Champs-Elysées gardens, a large green space close to Concord Square

The Champs-Elysées gardens are a set of green spaces in the 8th arrondissement of Paris, crossed by the Avenue des Champs Elysées of Paris. They are spaces of rest near the traffic around. Not to be missed when you are in the lower part of the Champs-Elysées on the side of Concord Square.

The site was originally marshy. It starts to be developed from the XVIIth century. It was bought in 1828 by the city of Paris. The current gardens with an area of 137 520 m2 (13.7 ha), designed by Adolphe Alphand, were inaugurated in 1840 on the model of English gardens.

Geographical location

The gardens of the Champs-Élysées are bounded by :

• the Cours la Reine and the Seine to the south;
• Avenue Gabriel and the Elysee Palace to the north;
• Avenue Matignon, the Champs-Élysées-Marcel-Dassault traffic circle and Avenue Franklin-D.-Roosevelt to the west;
• Place de la Concorde to the east.

They are also bisected by the lower part of Avenue des Champs-Élysées. Avenue du Général-Eisenhower and Avenue Winston-Churchill also pass through the gardens.

The buildings located in the Champs-Elysées Gardens

The south of the gardens is occupied by the Grand Palais. Among the other buildings located in the area of the Gardens of the Champs-Elysees, we find the theater of the Rond-Point and the theater Marigny. The gardens of the Elysee Palace adjoin the green space to the north.

The south-west of the gardens, around the Grand Palais, contains the Jean-Perrin square and the garden of New France.

Organization of the Champs-Elysées gardens

These gardens, set in a triangular space, 300 to 400 meters wide, are divided into rectangular spaces called "squares".

• On the north side, from east to west
  • Carré des Ambassadeurs, where you can find the Espace Cardin
  • Carré de l'Élysée (in front of the Élysée Palace): there is the Pavillon Gabriel and the Lenôtre restaurant.
  • Carré Marigny (at the end of the rue du Cirque): there is the Marigny theater, the restaurant Laurent, the famous stamp market and a puppet theater Guignol.
• On the south side, from east to west
  • Ledoyen Square or Georama Square (facing the Ambassadors Square): there is the Ledoyen restaurant
  • Grand carré du Battoir, also called grand carré des Jeux, or des Fêtes (facing the carré de l'Élysée)
  • Carré du Rond-Point, next to the Rond-point des Champs-Élysées-Marcel-Dassault.

Moreover, the Jardins des Champs-Elysées are crossed by 3 alleys:

• Allée du Commandant-Massoud (Afghan fighter Ahmed Chah Massoud (1953-2001)
• Allée Marcel-Proust (French writer Marcel Proust (1871-1922)
• Allée Jeannine-Worms (French writer and playwright Jeaninne Worms (1923-2006)

They also include 3 annex gardens: 

• Square Jean-Perrin located on the northwest side of the Grand Palais
• Jardin de "la Nouvelle-France" located on the southwest side of the Grand Palais.
• Jardin des "Abords-du-Petit-Palais" located on the south side of the Petit Palais.
  The little moment of history

The moment of the little history 

In 1814-1815, Russian and Prussian troops pushed Napoleon's armies back into the capital. The occupying soldiers camped in the gardens, ravaged the plantations, and the prestigious promenade fell into decadence.

It regained its prestige with the development of Hittorff in 1838. The architect of the Gare du Nord and the Place de l'Etoile created sidewalks, fountains, pavilions and gas lighting. Balls, theaters, circuses, and cafés appeared. The crowd also appreciated the panoramic views of the painted landscapes that allowed them to believe they were elsewhere. Davioud's theatre, first transformed into a hall of mirrors, became the Rond-Point theater (see above). In 1859, Alphand redesigned the English-style gardens, balls and concert cafés were set up, and two pavilions were built. A new panorama was built in 1883 by Charles Garnier, the architect of the opera: it is now the Marigny theater (see above).

Almost opposite, on the north side of the Champs-Elysées Gardens, the "Grille du Coq", the "discreet" entrance to the Elysée Palace. The park of the Palais de l'Élisée overhangs the avenue Gabriel: one can (only) see the Elysian foliage of its English-style park.

A little further on the avenue de Marigny, we arrive in front of the main entrance of the Elysée Palace.