Paris Champs-Élysées (8ème)

There's a reason that the 8eme remains Paris' most touristed arrondissement, long after the Champs-Élysées ceased to be posh. The area harbors more architectural beauty, historical significance, and shopping opportunities than almost any other area in the city, and remains an exhilarating—if hectic—place to spend a day. Champs-Élysées also hosts a variety of art museums in its northern corners; they are often located in hotels particuliers, where they were once part of the private collections.

Arc de Triomphe, Pl. de l'Etoile (arc-de-triomphe.monuments-nationaux.fr), Today, the arch is dedicated to all French army soldiers and veterans. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, illuminated by an eternal flame, is situated under the arch, and was added to the structure on November 11, 1920. The memorial honors the 1.5 million Frenchmen who died during WWI. Visitors can climb up to the terrace observation deck for a brilliant view of the Historic Axis from the Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel and the Louvre Pyramid at one end to the Grande Arche de la Défense at the other. There is also a permanent exhibit, “Between Wars and Peace,” which reads like the Arc's autobiography. Expect daily, although you can escape the crowds if you go before noon. You will kill yourself (and face a hefty fine) trying to dodge the 10-lane merry-go-round of cars around the arch, so use the pedestrian underpass on the right side of the Champs-Élysées facing the arch. Tickets sold in the pedestrian underpass before going up to the ground level. Admission €9, ages 18-25 €5.50, under 18 and EU citizens 18-25 free. Open daily Apr-Sept 10am-11pm, Oct-Mar 10am-10:30pm. Last entry 30min. before close. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Avenue des Champs-Élysées, from pl. Charles de Gaulle-Etoile southeast to pl. de la Concorde Despite its slip in sophistication, the Champs continues to be known as the most beautiful street in the world. In 1860, Louis Vuitton spearheaded a committee to maintain the avenue's luxury, and it still strives to do so today, installing wider sidewalks and trying to prevent certain shops from moving in0—H and M was refused a bid in 2007, but eventually won out. With rents as high as â‚¬1.25 million a year for 1000 sq. m. of space, the Champs is the second richest street in the world (New York's 5th Avenue is number one, if you really want to know). The Avenue also continues to play host to most major French events: on Bastille Day, the largest parade in Europe takes place on this street, as does the final stretch of the Tour de France. And while the Champs itself may be deteriorating into something increasingly (gasp!) bourgeois, many of its side streets, like Avenue Montaigne, have picked up the slack and ooze class in their own right. Takes credit cards.
Place De La Concorde, Pl. de la Concorde Constructed by Louis XV in honor of, well, himself, the Place de la Concorde quickly became ground zero for all public grievances against the monarchy. During the Reign of Terror, the complex of buildings was renamed place de la Révolution, and 1343 aristocrats were guillotined there in less than a year. Louis XVI met his end near the statue that symbolizes the French town of Brest, and the obelisk marks the spot where Marie-Antoinette, Charlotte Corday (Marat's assassin), Lavoisier, Danton, and Robespierre lost their heads. Flanking either side of Concorde's intersection with the wide Champs-Élysées are reproductions of Guillaume Coustou's Cheveaux de Marly; Also known as Africans Mastering the Numidian Horses, the original sculptures are now in the Louvre to protect them from pollution. The place is ringed by eight large statues representing France's major cities: Brest, Bordeaux Lille, Lyon, Marseille, Nantes, Rouen, and Stras
Fouquet's, 99 Ave. des Champs-Élysées (☎01 47 23 70 60), A remnant from glamour days past, Fouquet's is a testament to the Champs' former glory and a designated historical monument. This outrageously expensive cafe/restaurant was once a favorite haunt of French film stars; these days, it has more celebrities in its picture frames than its seats. The somewhat over-the-top red-awninged eatery, which has been open since 1899, hosts the annual César awards (see Food). Takes credit cards.
Grand Palais, 3 Ave. du Général Eisenhower (☎01 44 13 17 17; grandpalais.fr), Designed for the 1900 World's Fair, the Grand Palais and the accompanying Petit Palais across the street were lauded as exemplary works of Art Nouveau architecture. Today, most of the Grand Palais is occupied by the Palais de la Découverte, a children's science museum; it is most beautiful at night, when the statues are backlit and the glass dome glows from within. The complex also hosts 2 temporary exhibit spaces in the Galeries Nationales; the main space at 3 av. du Général Eisenhower boasts four special expositions a year, and the other gallery around the corner changes its exhibits seasonally. Make sure an exhibit's going on before you visit, as the Palais is closed between shows. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Petit Palais, av. Winston Churchill (☎01 53 43 40 00; www.petitpalais.paris.fr), Also known as the Musée des Beaux-Arts de la Ville de Paris, the Petit Palais showcases a hodgepodge of European art that includes 19th-century sculpture, 17th-century portraiture, Renaissance objets d'arts, and ancient Greek relics, as well as the largest public collection of Christian Orthodox icons in France. Themed displays include 19th-century Impressionist works (think Monet and Cézanne) and 17th-century Flemish and Dutch masterpieces (including Rubens and Rembrandt). The beautiful exotic garden displays more of the Palais' grandiose architecture. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Palais de la Élysées, 55 Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré (☎01 42 92 81 00), Built in 1718, the palais was once home to Louis XV's celebrated mistress Madame de Pompadour; the building's sheer size suggests that Louis was compensating for something. Later, Napoleon lived here with Josephine, who recognized that affairs are better outside palace walls. In 1848, the National Assembly officially declared Élysées the presidential residence. Napoleon III remodeled the Classical style a bit with the help of architect Joseph-Eugène Delacroix. For the French, it remains a symbol of the Republic. Entrance requires a personal invitation or a daring break-in. Beware though; guards pace around the corner of av. de Marigny and rue du Faubourg St-Honoré to protect it. Takes credit cards. Has air conditioning.
Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, 15 Ave. Montaigne (☎01 49 52 50 50; www.theatrechampselysees.fr), Built by the Perret brothers in 1912 with bas-reliefs by Bourdelle, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées is best known for staging the scandalous premiere of Stravinsky's ballet Le Sacre du Printemps (The Rite of Spring). The score, conducted by Pierre Monteux, was dissonant and arhythmic, and Vaslav Nijinsky's choreography had the dancers dressed in feathers and rags, hopping about pigeon-toed to evoke primitivism. The spectacle provoked the most famous riot in music history; the audience jeered and shouted so loudly that the dancers couldn't hear the orchestra. Today, the theater has three theatrical spaces that host operatic, orchestral, and dance performances; it is also home to the Orchestre National de France and Orchestre Lamoureux. Takes credit cards. Has air conditioning.
Chapelle Expiatoire, 29 rue Pasquier (☎01 44 32 18 00), Pl. Louis XVI is composed of the immense Chapelle Expiatoire, monuments to Marie-Antoinette and Louis XVI, and a lovely, quiet park that is excellent for picnicking. During the Revolution, when burial sites were in high demand, lime-filled trenches were dug here to accommodate hundreds of bodies. Louis XVIII had his brother's and sister-in-law's remains removed to St-Denis in 1815, and there are no graves remaining, despite rumors of Marat's assassin Charlotte Corday being buried here. Statues of the expiatory king and queen stand inside the Chapelle, symbolically guarding a tomb-shaped altar. Their touching final letters are engraved in French on the base of the sculptures.
Parc Monceau, 58 Bld. de Courcelles The signs say “Pelouse interdite” (keep off the lawn), but on sunny days, everyone pretends to be illiterate. Protected from the chaos of the city by gold-tipped, wrought-iron gates, the Parc Monceau is an expansive urban oasis especially popular with families. There's plenty of shade, courtesy of the largest tree in Paris: an oriental platane, 7m thick and two centuries old. The park was designed by painter Carmontelle for the Duc d'Orléans and completed by Haussmann in 1862. A number of architectural oddities—covered bridges, Dutch windmills, Roman ruins, and roller rinks—make this a kids' romping ground as well as a formal garden. As it is slightly out of the way, it tends to be locals only. Has outdoor seating.
Cathédrale Alexandre-Nevsky, 12 rue Daru (☎01 42 27 37 34), Known as the Église Russe, this gold, five-domed cathedral is Paris's primary Russian Orthodox church and Russian cultural center. The spectacular, recently restored interior, lavishly decorated in religious icons, was painted by artists from St-Petersburg in gold, reds, blues, and greens in classic Byzantine style. An altar at the back of the church on the right dates from 1289, and is thought to have been (ahem) liberated from another church during the Napoleonic Wars; it was given to the Alexandre-Nevsky by the Menier family (famous chocolatiers). The Virgin Mary icon to its right was a gift from a cavalier regiment of the Russian Imperial Guard. Dress for a Russian winter; no shorts or uncovered shoulders are allowed inside.
Musée Jacquemart-André, 158 bd. Haussmann 01 45 62 11 59 (www.musee-jacquemart-andre.com), Nélie Jacquemart's passion for art and her husband Edouard André's wealth were combined to create this extensive collection, which is housed in their gorgeous late-19th century home. During the couple's lifetime, Parisian high society admired their extravagant, double-corniced marble and iron staircase; however, only very special guests got a glimpse of their precious collection of English, Flemish, French, and Italian Renaissance artwork, which included a Madonna and Child by Botticelli, St-George and the Dragon by Ucello, and Pilgrims at Emmaeus by Rembrandt. Today, you can wander through the mansion—a sight in itself, with its wealth of gold embellishments, towering windows, and marble columns—and peruse a collection worthy of the most prestigious museums. The couple imported the magnificent fresco on the upper level, set above a walled indoor garden, from Italy. The courtyard offers a nice view of the museum's facade, and more impo Takes credit cards.
Palais De La Découverte, av. Franklin D. Roosevelt, in the Grand Palais (☎01 56 43 20 20), Kids tear around the Palais's interactive science exhibits, and it may be hard not to join them—nothing brings out your inner child like buttons that start model comets on their celestial trajectories, spinning seats that demonstrate angular motion, and displays of creepy-crawlies. What's more, adults and children alike are likely to learn a surprising amount about the physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology, and biology. The temporary exhibits (4 per year) are usually crowd-pleasers; the most recent, entitled “Dinosaur Diet” featured real-sized animated dinosaurs. The planetarium has four shows (11:30am, 2, 3:15, 4:30pm) per day; arrive early during school vacation periods. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access. Has air conditioning.
Pinacotheque, 28 pl. de la Madeleine (☎01 42 68 02 01), Opened in 2007, this for-profit museum garnered a fair share of suspicion from the oh-so-altruistic art world. Since then, the anxiety of cultural enthusiasts has been somewhat quelled; La Pinacotheque has consistently put on quality shows. With 2000 sq. m. of floor space, the museum organizes large exhibitions dedicated to one or a few artists, with aims of giving a fresh look at old names. Most recently, it gathered more than 250 works by Edvard Munch, selected to highlight the difference between his general work and his iconic masterpiece The Scream; easily-distracted museum-goers may enjoy the opportunity to look closely at one artist's oeuvre. Takes credit cards. Has air conditioning.
Musée Cernuschi, 7 av. Velasquez (☎01 53 96 21 50), France's second-largest museum of Asian art lies just outside of the beautiful Parc Monceau. Between 1871 and 1873, Italian banker Henri Cernuschi gathered this assortment of ancient to 18th-century Asian art during a trip around the world. Transporting his collection back home must have been a feat in itself; the museum's most notable piece is giant, three-ton Japanese buddha. The permanent collection is mostly from China, and is organized in chronological order with pedagogical plaques from the Wei-Sui dynasties to the Qing dynasty, including excellent Tang pottery pieces. The Henri Cernuschi Memorial Room is in the basement. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.
Musée Nissim De Camondo, 63 rue de Monceau (☎01 53 89 06 50), This museum was dedicated by a wealthy Turkish banker to the Musée des Arts Décoratifs, in memory of his son who died in WWI. The extensive collection of is mostly comprised of 18th-century decorative arts, and includes Chinese vases, Savonnerie carpets, and magnificent sets of Sévres porcelain. The museum also explains life in a grand mansion at the turn of the century through its pristinely preserved sitting rooms, bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen. Open W-Su 10am-5:30pm. Closed national holidays and Aug. 15. Takes credit cards. Wheelchair access.