City Guide

Description: Boulevard Haussmann is one of the grands boulevards opened in 1864 to help ease Paris' transition from a medieval city to a modern capitol during the Napoléonic Era. Masterminded by Georges Haussman as part of an extravagant series of reforms, these boulevards are famous for infusing the then cluttered cityscape of Paris with striking doses of airy breadth and linearity. Today Boulevard Haussmann is home to some of the word's most elaborate department stores, dubbed the Grands Magasins. Here you will find the immaculate Galeries Lafayette and Le Printemps , two must-see shopping stops for first-rate Parisian Couture, home goods, and more.