Fodor's Inside Paris by Fodor's Travel Guides

Author:Fodor's Travel Guides
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Fodor's Travel
Published: 2019-05-06T16:00:00+00:00

The Seine snakes through the center of Paris, carving out two distinctly different sides of the city the same way the East River divides Brooklyn and Manhattan. La Rive Gauche, or Left Bank, considered the city’s cultural soul, was the stomping grounds of Hemingway and philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre; la Rive Droite, or Right Bank, is more buttoned-up with its symmetrical squares, tulip-filled gardens, and grand boulevards, including the famous Champs-Élysées. Both banks, declared a UNESCO World Heritage site, are scenic enough for films (Woody Allen’s Midnight in Paris is just one of many) and flâneurs, or people on a stroll. Eye the Eiffel Tower from the Jardins du Trocadéro before museum-hopping along the romantic riverbank to the Place de la Concorde and its 3,300-year-old Egyptian obelisk. The square marks the eastern end of the Champs-Élysées, the 2-km (1¼-mile) avenue stretching to the Arc de Triomphe. Designer-lined streets intersect the bustling boulevard, and ritzy hotels and cocktail bars are a given. But this landmark-rich neighborhood is undergoing a petit face-lift in the form of cutting-edge concept shops, revamped restaurants, and modernized monuments, such as the Grand Palais, slated for a €500 million sprucing up in 2020.—by Lane Nieset

äSights

Arc de Triomphe

The Eiffel Tower isn’t the only monument worth climbing in Paris. From the panoramic terrace on the top of the Arc de Triomphe, you’ll have sweeping views across the city (and down the striking Champs-Élysées). If you’re passing by in the evening, the flame of remembrance is relit every day at 6:30 pm to honor the Unknown Soldier, buried at the arch’s base in 1921. Pl. Charles-de-Gaulle, Champs-Élysées 01–55–37–73–77 paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr €12, free 3rd weekend of Sept. and 1st Sun. of month Charles de Gaulle–Etoile.

Avenue des Champs-Élysées

Marcel Proust lovingly described the genteel elegance of the storied Champs-Élysées (pronounced “chahnz- eleezay,” with an “n” sound instead of “m,” and no “p”) during its Belle Époque heyday, when its cobblestones resounded with the clatter of horses and carriages. Today, despite unrelenting traffic and the intrusion of chain stores and fast-food franchises, the avenue still sparkles. There’s always something happening here: stores are open late (and many are open on Sunday, a rarity in Paris); nightclubs remain top destinations; and cafés offer prime people-watching, though you’ll pay for the privilege—after all, this is Europe’s most expensive piece of real estate. Along the 2-km (1¼-mile) stretch, you can find marquee names in French luxury, like Cartier, Guerlain, and Louis Vuitton. Car manufacturers lure international visitors with space-age showrooms. Old stalwarts, meanwhile, are still going strong—including the Lido cabaret and Fouquet’s, whose celebrity clientele extends back to James Joyce. The avenue is also the setting for the last leg of the Tour de France bicycle race (the third or fourth Sunday in July), as well as Bastille Day (July 14) and Armistice Day (November 11) ceremonies. The Champs-Élysées, which translates to “Elysian Fields” (the resting place of the blessed in Greek mythology), began life as a cow pasture and in 1666 was transformed into a park by the royal landscape architect André Le Nôtre.

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