Champs Elysees :

Hotel Rochester is close to the Arc de triomphe.
Paris has raised fashion and shopping to an art form on the Champs Elysees near the hotel rochester, and nowhere is this more evident than on the Champs Elysees, one of the most famous boulevards in the world. It's not the cheapest stretch of road on which to make a purchase, but nowhere else can you come home with a new pair of shoes, the most chic on the block, and say, “I got them on the Champs-Elysees.”

It's not all high fashion and glitz, but haute couture is certainly available if you want it. Here is a sample of the variety of shops you'll find whose address is Champs Elysees :

Louis Vuitton : Fashion, Shoes, Leather goods shop. 101, Champs Elysees 75008 Paris.
Tél: 01.53.57.24.00. Fax: 01.53.57.24.24. M: Georges V – the name in luxurious luggage and handbags, now also produces fine women's shoes and clothing.

Cartier : 154 av Champs Elysées 75008 Paris

Glamorous and pricy, it's where to go if you are looking for some fine jewelry.

Natalys : 92 av Champs Elysées 75008 PARIS – spot for children's clothing and maternity wear with that special French fashion flavor.

Sephora : 70 av des Champs-Elysées 75008 Paris – France 's leading perfume and cosmetic store; touch and sample many products before you buy and find scents you'll find only in Paris .

Solaris : 92 av Champs Elysées 75008 PARIS – the most well-stocked sunglasses store in France ; home to more than a thousand pairs, all the well-known brands.

Marionnaud : 10 r Colisée 75008 PARIS – French department store known for its creams and perfumes.

Disney Store : 44 av Champs Elysées 75008 PARIS – for those feeling homesick, the largest store of the popular chain selling wares related to Mickey, Minnie and the rest of the gang.

That's just a taste, the list goes on, including names like Naf Naf, Yves Rocher, Lacoste and Celio. Whatever, your shopping tastes, or even if you just like to look and touch, you'll find what you're looking for on the Champs-Elysées, and you'll have a blast in the process.

The avenue des Champs-Elysees is the most famous on the 12 symmetrical avenues radiating from the huge rotary of Place Charles de Gaulle-Etoile . The Champs is lined with chain stores and expensive cafes, both of them frequented by throngs of strolling tourists but often passed by the fast-walking french. Although it has been a fashionable avenue since Marie de Médicis ploughed  its first incarnation, the Cours-la-Reine, through fields and marshland in 1616, it remained unkempt until the early 19th century, when the city built sidewalks and installed gas lighting. From that point on, the Champs flourished, and where elegant houses, restaurants, and less subdued bars and panoramas sprung up, the beau monde was guaranteed to see and be seen.  The infamous Bal Mabille opened in 1840 at n° 51. At n° 25, visitors have the rare chance of seeing a true hotel particulier from the second Empire - here the marquise de Paiva, adventures, famous courtesan, and spy, entertained the luminaries of the era. In recent years, the Champs elysees has become thoroughly commercialized.  But Jacques Chirac has made a concerted effort to resurrect the avenue, widening the sidewalks, planting more trees, and building underground parking lots. Today, the avenue is an intriguing mixture of old and new, inviting tourists to tramp through the enormous superstores, while managing to preserve pockets of greenery along with timeless glamour. The tree-lined streets merge with park space just past avenue Franklin Roosevelt , one of the sixth avenues that radiate from the Rond Point des Champs-Elysees . Avenue Montaigne, lined with paris 's finest houses of haute couture, runs southwest. For help conquering the Champs Elysees along with the rest of Paris , visit the enormous tourist Office at n° 127.

This is the avenue des Champs-Elysees as it appears from the top of the Arc de Triomphe , which is at the northwest end of the avenue. You can see the entire length of the avenue in this photograph, from its western end at the base of the Arc to its eastern extremity on the place de la Concorde .

It's hard to see them in these small Web photos, but there are quite a few monuments visible in this picture. In the foreground is the commercial half of the avenue, with many stores, shopping malls, theaters, and restaurants. As you look up the avenue (you are looking east southeast, incidentally), you can see the transition to parkland at about the half-way point of the avenue. Beyond that, you can see the Obelisk on the place de la Concorde . Behind that are the Tuileries Gardens (you can see the sandy, broad walking path between the trees). Beyond the gardens are the very large wings of the Louvre Museum .

Along the skyline are more interesting sights, although they aren't really very visible in this tiny version of the photograph (the original photo is 200 times larger!). From left to right, I see the Church of Saint Eustache , the Bourse du Commerce (commodities exchange), the Pompidou Center (look for the odd-looking blue roof), the rue de Rivoli , the Hotel de Ville , Notre-Dame Cathedral , the Bibliotheque Mitterrand , the Grand Palais , the Institut de France , the Orsay Museum , and the University of Pierre and Marie Curie .

Arc de Triomphe :

If you are foolhardy enough to drive into Paris , remember that traffic entering the Arc de Triomphe has priority over anything already in the process of hurtling round it. The Arc that Napoléon intended as a celebration of his victories was not finished when the Battle of Waterloo brought his downfall. It now stands guard over the remains of an unknown solider from World War I, with the eternal flame burning under it. Radiating out from its honking, jammed centre are major roads in all directions.

Every conquest since Napoléon has brought images of the liberators and citizens climbing the Arc. From above it gives a wonderful view through Paris ' spectacular centre. Look along the Champs Elysées with the Seine glittering underneath. The Arc's gallery and sculpture merits a pause, particularly François Rude's panels. The Arc de Triomphe is on the Champs Elysees near the Rochester Hotel.

Standing on the western summit of the Champs-Elysees , out on the horizon at the top of the Chaillot hill is the largest triumphal arch in history, the Arc de Triomphe . Built by J.A.Raymond and J.F.T. Chalgrin from to 1830, it is the first important monumental arch in  Paris since the 1670s. The great size of the arch was chosen  partly because of the impact be much more stronger for its elevated position. The upper part of the arch was designed as an attic and heavily emphasized to prevent it from appearing to lean backwards or to fade into the clouds, and the giant statuary and huge relief panels maintained the proportion. Since the 17th- century, the Champs-Elysees the most grandiose and potentially symbolic urban perspective in  Europe with a length of over a mile, rising gently on an  gradient until its eventual clouds. Napoleon as decision to mark the end of the vista with a great monument was very much in character.

From the summit of this massive triumphal arch you can see the whole length of the Champs-Elysees to the Place de la Concorde . Take the lift to the top (it's a 284-step climb).

The Arc de Triomphe was commissioned by Emperor Napoleon in 1806 (it took 20 years to complete) to commemorate his military triumphs and is decorated with sculpted reliefs depicting battle scenes. Beneath the arch lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and an eternal flame, dedicated to those who died in the two world wars.

Napoleon , the French emperor who conquered most of Europe at the beginning of the 19th century, admired the Roman people . In 1806, following their example, he decided to build a very big arch of triumph which stands at the top of the Champs Elysees . His victorious troops would march on through the arch cheered by the population of Paris . This never happened thanks to General Wellington who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815.

The Arc de Triomphe was finished in 1836. It magnificently crowns the hill from where the Champs Elysees , the Avenue Foch , the Avenue de la Grande Armee and nine other avenues radiate.

The Arc de Triomphe keeps the memory of all the dead killed in World War I (1914/1918) with the grave of the unknown soldier and a permanently burning flame of remembrance. At national days, a flag is stretched through the arch.

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