The modest French claim that this is the most beautiful avenue in the world (La plus belle avenue du monde). Not having seen all the streets in the world it is hard to verify, however, we do agree it is very beautiful! Stretching from Concorde all the way up to l'Arc de Triomphe (de l'Etoile).
L'Avenue des Champs Elysées
Starting from the top, if you visit the Champs Elysées we highly recommend you take the time to climb the Arc de Triomphe as the view of Paris is spectacular. Tickets cost 9 euros each (or free with the Paris Pass) and it takes around 10-15 minutes to queue for the ticket and often you may need to queue again at the entrance.
When we took these photos the Champs Elysées was turned into a huge farm! The Young French Farmers Union (Jeunes Agriculteurs) decided to splash out 4.2 million euros to stage this, supposedly to highlight the costs involved in producing the produce we all enjoy as they believe they should be paid more.
We have never seen the Arc de Triomphe surrounded by so much greenery! Usually though the Champs Elysée is full of cars and the associated pollution. There was still plenty of pollution as you will see from the picture further down the page taken from the bottom, Concorde. When not hosting an event like this, the main purpose to visit the Champs Elysée is to shop! This is the most expensive real estate in Europe, rent is around 1.5 million US dollars for 1,100 square feet per year!
Les Champs Elysée is part of the Free Guided Tour, Le Batobus Tour. Why not take a look at our other suggestions over in the Free Guided Tours section?
If you make it all the way down to the other end, Concorde, which we must state is a very long way (1.25 miles) when walking through crowds of other tourists! On the way you will pass by Le Grand Palais and Le Petit Palais. It is definitely worth taking some time to visit these. Check back soon for some photos of the interiors of both.
Looking from the bottom to the top, you really get to see the haze of pollution. Nice! Don't let it put you off though, the Champs Elysée is a must see if you are visiting Paris.
Once you finally make it to Place de la Concorde, you are presented with the magnificent Egyptian Obelisk, placed in Place de la Concorde in 1836. Take a look at the 360 photo of Place de la Concorde below to see how beautiful it is.
Our sister site has lots of Gigapixel photos of Paris Monuments and famous Paris places. You can even take your own photos and send as free e-cards to your friends and family.