The Champs-Élysées has long been a symbol of Parisian flair — where artists like Salvador Dalí wandered, Josephine Baker performed, and close to where designer Christian Dior opened his first boutique on Avenue Montaigne. But over time, the avenue slipped into tourist cliché: fast fashion, selfie sticks and souvenir shops that outnumbered cultural landmarks.
However, the tide is turning. A wave of reinvestment — from MICHELIN-Starred restaurants to urban greening projects — is restoring the neighborhood’s creative pulse. Beyond the Arc de Triomphe, the neoclassical arch bulit at the top end of the Champs-Elysées to honor France’s military victories, are reinvigorated cultural venues and the city’s highest concentration of MICHELIN Stars. Among the standouts is One-Star Origines, Chef Julien Boscus’ refined yet quietly local restaurant. “There’s a real vie de commerçant here,” Boscus says. “A sense of neighborhood life.”
Whether you're visiting for the first time or seeing it with new eyes, the Champs-Élysées is ready for its renaissance. Here's where to eat, drink and stay along Paris’ most iconic boulevard.
Where to Eat Around the Champs-Elysées, Paris
The history of the Champs-Élysées is steeped in prestige, dating back to the 17th century when King Louis XIV decided to transform the area. By the 18th century, it was the go-to spot for Paris’ elite, with the bourgeoisie building grand homes and theaters along the avenue. Then, Napoleon I added the Arc de Triomphe, a tribute to the emperor’s military victories, locking in the avenue’s iconic status. In the 19th and 20th centuries, the Champs-Élysées became the heart of luxury fashion. It’s unsurprising that today, along a greener avenue and surrounds, you’ll find many of Paris’ most elegant hotels and restaurants in and around this legendary thoroughfare.
Housed in a 19th-century mansion, Two-Starred Le Clarence, led by Chef Christophe Pelé, is a special-occasion favorite among Parisians — including those in the restaurant world. It’s the kind of place where you might spot a hip young chef celebrating a birthday with their family. Across the board, people love it.
The Four Seasons Hotel George V, one of Paris’ most luxurious addresses, is home to the acclaimed Three-Starred Le Cinq. At the helm is Chef Christian Le Squer, who continually surprises and delights with his refined take on French classics. Renowned for his thoughtful sourcing — often working with farmers who specialize in a single product — Le Squer elevates simple dishes to the extraordinary. Think onion soup reimagined, or lobster paired with a foaming vin jaune-infused butter sauce. A native of Brittany, the chef often nods to his roots with delicate touches like a creamy cauliflower purée accompanying sea urchin roe.
Where to Drink Around the Champs-Elysées
A members-only spot established in the 1980s, the L’Aventure club was recently revitalized by Gilbert and Thierry Costes — the father-son hospitality duo behind Café Marly, Hotel Thoumieux, Matignon and more. With red lights shimmering off glittering mosaic tiles, the space radiates disco glam at its chicest. Drinks are straightforward yet premium — think Dom Ruinart bubbly, Billecart-Salmon Sous-Bois rosé and premium spirits like Seventy One gin and Rémy Martin Louis XIII cognac, with a bump of Osciètre Royal caviar if you’re feeling frisky.
In 2024, the award-winning CopperBay cocktail bar opened its third location inside Hotel Lancaster. “When we discovered the Hotel Lancaster, we fell in love with the art deco bar and patio,” says co-founder Elfi Fabritius. “The idea was to go back to [the spirit of] the Roaring Twenties: to create a stylish cocktail bar with a very friendly, festive atmosphere — away from the Champs-Élysées noise.” CopperBay Lancaster has since become a preferred sipping spot for cocktail connoisseurs, who rave about the creative concoctions, like the Tiramisu, featuring Metaxa 7 with cocoa nibs, amaretto, homemade vanilla syrup, cold brew coffee liqueur and cream. Mediterranean-inspired tapas and the weekly vinyl club, with a rotating cast of hot local DJs, add to the draw.
Creativity is on the menu at Le Bar at Four Seasons Hotel George V. The beverages are divided into classics, prestige cocktails — like the Seventy One Eau de Nuit gin martini with the breathiest hint of grapefruit — and Creation Cocktails, culinary-inspired drinks like the Madame Tatin, a Calvados creation that winks to the famed Normandy dessert.
Where to Stay Around the Champs-Elysées
Hotel Barrière Le Fouquet’s has obvious curb appeal. Set directly on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, many of the rooms offer Champs-Elysées views, and you can see the Arc de Triomphe from a handful of them. The on-site Brasserie Fouquet’s is legendary, its walls lined with shadowy celebrity portraits by Studio Harcourt — nodding to former regulars like Josephine Baker, Marlene Dietrich, François Truffaut and Jean-Luc Godard. Nowadays, the brasserie hosts the after-party for the annual César Awards, France’s answer to the Oscars.
When it opened in 1928, the Four Seasons Hotel George V (Three MICHELIN Keys) was at the cutting edge of hospitality, offering guests telephones with outside lines and dumbwaiters delivering meals to their rooms. Today the hotel continues to set the standard for luxury amenities, with a sprawling spa, MICHELIN-Starred dining and exclusive experiences such as private Eiffel Tower tours. From elegant guest rooms to signature suites, its 244 accommodations are a serene retreat in the heart of Paris.
Plaza Athénée, also a Three MICHELIN Key property, opened in 1913 — just weeks before its famed neighbor, the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées. It quickly became a destination for the theater and design set. In 1946, Christian Dior opened his first boutique nearby and would host fashion shows and photo shoots within the hotel’s Belle Époque walls. Today the legendary hotel offers guests a truly unparalleled experience, from its elegantly designed rooms with crystal chandeliers and Louis XIV-inspired decor to MICHELIN-Starred dining options and the ultrachic Dior Spa.
Nicknamed “the little Versailles,” The Peninsula Paris is a landmark of Parisian elegance dating back to 1908, when it first opened as the Hotel Majestic — a meeting place for cultural and political elites. Today the hotel’s storied past unfolds through a lens of modern luxury. Dining options abound, from L’Oiseau Blanc, the MICHELIN-Starred rooftop restaurant with panoramic Eiffel Tower views, to LiLi, renowned for its refined Cantonese cuisine. Guests can choose between sleek contemporary rooms — with clean lines, soft neutral palettes and cutting-edge technology — or historic suites adorned with gilded moldings, marble fireplaces and timeless Parisian charm.
For millennia, baths, spas, and wellness have formed the fabric of Roman life. It’s only natural that Bvlgari, the Roman-born brand, places exceptional spa experiences at the heart of its hotels. At the Bvlgari Hotel in Paris, located on Avenue George V, the spa spans 14,000 square feet of serene space, featuring Vicenza stone from Italy’s Veneto region and warm Burmese teak. Another highlight, for both guests and locals, is Il Ristorante – Niko Romito, led by the acclaimed Abruzzo-born chef, whose restaurant Reale holds Three MICHELIN Stars.
What to Do Around the Champs- Élysées
The Champs-Élysées may be a mecca for shopping and selfies, but it’s also a cultural hot spot brimming with theaters, cinemas, exhibitions and performance spaces. While many of these venues have storied pasts, they remain committed to offering compelling contemporary experiences.
Dating back to 1951, Crazy Horse Paris is a legendary cabaret once frequented by Dalí, where designers like Balenciaga and Gaultier crafted the iconic tiny costumes. “The costumes fit into a shoebox,” says Creative Director Andrée Deissenberg. “They highlight a hip or enhance a movement — couture, made to measure for each dancer.” Originally a variété theatre with singers, comedians and even square dancing, Crazy Horse found its signature cabaret style in the 1960s, inspired by the Rockettes and vintage pin-ups left behind by visiting GIs.
Today, under Deissenberg’s guidance, the audience skews younger and 64% female. “We’re a house of creation,” she says, collaborating with designers and choreographers to constantly reinvent the show. A tourist magnet and fashion-world hot spot, tickets during Paris Fashion Week rival front-row seats at Jacquemus.
For cinema lovers, the Champs-Élysées offers something for every taste. Gaumont Champs-Élysées, known for staging flashy premieres, blends old-school glamour with contemporary screens. For art house fans, L’Elysée Lincoln and Le Balzac are essential addresses for auteur-driven cinema.
As for exhibitions, the area is anchored by the Grand Palais, built for the 1900 World Expo, which regularly hosts major art and fashion exhibitions and whose spaces have just fully reopened after an ambitious renovation. Just across the road, the Petit Palais is a jewel box of a museum featuring fine art from antiquity to the early 20th century.
Whether you come for a blockbuster exhibition, a late lunch on a sunny terrace, or a moonlit walk toward the Arc de Triomphe, the Champs-Élysées still delivers on its centuries-old promise: Paris, dressed to impress. What was once a royal promenade remains a grand stage for the city’s enduring appetite for creativity, spectacle, and style.
Hero Image : © Mary Quincy/The MICHELIN Guide
