The most famous avenue in the world, the Arc at the top and the Concorde at the bottom. Here is how to do it in a morning.
The short version
- Start at the Arc de Triomphe and walk down. The avenue runs 1.9 km downhill to the Place de la Concorde. Climb the Arc first if you want the view: hours and tickets at paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr.
- The upper half is shops, flagships and cinemas. The lower half, below the Rond-Point, is gardens.
- The Grand Palais reopened in 2025 after its restoration. Exhibitions inside are ticketed; the glass nave is the thing to see.
- The Petit Palais across the street is free for its permanent collection, with a garden café in the courtyard.
- Avenue Montaigne, off the Rond-Point, is the couture street: Dior, Chanel, and the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées where The Rite of Spring caused a riot in 1913.
- Don’t eat on the avenue itself. The side streets have better food at half the price.
The walk
From the Arc, walk down the north side past the flagship stores, Ladurée at number 75, and the cinemas. At the Rond-Point des Champs-Élysées, detour right down avenue Montaigne for the couture houses and back.
Below the Rond-Point the avenue runs through gardens. The Grand Palais and the Petit Palais face each other across avenue Winston-Churchill, with the Pont Alexandre III, the most decorated bridge in Paris, at the end of it.
Finish at the Place de la Concorde, where the guillotine stood in 1793, with the obelisk of Luxor in the middle and the Tuileries and the Louvre beyond.
Or do it from the car: our private Paris tour by car is four hours with a driver-guide from your hotel, any time of day or night, the Champs-Élysées, Concorde, the Madeleine and the Opera among the stops.
Where to eat
The streets between the Champs-Élysées and the rue du Faubourg-Saint-Honoré have the bistros and brasseries where the people who work here eat lunch. Rue de Ponthieu is the easy one to find.
Macarons from Ladurée on the avenue are the classic stop; the line moves.
The Petit Palais garden café is the quiet coffee on this walk, and you don’t need a ticket to reach it.
When to go
Morning, before the shops open, for the avenue itself and the view from the Arc down to Concorde. The shops are open every day, Sunday included.
December evenings, when the trees on the avenue are lit from late November to early January. It is crowded and it is worth it once.
The avenue is the stage for July 14, the Tour de France finish and New Year’s Eve, and it closes to traffic and fills with people for each.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Champs-Élysées worth it?
For a walk from the Arc to the Concorde, yes: it is the great axis of Paris and the view both ways is the point. For shopping and eating, the side streets and the rest of the 8th are better.
Is the Petit Palais free?
Yes, the permanent collection is free, with paintings from the Middle Ages to 1900 and a garden courtyard. Temporary exhibitions are ticketed.
How long does the walk take?
About 45 minutes from the Arc to the Concorde without stops. Half a day with the Arc roof, the Petit Palais and lunch.
Are the shops open on Sunday?
Yes. The Champs-Élysées is a tourist zone, so the shops open on Sunday, most of them from late morning.
Is there a tour that covers the Champs-Élysées?
Yes. Our half-day Paris walking tour runs a Right Bank route with a private guide, about three hours, start times from 9:00 to 18:00, from the Champs-Élysées and the shopping streets to the Louvre.
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