Paris - Grands Boulevards

From the beginning the Grands Boulevards of Paris became popular places of promenade, where people went to see and be seen, to visit a restaurant or go to the theater. The terms boulevard theater and boulevard paper came to reflect the things that attracted people on the boulevards - noise, sensation, spectacle. In our own day these attractions are provided by cinemas and discotheques.

The western end of the Grands Boulevards, round the Opéra-Garnier, is a fashionable area, with expensive boutiques and restaurants. In and around the Faubourgs Montmartre, Saint-Denis and Saint-Martin in the eastern part of the city visitors will get a better impression of ordinary everyday life in a big city.