The City of Lights (La Ville Lumière)

THE CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES ✨

1698 — The City of Light

Long before becoming known as “the most beautiful avenue in the world,” the Champs-Élysées was simply a tree-lined promenade extending from the Tuileries Garden.

At the end of the 17th century, Paris gradually transformed this axis, first envisioned a few decades earlier by André Le Nôtre. In 1698, the promenade was redesigned and extended, contributing to the creation of the grand perspective that would later connect the Louvre, the Tuileries, the Champs-Élysées and the Arc de Triomphe.

Its name appeared in the early 18th century: “Champs-Élysées” refers to the Elysian Fields of Greek mythology, a paradise reserved for the souls of heroes and the virtuous.

Over the centuries, the avenue became one of the capital’s great destinations for strolling, celebrations and entertainment. Illuminated by its streetlights, shop windows and monuments, today it perfectly embodies Paris’s famous nickname: the City of Light.

From national celebrations to its spectacular Christmas lights, the Champs-Élysées has become one of the most famous avenues in the world and an unmistakable symbol of Paris.

An iconic avenue in the heart of the City of Light.