Today Paris bans all cars from the whole city for a day! We are standing in the middle of the avenue des Champs Elysees, walking around without any noise, and without any risk to be run over by a car.

Paris has experimented with car-free days in the past, but this Sunday marked the first time the entire city was handed over ramblers, cyclists, and roller-bladers.

Only emergency vehicles, buses, and taxis were allowed on the streets from 11:00AM to 6:00PM Paris time.

Parisians and tourists were encourages to stroll through the City of Light this Sunday as officials banned card from it streets for day!

This is peaceful that you would not think this is Paris in the middle of the day.

Situated in the middle of the Champs-Élysées, L'Atelier Renault is a trendy place with a car exhibition space, a bar, and a restaurant.

L'atelier Renault is a very original place to enjoy a drink or a meal in Paris. If you like cars this is definitely a place to stop by and have a quick look at Renault Formule 1 or prototype cars.

Our dinner reservation is at 7:30Pm but since we have an extra 30 minutes we walked around les Halles. We have not been back to les Halles for over 20 years because it was run down, and full of shady folks.

However, we were pleasantly surprise to see the remodeling of Les Halles which has transformed the tired underground shopping center into a vibrant hub that is expected to boost tourism, culture and business in the French capital.

Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo unveiled the €1 billion redevelopment in the 1st arrondissement. It is the most ambitious infrastructure project that Paris has undertaken in decades.

The crowning glory is an undulating translucent steel and glass canopy called La Canopée. The structure was inspired by the shape of a leaf. It stretches across 2.5 hectares and covers a new shopping concourse. Its dimensions align Les Halles with the proportions of the nearby Pompidou Centre, Palais-Royal and the Louvre.

The remodeling of Les Halles in Paris has conferred a new respectability and sense of artistic diversity to the site. It’s expected to welcome 37 million visitors each year. There are 35 new stores, ranging from high-end to more accessible brands. They include France’s first flagship Lego store. There’s also a broad choice of restaurants. Michelin-starred chef Alain Ducasse has opened a smart brasserie. The literary eatery designed by Philippe Starck bears the slogan “Feed Your Mind.”

Back in the days, Les Halles food market was described as “the belly of Paris” by novelist Émile Zola. It dates back to the 12th century. The famous glass and iron buildings were designed by architect Victor Baltard in the 1850s. They were demolished during the 1970s, leaving a hole for several years. The Forum shopping center was built over the Châtelet-Les Halles metro station in 1979.

The old 70s complex was often voted among the city’s biggest eyesores by Paris residents. If you visited the area in the past, you’ll remember it as a giant transport hub, a massive intersection of suburban railway and metro lines serving 750,000 passengers a day. It also featured an unsightly subterranean shopping mall. This was difficult to find your way around.

That has all changed. Architect Patrick Berger has designed the transformed Les Halles as the new “gateway to the city.” Its main entrance has moved to the edge of a large public garden named after Nelson Mandela. It’s in the form of a meadow and is framed by wooded areas. It is equipped with playgrounds, benches, bocce courts, chess tables and more.

The tent-like look of the new complex has attracted some criticism from the Parisian public.

Visitors’ safety is insured thanks to the 400 CCTV cameras and a specialist brigade of security guards.

As we walked around we stumbled on this 1 Michelin star restaurant La Dame de Pic with an open kitchen concept that can seen from the outside.

Les Halles have definitely changed since the remodeling.. Upscale restaurants are moving in now that it is more upscale area and it is also a safe area.

My brother, my sister in Law and his two kids drove from Troyes to have dinner with us tonight.

Since Paris close down and no cars are allowed inside until 6:00PM they got stuck for over an hour just waiting to get in Paris.

My brother Charlot, Me, My sister in law Xinh, Kevin, Alex, and his Christopher my 2 nephews.