Enjoy a Stroll Along the Avenue des Champs Elysees in Paris

The Avenue des Champs Elysees is the most famous, and most traveled thoroughfare in all of Paris. At 3 kilometres in length, it runs from the Place de la Concorde, at it's eastern end, to the Place Charles de Gaulle and the Arc di Triomphe at the west. The Champs Elysees forms part of the Axe Historique, or Voie Triomphale, which is the line of buildings, avenues and monuments that runs through Central Paris. Meaning the Elysian Fields, which was the home of the most revered dead in Greek Mythology, this avenue is today known for the life that exudes from the elegant shops and cafes that line it. The name is often used to described a place of extreme bliss and happiness. More appropriate than a name referring to a final resting place is it's commonly used nickname: "la plus belle avenue du monde", or "the most beautiful avenue in the world.

The Champs Elysees was designed in the 17th century to create a vista to the west of Paris. Prior to 1616, the avenue was actually fields and market gardens. When Marie de Medici decided to extend the garden of the Palais des Tuileries with a tree-line thoroughfare. A generation later, Le Notre expanded the vista of the Tuileries, and the Champs Elysees became a popular place to stroll. This property officially remained as privately held land until the early 19th century, when it was acquired by of Paris. At that time, the city added paths, fountains and gas lighting. In that time, carriages paraded through the area, allowing ladies to see and be seen. Queen Marie Antoinette was known for driving the Champs Elysees with her friends while on her way to music lessons.

Seeing an opportunity for commerce, merchants running businesses along the avenue joined together in 1860 to form the Syndicat d'Initiative et de Defense des Champs Elysees, which would be one day headed by famous designer Louis Vuitton. This is the oldest existing committee in Paris, and seeks to enhance and protect the atmosphere of the area. As well, the committee has the right to approve or disapprove any new business.

A fashionably expensive area in which to live, most of the upper levels of the stores and other buildings are typically rented by businesses instead of tenants. While strolling down the avenue in daylight, be sure to notice the lovely way in which the sunlight strikes the trees and plantings, especially on the north side of the street. At night, the lights lining this stately avenue create a beautiful aura when combined with the lights from the many monuments and merchants, and even the headlamps from the many cars rushing by.

Every year on Bastille Day, the Champs Elysees is the home of the largest military parade in all of Europe. A parade of a different sort also culminates on the avenue, when the Tour de France enters its final stage each August. Particularly special are the spontaneous gathers that form in this area at the conclusion of sporting events like the World Cup, or each year to ring in the New Year. At those times, when automobiles are banned for the duration, people from all walks of life gather to share just a bit of life together.

As you stroll the Champs Elysees, be sure to stop in the many retail locations for a spot of shopping. If you're looking to find the most famous, and expensive, scents in the world, visit the House of Guerlain. If upscale fashion is more your style, visit fashionable boutiques like Prada or Armani for styles straight from the runway. Accessorize your fashions at the original Louis Vuitton before stopping for lunch at McDonalds, or perhaps more trendy restaurants like the Bistro Romain or Atelier Renault, where you can choose your next automobile while enjoying your meal. While winding down the afternoon, you'll find many shoes playing at nearly a dozen cinemas and theatres that line this avenue, which itself is often depicted on screen.