Christmas Stroll Champs-Élysées Paris

Hello my dear readers, I hope you had a very Happy Christmas and enjoyable holiday weekend. As mentioned to you in my previous post, there is a long standing rivalry between London and Paris, particularly with respect to who can create the most amazing spectacle of holiday lights and displays. So you have seen the display in London, now come with me to take a look at the display in Paris. Don’t forget to leave me a comment in section below and share with me which location you believed did the best Christmas decorations for 2016? Who is it, London or Paris?

Avenue Champs-Élysées

Champs-Élysées is a wide Avenue located close to the center of the city surrounded by famous monuments. It is the place to go to see and be seen. It is known for its theaters, cafés, luxury shops, and is finish line of the Tour de France cycle race. As such it is jam packed with tourists all throughout the year, particularly in the summer and at Christmas time. The name is French for the Elysian Fields, the place where the dead heroes of Greek mythology would go in the afterlife. The French are so proud of their boulevard, that they refer to it as: “la plus belle avenue du monde” or “the world’s most beautiful avenue.” 

So what is the difference between the displays in Oxford Street London and Champs-Élysées Paris? For me, it boils down to the fact that in Paris, much of the beauty for the Christmas holiday is in the actual window displays of the luxury shops and their decorations. Whereas in Oxford street, the lights made up of stars and angel figurines are rather impressive on their own. Below you will see the famous decorations of Fouquet’s Restaurant and Louis Vuitton and Cartier.

 

Fouquets

Louis Vuitton

“Happy New Year 2017” 

Cartier luxury jeweller, complete with its famous

PANTHÈRE DE CARTIER (the Cartier Panther)

At one end of Avenue Champs-Élysées is the Arc de Triomphe, one of the most famous monuments in Paris, a lasting symbol of the height of Emperor Napoleon’s many victories for France. The Arc honours those who fought and died for France in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars and commemorates all of the fallen and their battles with inscriptions on the outside of the monument. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from World War I (similar to the one in Washington D.C. United States, and in other countries) is in the vault underneath the Arc. The Arc is stunning no matter what, but particularly at night when it is light up against the dark sky.

After all of that walking around and admiring all of the pretty stores, it was time to head home. I was staying in an apartment near the most famous monument in all of Paris. That is right you guessed it, La Tour Eiffel. For those of you that have yet to see it in person, I am not going to spoil it for you and tell you what color it is during the daylight (hint it is not what you think). Instead, I will show you the beauty of it at night, and one of the many reasons they call this the City of Lights.

and of course I had to stop and photograph the magnificent moon,

she was absolutely breathtaking that night

Speaking of lights, do you see those extra sparklers, the famous glittering lights of the Eiffel? If you want to catch the 10 minute show the next time you are in Paris, be sure that you stand close as it starts every hour on the hour for the first 5-10 minutes at night. The Tower itself is light up every night from sunset until 1 a.m. (2 a.m. in the summer). The sparkles really are magic, especially at this time of year.

I hope you enjoyed the Christmas stroll in Paris down the famous Avenue Champs-Élysées. Don’t forget to leave me a comment below and tell me which one you preferred –Oxford Street or Avenue Champs-Élysées!