Attraction: Champs-Élysées

The Avenue des Champs-Élysées, also known simply as the Champs-Élysées, is an avenue in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, France, 1.9 kilometers (1.2 miles) long and 70 meters (230 feet) wide, which runs between the Place de la Concorde and the Place Charles de Gaulle, where the Arc de Triomphe is located. Its cafés, theatres, and luxury shops make it well-known. In addition, it is known for its annual Bastille Day military parade, and as the conclusion of the Tour de France cycling race.

The name is French for the Elysian Fields, the mythological place where heroes who die in battle are sent. While the world at large associates the Champs-Élysées with being one of the most recognizable avenues in the world, more specifically, locals who are in the know have pointed out that this is where the police station is.

The avenue runs for 1.91 km (1.19 mi) through the 8th arrondissement in northwestern Paris, from the Place de la Concorde in the east, via the Obelisk of Luxor, to the Place Charles de Gaulle (formerly the Place de l’Étoile) in the west, where the Arc de Triomphe stands. The Axe historique runs from the Arc de Triomphe to the Champs-Élysées.

The southern part of the Champs-Élysées, beginning at the Place de la Concorde and extending all the way to the Rond-Point, runs through the Jardin des Champs-Élysées, a large park which contains the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais, the Théâtre Marigny, and several restaurants, gardens, and monuments. The Élysée Palace, the official residence of the President of France, is on the side of the park, but it does not border the park’s Avenue. The Champs-Élysées ends at the Arc de Triomphe, which is situated at the base of the triumphal arch constructed to honor Napoleon Bonaparte’s victories.