“In the sun, in the rain, at noon or at midnight, there’s everything you want on the Champs-Élysées”. Every year, the world’s most beautiful avenue welcomes millions of visitors from the four corners of the globe. We like to go there to shop, dine or simply stroll. But do you know all its secrets? Here are five unusual things you need to know about this legendary avenue!
1 – Its name comes from… the underworld
Who would have thought that its name, which comes from Greek and Roman mythology, designates the Kingdom of the Dead? That’s right! The Champs-Élysées is the very last destination of heroes and men of good virtue after their death. We owe this name to Louis XIV, who chose it to designate this long avenue.
2 – Its neighborhood was dangerous…
Before it became the chic avenue we know today, the Champs-Élysées was a place full of brigands, prostitutes and disreputable guinguettes. Poorly lit, it was considered dangerous… It wasn’t until 1830 that architect Jacques Hittorff equipped the avenue with gas streetlamps. In fact, you can still see them today!
3 – They’ll be totally transformed
A vast project to transform the Champs-Élysées began in 2022. The aim? To green the fields and make them even more pleasant for visitors, by offering 10,000 m² of additional pedestrian area. Work should be completed around 2030!
4 – They used to be swamps
Four centuries ago, the Champs-Élysées were marshland, wasteland and crops. That all changed in 1670, when King Louis XIV commissioned his gardener Le Nôtre (responsible for the fabulous gardens at Versailles) to rehabilitate the area. The result was a tree-lined walkway, very practical for the king’s movements. It was later extended to the future Place de l’Étoile in 1709.
5 – The third most visited avenue in Europe
The avenue is very popular with visitors from all over the world, and is the third most visited avenue in Europe, with an average of 1,009,000 visitors recorded per month in 2023. In second place are Oxford Street in London, with 1,014,000 people, and Gran Via in Madrid, with an average of 1,923,000 pedestrians per month.