• Info & Description

    Time: Daily Apr-Sep: 10am-11pm; Oct-Mar: 10am-10.30pm
    Cost: €9; concessions €5.50; under 18s free
    Paris:

    Napoleon's grand symbol of military victory has ironically twice been a ground for crushing French defeats: in 1871 by Prussians and in 1941 by Germans. Nonetheless, the Arc de Triomphe proudly crowns the Champs-Elysees, sitting on Paris's most important axis.



    Beginning with the Louvre, this axis passes through the heart of the Tuileries gardens, across the Place de la Concorde, up the Champs-Elysees, through the Arc de Triomphe, until it finally reaches the Grande Arche de la Defense. From the top of the Arc de Triomphe, there is an impressive view of this monumental stretch, as well as all 12 avenues that radiate out from the base of the Arc, otherwise known as the Place Charles de Gaulle-Etoile.

    Commissioned by the Emperor in 1806, it stands 50 metres tall and is decorated with military scenes. At the base is the Tomb of an Unknown Soldier and an eternal flame - added in 1920 in remembrance of the human loss during the Second World War. Use the subway to get to the base, avoiding the mammoth roundabout which, incidentally, holds the record for the highest number of car accidents annually in Paris. The traffic madness witnessed there is entertainment in itself.

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