Arc de Triomphe Arch

Address: Arc de Triomphe, Place Charles de Gaulle, 75008 Paris, France

Website: https://www.paris-arc-de-triomphe.fr/

Hours: Daily (typical opening hours ~10:00am-10:30pm) - check official site for exact seasonal times.

Admission: Adult admission to the rooftop/viewing level typically around €13 (prices subject to change); concessions and free access for certain age groups/circumstances.

The Arc de Triomphe is a monumental stone arch located at the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle on the western end of the Champs-Élysées in Paris, France. Commissioned in 1806 after the Battle of Austerlitz, it was completed in 1836 and stands about 50 metres high.

The monument features a large central arch with sculptural reliefs and an interior exhibition space; a stair or elevator leads to a rooftop terrace with panoramic views of twelve radiating avenues. Beneath the arch is the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, added after World War I, with an eternal flame and commemorative plaques.

Napoleon ordered construction in 1806 to honour the Grande Armée; works continued under successive governments and the arch was finally inaugurated in 1836. It has since been the site of military parades, national ceremonies and memorial events.

The arch sits at the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle (formerly Place de l’Étoile) at the junction of twelve major avenues, approximately 2.5 kilometres west of central Paris landmarks such as the Louvre.

• Viewing platform and steps: A viewing platform at the top offers 360-degree views over Paris; there are 284 steps to the terrace if using the stair route.
• Tomb and ceremonies: An eternal flame marks the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the arch; ceremonies take place there on national remembrance days.

The Arc de Triomphe sits at Place Charles de Gaulle at the western end of the Champs-Élysées in Paris. Take Metro lines 1, 2 or 6 or RER A to the Charles de Gaulle-Étoile station; the monument is a 2-5 minute walk from the station exits. Several city buses serve the ellipse (for example buses that stop nearby on Avenue de la Grande-Armée and Avenue des Champs-Élysées).

By car you reach the monument via Avenue des Champs-Élysées, Avenue de la Grande-Armée or Place Charles de Gaulle; it is inside central Paris (no long-distance driving required) and parking is limited around the roundabout.

• Use the pedestrian underpass from the Champs-Élysées/Charles de Gaulle-Étoile metro station rather than trying to cross the busy roundabout; it drops you close to the ticket office and stairs to the terrace.
• Visit early in the morning or late evening to avoid the biggest tour-group surges; the rooftop offers much better, less-crowded photo opportunities at those times.
• Don't miss the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier and the eternal flame at the base of the arch-there is a daily rekindling ceremony at 18:30 that attracts locals and is worth seeing.