The Champs-Élysées is unavoidable Paris: broad, ceremonial, crowded, commercial, and still impressive when seen along the axis from the Arc de Triomphe toward Place de la Concorde. It is not the city's most intimate walk, but it is one of its great pieces of urban theatre.
Go for the scale, the monuments, and the sense of national stagecraft, not for secret charm. The avenue can feel overrun by chain stores and traffic, yet Bastille Day parades, Tour de France finishes, winter lights, and protest marches all prove it remains one of Paris's public stages.