The Sacré Coeur plaza in Montmartre is another favorite and significantly mellower place to bid farewell to the current year. Assuming the skies are clear, the knoll-top vantage affords spectacular views of the entire Paris skyline. While still crowded, the Montmartre street party is more laid back than its Champs-Elysées counterpart. But that doesn't mean it's boring. There are still plenty of bars, cabarets, and clubs to explore in Montmartre and nearby Pigalle.

For the New Year’s Eve event Parisians and tourists alike gather on the avenue known for its luxury shops and iconic architecture to watch a stunning 20-minute light show projected on to the famed Arc de Triomphe monument. The Champs-Élysées is a truly lovely avenue: a picture postcard scene. Nearly 2 kilometers in length, this historic thoroughfare runs from Place de la Concorde to the majestic Arc de Triomphe. But though it has since become ‘the world’s most beautiful avenue’, the Champs-Élysées was once a swamp. It was in the 17th century that André Le Nôtre, gardener to the Sun King, traced its original path. And thus a legend was born. The avenue has only become more beautiful with every passing decade.

Many of its masterpieces such as the Louvre and the Arc de Triomphe are iconic buildings, especially its internationally recognized symbol, the Eiffel Tower. Long regarded as an international centre for the arts, works by history’s most famous painters can be found in the Louvre, the Musée d’Orsay and its many other museums and galleries. Paris is a global hub of fashion and has been referred to as the “international capital of style”, noted for its haute couture tailoring, its high-end boutiques and the twice-yearly Paris Fashion Week.

The Arc de Triomphe Paris, the most monumental of all triumphal arches, was built between 1806 and 1836. Even though there were many modifications from the original plans (reflecting political changes and power struggles), the Arch still retains the essence of the original concept which was a powerful, unified symbol for France. The Arc de Triomphe stands at the center of the Place Charles de Gaulle, also known as the “Place de l’Étoile”. It’s located at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. The arches whole decorative style is entirely of the tradition of sculpture from the first half of the nineteenth century. On New Year’s Eve there is a stunning 20-minute light show projected on to the famed Arc de Triomphe monument and a spectacular fireworks display to ring in the start of the New Year.