Champs-Élysées Avenue: What to See, Shopping, Christmas Lights and Access

Updated on October 8, 2026

The Champs-Élysées runs from Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe (1.9 km), with shops open on Sundays, Christmas lights and metro George V or Étoile. At 1,910 meters long and 70 meters wide, the avenue was laid out from 1667 by André Le Nôtre in line with the Tuileries Garden; it crosses the 8th arrondissement and hosts the Bastille Day military parade every July 14. Lined with gardens, theaters, shops, cinemas and grand hotels, it is one of the best-known shopping streets in the world, and its wide sidewalks make it ideal for a stroll.

Highlights

Key figures

Length: 1,910 m (about 1.2 miles), from Place de la Concorde to Place Charles-de-Gaulle (Étoile). Width: 70 m. Arrondissement: 8th. The avenue climbs gently from Concorde toward the Arc de Triomphe; allow about 25 minutes to walk it end to end without stopping.

History

In 1667, André Le Nôtre laid out a grand tree-lined walk for Louis XIV extending the Tuileries Garden; the name Champs-Élysées was fixed in 1709. The July 14 military parade comes down the avenue every year, and the Tour de France has traditionally finished here since 1975: the 2026 race ended here on July 26, after three climbs of the Montmartre hill.

From Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe

Starting from Place de la Concorde, the lower avenue, up to the Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées, is lined with gardens, with the Grand Palais, the Petit Palais and the Théâtre du Rond-Point. The upper part, up to Étoile, is packed with shops, cinemas, cafés and well-known addresses such as the Guerlain house at No. 68 and the Drugstore Publicis at No. 133.

The private mansions

Some of the Champs-Élysées mansions have been turned into embassies or company headquarters, and most are not open to the public. Guided tours are nevertheless available for some of them, such as the Hôtel de la Païva.

The Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe stands at the western end of the avenue, in the middle of Place Charles-de-Gaulle. Commissioned by Napoleon I in 1806 to celebrate the victories of his armies, it shelters the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier; its rooftop terrace looks down the full length of the Champs-Élysées.

Shopping

Louis Vuitton's store at no. 101, major fashion brands, perfume shops, concept stores: the avenue is classified as an international tourist zone, which allows most shops to open on Sundays too.

Christmas Lights

From mid-November to early January, the trees along the avenue are lit up every evening, from Concorde to Étoile; in 2025-2026, they shone from November 16 to January 4. The 2026-2027 dates are announced each autumn by the Comité Champs-Élysées. Our guide to Christmas lights in Paris covers the other neighborhoods worth seeing.

Redevelopment of the avenue

The City of Paris launched a first phase of renovation in 2022 (new paving, street furniture, tree planting). A second phase, announced for 2025-2030, aims to green the avenue and its surroundings more widely, as part of a green promenade linking the Louvre to the Chaillot hill.

Practical info

Tips

To take in the whole avenue, walk up it from Concorde to Étoile: about 25 minutes without stopping, more like 1 to 2 hours with shops and breaks. Finish on the rooftop of the Arc de Triomphe to see the view from above, and stay into the evening for the avenue's lights. Our complete guide to the Champs-Élysées details the avenue's addresses; for the final stage in late July, see the Tour de France finish in Paris.

How to get there

Five metro stations line the avenue: Concorde (lines 1, 8 and 12), Champs-Élysées-Clemenceau (lines 1 and 13), Franklin D. Roosevelt (lines 1 and 9), George V (line 1) and Charles de Gaulle-Étoile (lines 1, 2 and 6, RER A). Line 1 runs beneath the entire avenue. Bus 73 runs up the Champs-Élysées from Concorde to Étoile.