Top 10
Grand BOULEVARDS of the World
CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES, PARIS
1 | CHAMPS-ÉLYSÉES, Paris
One of the world's great urban wonders, this boulevard is perhaps the most famous in the world. It inspired so many others throughout Europe and the New World, stretching from a great public square to a major landmark (the Triumphal Arch), and lined with graceful buildings, cafés and shops.
It cuts through all of Manhattan, passing by several neighborhoods, but it's in Midtown that it becomes what it's famous for -- the world's greatest theater district. This section is also known as the "Great White Way" and includes the light-and-advertising-filled Times Square.
BROADWAY, NEW YORK
3 | PASSEIG DE GRÀCIA, Barcelona
Home to some of the most unconventional architecture in the world, Barcelona's best-known avenue is lined with some surreal façades, many of them the result of Gaudi's highly individual style. It's now Spain's most expensive street, home to several hotels and luxury shops.
4 | GRAN VIA, Madrid
Madrid' main avenue took a quarter of a century to complete but the result is admirable -- a series of ornate buildings that make it a showcase of early-20th-century architecture. They know house a large number of theaters, hotels and shops.
GRAN VIA, MADRID
5 | LAS VEGAS BOULEVARD, Las Vegas
Also known as the Las Vegas Strip, this is where most of the world's largest hotel-casinos are found. It's miles of flashing lights, billboards, and theme-park-like recreations of many of the world's most famous landmarks, creating an amusement park for adults.
LAS VEGAS BOULEVARD, LAS VEGAS
The widest avenue in the world honors Argentina's Independence Day. It followed the late-19th-century European trend of opening a great boulevard in the center of the city, and with nine lanes you need to be patient to cross it -- you'll have to obey several traffic lights to reach the other side. At the center is the city's icon, a great obelisk.
AVENIDA 9 DE JULIO, BUENOS AIRES
7 | ANDRÁSSY ÚT, Budapest
One of many great boulevards modeled after Paris' Champs-Élysées, this is Budapest's grandest avenue. It is lined with beautiful Neo-Renaissance mansions, many of them housing luxury boutiques, cafés and restaurants. It is part of the city's historical area recognized as a World Heritage Site.
8 | AVENIDA PAULISTA, São Paulo
Latin America's most expensive avenue is also the headquarters of a large number of financial and cultural institutions. Once flanked by European-style mansions, those have been torn down and replaced by shining modern skyscrapers.
9 | PASEO DE LA REFORMA, MEXICO CITY
This 12-kilometer-long boulevard in Mexico's capital runs in a straight line and is yet another wide avenue modeled after the Champs-Élysées. Many monuments related to the country's history is found here, and when closed to traffic on Sundays it becomes a great leisure area, with tourists and locals filling its sidewalks, restaurants and gardens.
10 | MICHIGAN AVENUE, CHICAGO
Part of it is known as the "Magnificent Mile," and this wide boulevard is in fact one of the U.S.' (and the world's) most magnificent. It's home to grand upscale department stores, the finest restaurants, hotels and all the brand name shops that attract crowds throughout the day.
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