Attractions near the Champs-Elysées

Around two kilometers in length, the historic Avenue de Champs-Elysées is bookended by the monumental Arc de Triomphe at one end and grand Place de la Concorde at the other. In between, a fantastical world of upscale shopping and dining awaits, with decadent highlights that include La Maison Ladurée macaron store and tea room, chic celeb haunt Le Fouquet’s brasserie, and the Peninsula Hotel’s elegant L’Oiseau Blanc Bar with its glorious Eiffel Tower views.

Incurable shopaholics are also of course incredibly well catered for along the Champs-Elysées, where opportunities to send your credit cards into meltdown abound. We’re talking the likes of the luxury Galeries Lafayette department store, as well as Chanel, Dior and Cartier boutiques, and the largest Louis Vuitton store in the world, housed inside a suitably glam domed Art Deco edifice from the early 20th Century.

For those who wish to explore beyond the bustling main strip, there’s plenty more to do within skipping distance, from cultural landmarks to cute cafés and, yep, more designer shopping. Here are a few of our favorite attractions close to the Champs-Elysées.

Located at the eastern end of the Champs-Elysées, Place de la Concorde is perhaps most celebrated for its splendid views of the Eiffel Tower and Tuileries Garden, but there’s plenty more you can see and do on the square itself – at 19 acres, it just happens to be Paris’s largest. This awesome space has been shaped by several historical events: its pivotal role in the French Revolution saw more than a thousand executions, with Louis XVI, Robespiere and Marie Antoinette all losing their heads here. German tanks rolled into the Place de la Concorde in 1941 and the square was a major venue for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. Don’t miss the ancient Egyptian obelisk at the heart of the square (not that you could, really: it’s 75 feet tall!). Once part of the Luxor Temple, it was gifted to France in the early 19th Century. The square’s two fountains are equally monumental, and best viewed at night in all their spectacular illuminated glory.

At the opposite end of the Champs-Elysées lies one of Paris’s most famous monuments. The Arc de Triomphe is a 164-foot-tall Neoclassical arch, and serves as a suitably grandiose memorial to the soldiers who died for their country during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic wars. The 284-stair climb that leads to the viewing platform atop the arch is well worth the effort. The rewards for those who make it all the way up: sweeping views of Paris, including La Défense, the Champs-Elysées, the Eiffel Tower and the Sacré Coeur, as well as hard-won glutes of steel from the ascent. Pro-tip: visit at golden hour for the most romantic sunset views and photo opportunities.

Admission to the Arc de Triomphe, as well as nearly 100 more Paris attractions, tours and activities, is included with the Paris Pass, which could save you more than 30% on your Paris sightseeing.

Running parallel to the Champs-Élysées, Avenue Montaigne is an architectural melting pot of Haussman-style buildings, Belle-Epoque flourishes and Art Deco confections like the magnificent (if somewhat misleadingly monikered) Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. It’s also where you’ll find further opportunities to give your bank manager a coronary, as you splash the cash from gilded Jimmy Choo emporium to bank-balance-bothering Bulgari boutique. Or, y’know, you could save your cash for macarons and instead just gaze longingly at elegant window displays from Versace, Valentino, and dozens more of the planet’s most prestigious fashion houses.

Just a hop and a skip from the Champs-Elysées are the twin architectural marvels that are the Grand Palais and Petit Palais, both built for the 1900 Paris Exposition. Step inside the eye-catching Beaux-Arts-style Petit Palais where you’ll find, rather aptly, an exceptional collection of fine arts; everything from ancient artifacts to period French furniture, and masterpieces by artists including Rembrandt, Rubins and Rodin. Head next door to the much larger Grand Palais, for ever-changing exhibitions and major art installations. No shrinking violet, this Beaux-Arts beaut has hosted works by Picasso, El Greco, Velazquez and Anish Kapoor.

There’s another brace of excellent offbeat museums within strolling distance of the Champs-Elysées. The first of them, Palais de Tokyo, is home to ever-changing exhibitions of contemporary art, a pioneering kinda place where eye-popping paintings, sculptures and installations are the order of the day. Over on Boulevard Haussmann, Musée Jacquemart-André is set inside a former private mansion; its spectacular collection of European art, Louis XV and Louis XVI furnishings, and decorative objets d’art combine to give a fascinating peep into the lives of the aristocrats who once lived here. Don’t miss the chance to pause for an upper-crust afternoon tea in the mansion’s former dining room, surrounded by beautifully ornate cornicing and exquisite 18th-century wall tapestries. 

If and when you tire of the hustle and bustle of the Champs-Elysées, pretty Parc Monceau provides leafy respite just a few minutes north of the avenue’s sensory assault. Mosey over to say hey to some of the many national heroes who have been immortalized in stone, granite and marble here, among them Guy de Maupassant, Alfred de Musset, and Chopin. You can also find various follies including a colonnade of Corinthian-style pillars around a pond, an Egyptian pyramid, and a windmill on a meander around the park's 20 acres. Or indeed, simply plonk yourself on a bench with a coffee and a croissant and calmly watch the world go by.

Looking for more attractions near the Champs-Elysées (and beyond)? Look no further than the Paris Pass, which includes nearly 100 top tours, activities and attractions, and can be used for up to six consecutive days of Paris sightseeing. Hit the buttons below to find out more and to get your pass!