L'Art du Temps

Next  The 8th arrondissement

The finest avenue in the world

Palatial mansions, the Arc de Triomphe presiding imposingly over the “finest avenue in the world”, the Hôtel de Crillon with its grand balconies that open onto the magnificent square beneath, Avenue Montaigne, where the store signs read like a roll call of the finest names from the world of high fashion, and Faubourg Saint-Honoré… need we say more? Well, we haven’t even mentioned Parc Monceau, the pagoda that stands on the corner of Rue de Courcelles and Rue Rembrandt, the nine theatres, the Crazy Horse and Le Lido, or the art galleries displaying more than just abstract works, right alongside some of the city’s finest mansions….

“8” is a magic number

The 8th arrondissement in Paris is guaranteed to fuel the imagination of tourists and all lovers of the French capital. On its own, it boasts many of the city’s finest jewels. But there’s also another side to the “8th”, a more intimate, yet no less stylish one. A distinctive, secretive district, home to the Cité Odiot, an oasis of calm within meters of the Champs Elysées, Notre-Dame-de-la-Consolation chapel, now the home of the Italian Catholic Mission in Paris. Yes, this is still the “8th”, but viewed from a completely different angle.