Champ de Mars – Field of Mars

The Champ-de-Mars

The Paris audio-guided tour has you cross the Champ-de-Mars, a vast public garden that stretches from the Eiffel Tower to the Military School, a setting of greenery in the heart of the capital.

From a parade ground to a garden of festivities

Some seven hundred and eighty metres long, the Champ-de-Mars was laid out on the plain of Grenelle to serve as a parade ground for the soldiers of the nearby Military School; its name pays homage to Mars, god of war. The place was the scene of great moments of History: the Festival of the Federation, the first French national celebration, was held there on 14 July 1790. The following year, a shooting brought mourning to a demonstration, and Jean-Sylvain Bailly, the first mayor of Paris, was executed there during the Revolution. Today, the Champ-de-Mars is above all a place of walking and relaxation, where people gather on the lawns facing the Eiffel Tower.

What there is to see

The Champ-de-Mars unfolds its lawns and its paths in the perfect axis of the Eiffel Tower and the Military School. It is the ideal spot for a picnic, to rest or to admire the sparkle of the Iron Lady at nightfall. A place of memory and celebration, it offers one of the finest green breathing spaces of Paris.

Practical information

The Champ-de-Mars extends between the Eiffel Tower and the Military School, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. An open-air public garden, it can be walked freely and on the level; its lawns welcome strollers and picnics according to the seasons.

Where does the name of the Champ-de-Mars come from?

From Mars, god of war, in connection with the Military School for which it served as a parade ground.

What great event was held there in 1790?

The Festival of the Federation, the first French national celebration, held on 14 July 1790.