Champs-Élysées & Grands Boulevards - Paris - page 211

A dozen avenues radiate from the Étoile including the incomparable 2 av des
Champs-Élysées . Take your time strolling this broad, tree-shaded avenue past car
showrooms and luxury shops.
Parkland unfolds at the Champs-Élysées Marcel Dassault roundabout; turn right on
av Franklin D Roosevelt then left on av du Général Eisenhower. On your right is the
gorgeous, glass-roofed 3 Grand Palais , built for the 1900 Exposition Universelle.
Heading south across av Winston Churchill, you'll arrive at the smaller but equally
striking art nouveau 4 Petit Palais , also built for the 1900 World Fair. Today it houses
the city's fine arts museum.
Beyond the Petit Palais, turn left on av Dutuit and rejoin the Champs-Élysées, con-
tinuing east to 5 place de la Concorde , the vast square between the Champs-Élysées
and the Jardin des Tuileries, with 360-degree views taking in the Eiffel Tower and
Seine. In the centre, the pink granite obelisk stands on the site of a French Revolution
guillotine.
Turn left on rue Royale to place de la Madeleine. The Greek-temple-style 6 Église
de la Madeleine dominates the centre, while the place itself is home to some of the
city's finest gourmet shops, as well as the colourful Marché aux Fleurs Madeleine
flower market, trading since 1832.
Continue north along rue Tronchet and right onto bd Haussmann. On your left you'll
see the grands magasins(department stores) Le Printemps then 7 Galeries Lafay-
ette , topped by a stained-glass dome - be sure to head inside and up to Galeries La-
fayette's rooftop for a fabulous, free panorama over Paris.
Turn right on rue Halévy to reach the entrance to Paris' resplendent 8 Palais Garni-
er opera house.
SIGHTS