Ok so here I am going over my blog and seeing many posts on shopping, something I am a total amateur but did move along with my parents, my wife and now boys for necessary sake! Even if as you know, shopping in France is marvelous and in Paris is sublime! I like to make this new post using some older pictures of shopping the Champs-Élysées of Paris!! Hope you enjoy it as I.
Oh yes, we like to go to individual stores but sometimes we indulge in going to the shopping centers or malls, or as best describe on the Avenue des Champs Élysées, the galleries! I like to tell you perhaps about some off the beaten path buildings when you walk the Avenue des Champs-Elysées, that we have indulged into them,
From the Arc de Triomphe to the Champs-Élysées roundabout, the most beautiful avenue in the world unfolds a long ribbon of luxurious boutiques and prestigious stores, interspersed with legendary restaurants, cinemas and other cafes. Adorned with light, the Avenue des Champs-Élysées stands out as the essential stopover in a Parisian getaway. From Place de la Concorde to Place Charles-de-Gaulle, the avenue takes its name from the Champs-Élysées, the place of the underworld where virtuous souls stayed in Greek mythology. Day and night, this magical avenue owes its legendary reputation to its breathtaking beauty and its range of luxury, which makes it one of the main tourist spots in Paris.
The Galerie des Arcades or Lido at 78 Av. Des Champs-Élysées . This is a gallery in blond and black marble with Lalique bronze sconces. The glass slabs of the ceiling are supported by marble columns. It differs from the galleries and passages of the 19C by its exceptional width, fifteen meters, and by an almost exclusive use of artificial lighting. In 1929, the Lido opened, one of the most prestigious Parisian cabarets. The Lido move out in 1977. The high-rise building at this address has a shopping arcade on the ground floor that overlooks the Champs-Élysées on one side and the rue de Ponthieu on the other. The Arcades des Champs-Élysées, a permanent fairs of luxury shops, were built in 1925 on the site of the former Dufayel hotel. The Arcades were inaugurated on October 1, 1926. A few marble columns, from the old Dufayel hotel, are used in the construction. Closest transports metro line 1 George V or bus 73 George V stop/arrêt.
Georges Jules Dufayel , was also the owner of the Grands Magasins Dufayel, the largest department store in the world at the time, in the Goutte-d’Or neighborhood in Paris where one found a jumble of furniture and household items. The store was closed in 1930, He,also, acquired a house on the avenue des Champs-Élysées previously owned by the Duchess of Uzès. He had it demolished and replaced it with a more imposing mansion built in 1902. This hotel was in turn demolished in 1924 to make way for the “Arcades des Champs-Elysées”, a shopping mall. These arcades connect the Champs-Elysées to the rue de Ponthieu. In 1929, the vast basement was transformed into an upscale entertainment venue, called the Lido. In a Venetian setting, the public had a large swimming pool (33 m by 9 m), a hammam, a beauty salon, a dance hall. Nautical reviews take place in the swimming pool. Grand as in Paris !
The Galerie des Champs-Elysées at 86 Avenue des Champs-Elysées was entirely redesigned by Jean Nouvel, It has regained pride and elegance with its refined style. The new concept store developed by L’Occitane and Pierre Hermé as well as ephemeral kiosks. The new H&M store in Paris designed by Jean Nouvel too even if announced they think of closing this store, The ground floor and the basement are dedicated to women. The man lives on the first floor, the child is absent. To navigate from one floor to another, a wide staircase, an elevator, escalators, there are many choices. There are even these giant screens that go up and down, stop when they meet a visitor, just to show them the flagship silhouettes of the season In the dressing rooms, it can be adjusted, just like the second mirror placed behind you, in order to better visualize the chosen part.
The Paris tourist office on the Galerie des Champs-Elysées : https://en.parisinfo.com/shopping-paris/73807/Galerie-des-Champs-Elysees
The Galerie du Claridge at 74 Av. Des Champs-Élysées, Our favorite store ; a few years ago when FNAC arrived. This was able to revitalize this place and give it a new identity. There is an astonishing clock housed in the Galerie du Claridge combined with the Greeks’ clepsydra which therefore indicates the time thanks to the flow of water and the traditional , which give the time with greater precision. The whole, made up of pump, siphons, balance and colored liquid moving in a transparent medium, is constantly animated. On the left, the spheres in column give the hours and on the right, the ringed column, the minutes. It’s quite fascinating to watch the time go by, it is the case to put it, this way. Interesting !!
At this spot was the Claridge hotel ,a large hotel built in 1914 on the eve of the Great War or WWI, During WWII, the hotel was requisitioned by the French Army , then the Nazis. After the conflict, the hotel once again became the meeting place for luxury tourists, businessmen and political figures. The Claridge closed its doors on December 31, 1976. Many personalities frequented the Claridge such as Marlène Dietrich, Édith Piaf, Jean Gabin, Salvador Dali who brought goats to his apartments, the boxer Sugar Ray Robinson, Georges Simenon, Jean Cocteau, Colette, etc, The hotel was taken over and subsequently reopened today as a serviced apartment. It belongs to the Fraser group and offers 114 rooms. Closest transports is metro lines 1 and 9 Franklin D. Roosevelt ,and bus lines 32/73 stop/arrêt La Boétie-Champs-Elysées.
The Paris tourist office on the FNAC store there: https://en.parisinfo.com/shopping-paris/74090/Fnac-Champs-Elysees
The official webpage of the new Claridge-Fraser hotel on top of gallery : https://paris-claridge.frasershospitality.com/en
Some additional webpages on the Champs Elysées to help you enjoy even more this great Avenue!
The Paris tourist office on the Champs Elysées : https://en.parisinfo.com/transports/73130/Avenue-des-Champs-%C3%89lys%C3%A9es
The Paris tourist office on shopping in the Champs-Elysées : https://en.parisinfo.com/shopping/shopping-districts-paris/boutiques-in-the-golden-triangle
The Champs-Elysées Committee, a non-profit association, was created in 1916. It acts in favor of the promotion, development and international notoriety of the avenue and the Champs-Elysées district in Paris. The Comité Champs-Elysées on the stores in the avenue : https://www.comite-champs-elysees.com/shopping/
There you go folks, another nice shopping walk in dandy Paris and the most famous avenue in the world, the Avenue des Champs-Elysées! Plenty to shop here and these galleries are nice, architecturally and historically impressive as in Paris. Hope you enjoy it and do shop by them!
And remember, happy travels, good health, and many cheers to all!!!
Paris1972-Versailles2003 
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