Avenue Montaigne is a street that is known for its luxury stores that you can find in the 8th arrondissement.
The street is home to stores of some of the most famous luxury fashion houses, such as Valentino, Dior, Gucci, and Louis Vuitton. In addition to that, the historic Théâtre des Champs-Elysées is located here.
This guide to Avenue Montaigne provides you with all there’s to know about the street, including some shops you can find there, some general information, and information about Théâtre des Champs-Elysées. After that, I’ll also give an overview of some interesting places near the street.
General Information About Avenue Montaigne
Avenue Montaigne is one of the most famous streets in Paris and it is situated in the 8th arrondissement of the city.
The street is named for Michel de Montaigne, who was a writer during the French Renaissance, and the street dates back to at least the 17th century. Before the street was called Avenue Montaigne, it was known as Allée des Veuves, which means widows’ alley.
Moreover, the street has a total length of 615 meters (or 2,018 feet) and a width of about 30 meters (98 feet)
The avenue runs from Pont d’Alma to the Champs-Élysées and is known for the many luxury stores that are located on the street. The street is considered to be the most important street for French high fashion.
From a part of the street, you can get an amazing view of the Eiffel Tower.
Besides boasting lots of luxury stores, it’s also home to the Théâtre des Champs-Élysées, which is a unique and famous theater.
You can also find Hotel Plaza Athénée on the street. This is a historic hotel that dates back to the year 1913 and it features a classic French style as well as an Art Deco style. You can find the hotel at 25 Avenue Montaigne.
It’s a great street to visit during the holiday season as well, as during that period of the year, many of the street’s stores have incredible Christmas decorations. These decorations also make the street one of the most popular places in Paris for photography.
Shops at Avenue Montaigne
Avenue Montaigne is home to many of the most famous luxury brands. You can find these stores near each other, which makes the street ideal if you want to go on a shopping spree. Below, I’ll outline some of the shops that are located here.
Max Mara
Location: Av. Montaigne 31, 75008 Paris
Max Mara is an Italian fashion brand. The brand has more than 2,000 stores worldwide, and one of these stores can be found at Avenue Montaigne 31.
The brand Max Mara was founded in 1951 in Reggio Emilia with the aim of applying American industrial processes to European fashion.
The brand works together with famous designers and has many different labels. The brand focuses on womenswear.
Louis Vuitton
Location: 22 Av. Montaigne, 75008 Paris
Louis Vuitton is one of the most famous French luxury fashion brands. The brand was founded in 1854 by Louis Vuitton and is now part of the LVMH conglomerate.
Louis Vuitton has about 500 stores around the world, and one of these stores is situated at 22 Avenue Montaigne.
Louis Vuitton sells many different types of products. Some examples of products that the brand sells are luxury bags, shoes, perfume, jewelry, and more.
Dior
Location: 30 Av. Montaigne, 75008 Paris
The luxury brand Dior has two stores that are located on the street. One of these stores is a luxury children’s clothing store, which is located at 26 Avenue Montaigne.
A store that sells clothing for men and women is located at 30 Avenue Montaigne. This is also the headquarters of the company, and this building is known for its incredible decorations during the holiday season.
Dior is a French luxury brand that was founded in 1946.
Next to the main building, you can find Dior La Galerie, where you can see interesting objects and where you can have a drink at Le Café Dior.
Gucci
Location: 60 Av. Montaigne, 75008 Paris
Gucci is an Italian luxury brand that has its headquarters in the Italian city of Florence. The company was founded in the year 1921.
Gucci sells a variety of luxury items, such as handbags, accessories, and shoes.
You can find the Gucci flagship store at 60 Avenue Montaigne, which is also situated on the Champs-Élysées.
Chanel
Location: 51 Av. Montaigne, 75008 Paris
Chanel is a French luxury brand that was founded by Coco Chanel in 1910 in Paris. The headquarters of the company is located in London.
The company sells a variety of products, such as ready-to-wear womenswear, accessories, perfume, and more.
Around the world, Chanel has more than 500 stores. One of these stores is located at 51 Avenue Montaigne.
Valentino
Location: 35 Av. Montaigne, 75008 Paris
Valentino is an Italian luxury brand that was founded in 1960 by Valentino Garavani.
The headquarters of Valentino is located in Rome, Italy, and one of the stores of the brand is located at 35 Avenue Montaigne.
Some of the products that Valentino sells are eyewear, perfume, shoes, and watches.
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées
Location: 15 Av. Montaigne, 75008 Paris
Théâtre des Champs-Elysées is a performing arts theater that is located at 15 Avenue Montaigne, which is located close to the southern end of the street.
The performing arts theater dates back to the 1910s and the building of the theater was the first example of Art Deco in Paris. The building of the design features lots of straight elements and there are beautiful decorations on the outside of the building.
The Théâtre des Champs-Elysées has three stages. The main stage has close to 2,000 seats. The two smaller stages have about 600 and 250 seats.
From its founding, the theater has hosted great and famous shows, such as ballet performances.
Nowadays, there are three opera productions every year, and there are many concerts throughout the year.
The theater is the home of the National Orchestra of France, which is a French symphony orchestra, and other symphony orchestras perform at the theater as well.
Besides that, there are all kinds of other performances at the theater throughout the year.
Places near the Street
Avenue Montaigne has a very central location, and because of this, there are many places nearby that are worth checking out.
Champs-Élysées
On the northern end of the street, you can find another one of the best shopping streets in Paris: the Avenue des Champs-Élysées.
This is a large avenue that runs between the Arc de Triomphe and Place du Concorde. It has a total length of about 2 kilometers (about 1.2 miles) and a width of 70 meters (about 229 feet).
The avenue is home to many well-known retailers, such as Zara, Apple, and Nike.
In addition to that, the avenue is home to a variety of restaurants, cafes, and other eateries. When you visit the Champs-Élysées, you have to check out the Ladurée location that you can find there. At Ladurée, you can try out delicious macarons or you can go here to have breakfast.
The Champs-Élysées also plays a central role in many of the city’s annual events.
Flamme de la Liberté
Located near the southern end of Avenue Montaigne lies the Flamme de la Liberté, or the Flame of Liberty. It is located on Place Diana, which is next to Pont de l’Alma.
The Flame of Liberty is a full-scale replica of the flame that can be found in the torch of the Statue of Liberty in New York City. The replica is covered in gold paint.
The sculpture was a gift from the International Herald Tribune, which was a daily English-language newspaper in Paris.
Besides that, the Flame of Liberty is an unofficial memorial to Princess Diana.
Musée Yves Saint Laurent
Location: 5 Av. Marceau, 75116 Paris
The Musée Yves Saint Laurent is a museum that is located close to Avenue Montaigne. You can find the museum at 5 Avenue Marceau, where Yves Saint Laurent designed his collection for about 30 years.
At the museum, there are exhibits where you can see the works of Yves Saint Laurent. You can learn about the couturier’s ideas as well as the design processes to great his haute couture.
In addition to that, you can learn about the history and traditions of haute couture in general at this museum.
Each exhibit at the museum is temporary and focuses on a specific part of the works of Yves Saint Laurent. For example, there was an exhibit in the past about the use of gold.
Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris
Location: 11 Av. du Président Wilson, 75116 Paris
The Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris is a modern and contemporary art museum that is located along Avenue du Président Wilson inside the eastern wing of Palais Tokyo.
The museum’s collection consists of more than 15,000 works from lots of different art movements of the 20th century.
There is a permanent exhibition, and besides that, there are temporary exhibits that are on display for several weeks.
The collection of Musée d’Art Moderne de Paris includes works by a huge number of famous artists. Some artists whose works you can see at the museum include Henri Matisse and Pablo Picasso.
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This was my guide to Avenue Montaigne. Have fun exploring the street!