8eme arrondissement.
Metro: Concorde (lines 1, 8, 12), Champs-Elysees-Clemenceau (lines 1, 13),
Franklin-D-Roosevelt (lines 1, 9), George-V (line 1), Charles-de-Gaulle-Etoile
(lines 1, 2, 6)
RER: Charles-de-Gaulle-Etoile (line A)
Ah, the Champs-Elysées. 71 m wide and 1.9 km long, it is the longest
avenue of Paris, finding its starting point at Place de la Concorde and coming
to its end at the Arc de Triomphe. Lined with restaurants, cafés,
bars, designer boutiques, and nightclubs, it is an avenue that is very much
alive and available to all. At 68 Ave. des Champs-Elysées is Guerlain,
fine perfumers since 1828, and at 52-60 Ave. des Champs-Elysées you
will find one of the many Virgin Megastores, your one stop shop for all things
multimedia and electronics related. The Champs-Elysées has been around
since 1616, the days of Marie de Médicis (at that time it was a popular
avenue known as the Cours de la Reine), but it wasn't until the early 19th
century when sidewalks and gas lighting were introduced that the
Champs-Elysées began to show a glimmer of what it is today. Not only
a site of commercialism, it is a gathering place for the people of France
be it riots, demonstrations, or celebrations.
The Arc de Triomphe, as alluded to before, is located at the end of the
Champs-Elysées at the center of La Place Charles de Gaulle. The Arc,
standing 50 m high and 45 m wide was built from 1806-1836 under the orders
of Napoleon Bonaparte following his 1806 victory at Austerlitz. Under the
Arc is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier (a French soldier who sacrificed his
life for his country during WWI) and the Eternal Flame which is rekindled
every night at 6:30 p.m. and burns to commemorate those who perished during
the two world wars.
