How touristy is the Champs Elysees? Is it a place that Parisians go or does it just exist for tourists? I keep picturing it as the French equivalent of Fishermans Wharf in San Francisco. What is it like? Do we want to skip the walk and just take a bus from the Arc to the Place Concorde. I can't imagine my husband and son being interested in the stores and I'd rather spend the time in smaller boutiques.

The Champs Elysées to my mind is one of the few completely charmless streets of Paris. The view down its wide explanse to the Arc de Triomphe is only majestic if you shield your eyes from the rampant American-style commercialism lining the sidewalks. Certainly Parisians go there; plenty of them live on the streets intersecting it. Whether or not you want to skip it is up to you. You can always take a tour of the Arc de Triomphe and gaze down on it and say you've been there.

It´s touristy but still very beautiful wide avenue with wide sidewalks. I wouldn´t go there for the shops or the resturants but it´s nice to walk it and end at the Arc de Triomphe.

I wouldn't call it a must-see by any stretch of the imagination. There are much better places to shop, unless you really love the Disney store, the Gap, Virgin Megastore, etc. There are also some "mini-mall" type buildings, but we didn't find any interesting shops inside any of them.

Claudia<BR>It's a nice walk at night, I think especially from the Rond Point (a parkish area about halfway down) to the Place de la Concorde.<BR>You don't have to shop or eat, just stroll and enjoy the lights.<BR>If you go during the day, you could stop for tea or a drink at a nice hotel on one of the side streets like the Plaza Athenee.

Yes, it's touristy, but it's still fun to walk it I think. As everyone said it's a broad tree lined avenue with wide sidewalks. Parisians also go there, there are many smaller side streets that intersect and people live and work around these areas. There are also movie theaters where Parisians go as well. Several hotels are along the avenue along with all the commerical stuff (McDonald's, etc).<BR><BR>It's really pretty in the winter when the trees are decorated with white lights!

It's a collosal waste of time. Take a bus to the Arc de Triomphe if you want, and take the bus back to Place De La Concodre and continue with your trip.

We walked along the Champs Elysees and, purely by accident, happened upon the Paris premiere at the Lido of "Spiderman." Our 12-year-old and 14-year-old were thrilled that they got to see Tobey McGuire and Kirsten Dunst in person walking the red carpet. It was a highlight of the European trip for them.<BR>We also had a very good and reasonably-priced (for Paris) meal at a restaurant nearby (sorry, can't remember the name but it was a short walk toward the Arc from the Lido).<BR>We walked under the traffic circle to get to the Arc which the kids thought was cool.<BR>For us, I am glad we took the time to walk the Champs Elysees.<BR>Pam B.<BR>

I wouldn't walk it for the shops, but for the city planning aspect of it, representative of the way Paris was re-designed and the way its layout and architecture were premeditated, and imitated (think of Washington D.C.!) Try to look at the width of the street, the heights of the buildings, the length of the stretch from the Arc to the Concorde; their proportions and their grace.

Skip it! I was there a few weeks ago and I thought it was nothing special.

Count me as another Champs Elysees naysayer. It was one of our few disappointments during 2 weeks in Paris. Most of the restaurants and shops were overpriced.

Ack! In contrast to just about everyone else, I have to confess, I loved it. We stood on the traffic island in the centre and looked up towards the Arc and down towards the Rond point and felt the pulse of traffic and people around us. I loved people watching from a cafe on the C.E. But then, I'm from a small city, maybe that has something to do with it.

Yes, it is touristy. However, if you look at the street and remember the American troops liberating Paris there's a different feel to it.

Why not go? Especially if it's your first time to Paris. It's like going to New York and not going into Times Square because it's too commerical?

Hi Claudia,<BR><BR>I have a feeling people are answering two different questions -- the rue itself or the restaurants/shops on it.<BR><BR>As for the latter, nothing terribly special with a few exceptions (Sephora and another even better cosmetics shop whose name escapes me, and I can't believe I can't remember it!) and a cool nightclub called Queen.<BR><BR>However, the Arc de Triomphe is one of my favorite sites in the universe! Maybe you won't like it and you won't care for the Champs-&Eacute;lys&eacute;es, but personally I think it would be a crime not to see for yourself. You may love it, and you may not. However, there is absolutely no comparison to Fisherman's Wharf, in my opinion.<BR><BR>Jennifer

Sure it's touristy, but for me it's still a thrill to walk toward the Arc from Pl. de la Concorde and to see it's expanse, and to say to myself, "Hey, I'm on the Champs-Elysees!" (Don't know how old your son is, but he might like the Virgin mega record store there)

If you love tourist people watching, it's quite a hoot.<BR><BR>I agree with the others...it's pretty at night. We got into Paris in the afternoon from London, and by the time we got to the Champs Elysees it was dark. I believe we got off the Concorde stop on line 1, and walked up towards it. It is magical when you see how wide it is, and all those lights twinkling from afar. It's so famous, that you hits you..you really are in Paris!!

It is charmless. It's now a large street with stores and crowds. It's good for people-watching but that's not why you go to Paris for.

Note to Claudia -- it seems as though the people who say it's a waste of time (one person?) won't sign any names, which might tell you something. <BR><BR>Of course, there are tourists on the Champs-&Eacute;lys&eacute;es, but those who are concentrating only on tourists and the unfortunate McDonald's are missing everything else, and that's where the real beauty lies.<BR><BR>Jennifer

Sorry, Jennifer, but most of us who are/were less than enthusiastic did indeed sign our names.<BR>I'll will grant you that both ends of the Champs Elysees, i.e., the Arc de Triomphe and Place de la Concorde, are well worth your time. It's the inbetween that isn't.