Champ-de-Mars and the Trocadero in Paris

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The Champs-de-Mars and the Trocadéro gardens are located a few meters away and separated by the Seine River. The Champ de Mars is located on the South bank of the Seine. The Trocadero is located on the other side of Seine River. You could discover them before or after your visit of the Eiffel Tower.

The Champ-de-Mars: a historic place for celebrations

Champs-de-Mars view on the Eiffel Tower

Located in Paris’s 7th district, the Champ-de-Mars is a 780-meter long (2,574 feet), large public greenspace that runs along one side of the Eiffel Tower and the Military School on the other.

Although today known as such, it was initially a cultivable field later transformed into an annex of the Military School, circa 1765.

While the land belonged to the army, more and more public events began to take place there.

The first being a horserace in 1780 between the Military School’s Head Squire and the Prince of Nassau, an event that attracted curious onlookers.

Thereafter came republican celebrations during the French Revolution and, less festive, gunfire and guillotine executions (respectively, the shootout of July 17, 1791, and its main backer, Jean Sylvain Bailly).

Used as a public space to celebrate republican victories, the Champ-de-Mars became a symbol of the French Republic, which disappeared once the French monarchy made its comeback. And then, at the end of the 19th century, several Universal Exhibitions were organized there.

In modern times, the Champ-de-Mars is a place where a variety of activities unfold year-round: picnics, marathons, concerts, exhibitions, and fireworks.

Champs-de-Mars address : 2 Allée Adrienne Lecouvreur, 75007 Paris

The Trocadero Gardens

Trocadero view on the Eiffel Tower

Overlooking the Seine and next to the Eiffel Tower in the 16th district, the Trocadéro is composed of several gardens and buildings built for the 1937 Universal Exhibition. The Trocadero is a monumental ensemble visited by lots of people every year.

Just like the Champ-de-Mars, the Trocadero Gardens are open to the public. With a surface area of nearly 94,000 m2 (1,011,807 sq. ft.), the Trocadéro is also home to the Chaillot Palace which itself has several museums, gardens, a square, and an underground aquarium.

It goes without saying that lovely walks can be had on this side of Paris. One finds diverse garden sculptures dating from different periods whereas the Trocadéro Square, built in 1869, is a vestige of the Second Empire. In fact, the name Trocadéro comes from a battle led by Napoléon Bonaparte in Spain on August 31, 1823. At the center of the square is a statue of Marshall Foch on horseback as well as a memorial to the French Army. Further down from the Chaillot Palace is the Trocadéro Fountain, made up of several small basins and a large one in the middle with 20 canons that spew out water at an impressive range of 7 meters (23 feet)!