Arc de Triomphe

About Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe stands at the western end of the Champs-Elysees, in the middle of the Place Charles de Gaulle, where twelve avenues radiate out like spokes on a wheel. Napoleon commissioned it in 1806 to honor the armies of the French Revolution and the Empire, though he never saw it completed. Construction dragged on for three decades and the arch was finally inaugurated in 1836, long after his death. At roughly 50 meters tall, it remains one of the largest triumphal arches ever built, and its surfaces are covered in high relief sculptures, the most famous being "La Marseillaise" on the right pillar facing the Champs-Elysees.

Beneath the central vault lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, added after the First World War, with an eternal flame that is rekindled every evening. The inner walls carry the names of hundreds of generals and the battles of the revolutionary and Napoleonic periods. A staircase of a few hundred steps climbs to the rooftop terrace, where the view takes in the full line of the Champs-Elysees toward the Louvre in one direction and the modern district of La Defense in the other. This sightline, known as the Axe Historique, is one of the reasons the rooftop is worth the climb rather than just admiring the monument from below.

The rooftop terrace is a paid, ticketed visit, and the climb is mostly stairs, so it's worth knowing that before you go. Reaching the arch itself is important: do not try to cross the roundabout traffic on foot. A pedestrian underpass connects from the northern side of the Champs-Elysees, and that is the only safe way in. Many visitors pair the Arc de Triomphe with a walk down the Champs-Elysees, and it sits within easy reach of other central Paris landmarks for a single day of sightseeing. Evenings tend to be quieter at the top, and the golden light over the avenues is a reason some people time their visit for late afternoon.