the soul of a multifaceted borough.

The town hall of the 17th arrondissement is on Rue des Batignolles. It is the only town hall of Paris to be located in a modern building. The original building was torn down in 1971 to make room for the current edifice. The 17th arrondissement also hosts the Palais des Congrès of Paris, which is a large exhibition center with an associated high-rise hotel, the Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile, the largest in the city.

A very large part of the “Plaine Monceau” (district above Monceau Park) was built between 1860 and 1869 during the Haussmann works. Ideal for walkers who can observe some of the most beautiful buildings of this period, especially around the triangle Avenue de Wagram / Boulevard Malesherbes / Avenue de Villiers.

The Robert Lynen cinematheque, the oldest in France (1926) has set itself the objective of making cinema an educational medium, a recreational spectacle, and an object of culture. The Cinéma des Cinéastes, classified as “Art and Essay”, is recognized as an emblematic place of culture and debate. Near Place de l’Etoile, the Club de l’Etoile is also an institution. A former Italian-style theatre, it is renowned for organizing private screenings, film clubs, film concerts and previews.

La Plaine Monceau is also home to sumptuous net-renaissance Hotels Particuliers. The most beautiful examples are the Hotel Gaillard, Place du General Catroux, or Guerlain’s former Hotel Particulier, 19, rue Legendre. Finally, the rue Fortuny is not to be missed.

Poncelet Market located only a few steps from the Place des Ternes, the Poncelet market is one of the prettiest markets in Paris. Quiet expensive, but the quality of the products and its friendly atmosphere makes it one of the most best in the capital.

A few meters from the outer boulevards, the European Center of Judaism is a large religious (synagogue), cultural (exhibition spaces) and institutional (Consistory offices) complex. An invitation to (re)discover the history, celebrations and culture of the French Jewish community.

The Jean-Jacques Henner national museum brings together a large part of the works of the artist, winner of the prestigious Grand Prix de Rome for painting in 1858. A stone’s throw from the museum, the three statues of the Dumas, place du général Catroux highlight in honor of three generations of this illustrious family: Alexandre Dumas, Alexandre Dumas fils and General Dumas.

Cite des fleurs paris, hidden between the Avenue de Clichy and Avenue de Saint-Ouen, the Cité des Fleurs is one of the most beautiful hidden streets in Paris. A pedestrian way forbidden to traffic and isolated from the hustle and bustle of the city which is an jewel of the 17th arrondissement.

The Maison de l’Europe in Paris, a genuine European public space for debate, and Citéco, the Economy Museum, offer Parisians the possibility of enjoying new cultural and civic experiences.

Quartier Ternes, the café-théâtre Le Grenier has been offering dinner shows where laughter and humor have been kings for 4 decades! Finally, the Palais des Congrès in Paris and the Ateliers Berthier, the second hall of the Odéon-Théâtre de l’Europe, are among the most prestigious theaters in the capital.

Quartier of Chaillot

The Chaillot district is the 64th administrative district of Paris. With its ornate 19th-century buildings, large avenues, prestigious schools, museums, and various parks. The arrondissement includes part of the Arc de Triomphe, and a concentration of museums between the Place du Trocadéro and the Place d’Iéna. Chaillot district is with both culture and refined discretion. From Porte Maillot to l’Etoile, from Alma to Palais de Chaillot, the Haussmann spirit triumphs in buildings that display their very courteous nobility.

The Chaillot district has a high concentration of museums and cultural sites that offer a rich and varied program to discover throughout the year. An area which deserves to be discovered, both for its cultural heritage as for its stunning architecture. A varied cultural offer thanks to its many museums, large green spaces for getting some fresh air and a remarkable architectural heritage and diversified.

The Chaillot district is a built-up neighbourhood, it is nevertheless crossed by greenery in the upper part of avenue Foch, the Trocadero gardens, and the delightful place des Etas Unis, where for the last few years the house of Baccarat has reigned supreme. Luxury and refinement are the key words when describing an area that has an abundance of the top and most beautiful restaurants. It is a celebration of art de vivre, the French style.

Much to discover in the Chaillot district. Heir to the universal exhibitions, remarkable museums proliferate: fashion lovers will visit Palais Galliera; Asian art enthusiasts will lose themselves in the Musée Guimet; performance art enthusiasts will shuttle between the Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris and Palais de Tokyo; and those yearning for the sea can plunge into the marvellous Trocadero aquarium.

Like all hills, Chaillot is made for walking and climbing. In these sometimes very narrow streets which lead onto wide avenues, you often move from the shade to the light. The sun shines on the Trocadero lawns and steps from where you can admire the most beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower; the sumptuous, delicious shade of the Shang-palace, the Chinese Shangri-La restaurant, which serves the best Peking duck in Paris …

The Chaillot district is also an arrondissement which brings together a remarkable architectural heritage. Cobbled streets with a bucolic spirit, plush buildings in the 18th century style or Art Nouveau constructions. One of the most surprising views of Paris can be seen from the apartments in the buildings situated between rue Copernic, rue Lauriston, and rue Paul Valéry. The extraordinary Passy reservoirs are hidden here, an inner courtyard occupied by a genuine urban lake.

Under the Second Empire, leveling work was undertaken by Baron Haussmann. The hill of Chaillot thus loses three meters in height, which allows the development in 1869 of the large square of the King of Rome, around which large avenues starting in a star are traced: avenues of the Emperor, of the King -de-Rome, Malakoff and Jena.

The Trocadero Palace was built there on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of 1878, around which many residential buildings were built. The palace gave way to the Palais de Chaillot in 1935 for the 1937 Specialized Exhibition. The Trocadero Palace, a building initially provisional but ultimately preserved; under the gardens, in the old stone quarries, a huge freshwater aquarium is created. The 1889 exhibition is symbolized by the construction of the Eiffel Tower; a retrospective of French art takes place at the Trocadéro.

Museums
The Chaillot district has the largest concentration of museums in to satisfy cultural appetite, from Impressionist collections of the Musée Marmottan-Monnet to the Museum of Modern Art of the City of Paris or the Asian art at Guimet Museum.

Chaillot Palace
The Palais de Chaillot is located on the Chaillot hill in Paris, in the 16th arrondissement. It is, with the Palais de Tokyo and the Palais d’Iéna, one of the three permanent buildings resulting from Universal Exhibition. The facades and roofs of the palace, its forecourt and its terrace with its staircase, its surviving original decorations (except the redesigned theater hall) have been classified as historical monuments by order of the December 24, 1980.

The Palais de Chaillot is formed of two pavilions and two curvilinear wings encircling a central void (the Esplanade des droits de l’homme) and descending towards the Seine. Between the two wings “de Passy” (to the west) and “de Paris” (to the east), the Trocadero gardens dominate the view of the Eiffel Tower and the Champ de Mars.

The entire building is characterized by abundant statuary due, among others, to the artists Paul Belmondo, Léon-Ernest Drivier and Marcel Gimond. Charles Hairon made some of the exterior bas-reliefs and Gilbert Poillerat the entrance gates. The two pavilions are surmounted by monumental groups sculpted by Raymond Delamarre and Carlo Sarrabezolles. Among the statues arranged along the large stairs leading to the fountain in the Trocadero gardens (or “of Warsaw”, erected in 1937), on the side of the Passy wing, standing, the Homme by Pierre Traverse, and seated, Flore by Louis-Aimé Lejeune.

In front are the Trocadéro gardens, adorned with sculptures and organized vegetation within an English-style park framing cascading pools, the fountain and flowing through twenty jets of water staged on eight levels. successive. Félix Févola created the water mirror and the fountains. The whole is fitted out by the architect Roger-Henri Expert.

City of architecture and heritage
The City of Architecture and Heritage is a public industrial and commercial establishment (EPIC) placed under the supervision of the Ministry of Culture and Communication. Installed in the “Paris” wing (north-east) of the Palais de Chaillot (place du Trocadéro), it is, with its 22,000 m 2, the largest architectural center in the world. Its mission is to ensure the promotion of French architecture in France and abroad, and to discover the emblematic works of French architectural heritage and international contemporary creation.

Palace of Tokyo
The Palais de Tokyo, whose original name is Palais des Musées d’Art Moderne, designates a building dedicated to modern and contemporary art. It is located at 13, avenue du President-Wilson in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, following the banks of the Seine a few hundred meters northeast of the Palais de Chaillot, in an architectural style that is close to it. The outer shell of the building is completely clad in marble. The exhibition area is one of the largest for contemporary art on the international scene.

The Palais de Tokyo is, along with the Palais de Chaillot and the Palais d’Iéna, one of the three permanent buildings resulting from the 1937 International Exhibition and intended, according to the 1934 project, to replace the Luxembourg Museum. It initially served to present a retrospective of French art from the Middle Ages, but its real inauguration dates from 1947, when the collections relocated during the Second World War returned.

Paris Museum of Modern Art
The Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris presents the municipal collection of modern and contemporary art since Fauvism, rich in more than 15,000 works, mainly focused on artistic movements linked to the capital and more recently on the European art scene. It occupies the east wing of the Palais de Tokyo. The west wing of the palace, which belongs to the State, is also devoted to contemporary creation in all its forms. The museum, inaugurated in 1961, reopened on February 2, 2006, after a period of renovation, with an exhibition devoted to Pierre Bonnard.

The Modern collection is representative of the artistic movements that have developed in Paris since Fauvism in 1905; while the contemporary collection, from the 1960s, is more open to the European artistic scene (new realism, narrative figuration, kinetics, arte povera, Supports/Surfaces, BMPT, German artists and young French scene…). The Michael Werner donation thus made it possible to bring together the main French collection of German contemporary art, with that of the National Museum of Modern Art.

Jena Palace
The Palais d’Iéna is a building in the 16th arrondissement of Paris built by the architect Auguste Perret in 1937. The Palais d’Iéna houses a hemicycle of three hundred seats covered with a double dome. The lobby features a monumental suspended horseshoe staircase. Having hosted the National Museum of Public Works from 1939 to 1955, since 1960 it has been the headquarters of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council and the International Chamber of Commerce.

Yves Saint Laurent Museum
The Musée Yves Saint Laurent Paris is a museum dedicated to fashion designer Yves Saint Laurent in Paris. The fund, which began in the 1960s and was brought together during their lifetime by the pair Pierre Bergé and Yves Saint Laurent, has some 35,000 pieces (designs, textiles, accessories, etc.), including more than 7,000 haute couture creations. His most emblematic creations are recalled: The tuxedo for women,thesaharienne, the Mondrian dress, the Jumpsuit, etc., creations that have become classics.

Museum of human
The Musée de l’Homme is a French national museum established since 1937 in the Palais de Chaillot in Paris, whose vocation is to present the human race in its anthropological, historical and cultural diversity. It is a department of the National Museum of Natural History, under the joint supervision of the Ministry of Higher Education and Research and the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Energy.

House La Roche
Maison La Roche was built between 1923 and 1925 by Le Corbusier and Pierre Jeanneret. It is considered today as a prestigious example of modern architecture in France, in which Le Corbusier find for the first time the architectural expression of the five points for a new architecture. The site was listed, along with 16 other architectural works by Le Corbusier, as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2016.

Palais Galliera, fashion museum of the city of Paris
The Palais Galliera, Musée de la Mode de la ville de Paris, is a French museum located in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, dedicated to the art and history of clothing and haute couture. With its 200,000 clothes, accessories, photographs, drawings, illustrations and prints, it houses one of the most important collections in the world. Among the collections, there is Paul Iribe, Georges Lepape, René Gruau, Christian Bérard, Bernard Blossac, René Bouët-Willaumez, Pierre Louchel, Pierre Pagès and even Roger Rouffiange. These rare pieces can be admired during temporary exhibitions.

National Museum of Asian Arts – Guimet
The National Museum of Asian Arts – Guimet, is a museum of Asian arts located place d’Iéna, in the 16th arrondissement. Designed, during its renovation in 1997, as a great center of knowledge of Asian civilizations in the heart of Europe, it presents today, grouped in a space dedicated to them, one of the most complete collections of Asian arts in the world.

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