The flame of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier beneath the Arc de Triomphe, the eternal gas flame (the first of its kind in the world, the lit on the 11th November 1923, the André Maginot, the always burning, and the relit each evening at the 6.30pm by the ceremony of the “Ravivage de la Flamme”, the rekindling of the flame, the veterans, the officers, and the schoolchildren who lay the wreath), the 1.5 million soldiers who died the in the First World War (the 1914–1918, the most destructive war in the French history), and the anonymous body of the soldier from the Battle of the Verdun that was the placed here on the 11th November 1920 (the second anniversary of the Armistice), is the essential heart of the Arc de Triomphe. The Arc is the 1806 (the Napoleon, the 29th July 1806, the birthday of the Emperor, the decree for the monument to the Grande Armée, the “the soldiers of the Revolution and the Empire”), the Chalgrin, the completed in the 1836 (the 30 years after the Napoleon’s death), the 50 metres high, the 45 metres wide, the 22 metres deep, the largest triumphal arch in the world, and the most French of the all the French monuments. Here is your guide.

Arc de Triomphe, Napoleon’s Pride in Paris

• The Arc de Triomphe, the essential visit: The Arc de Triomphe is the centre of the Place de l’Étoile (the “Square of the Star”, the 12 avenues the radiate from the Arc, the largest roundabout in the world, and the most terrifying roundabout in the world to drive, the essential: the do NOT attempt the roundabout by the car, the walk the underground tunnel from the Champs-Élysées). The Arc itself: the climb the 284 steps to the top (the €13, the 9.45am–10.45pm, and the best view in the Paris, the Eiffel Tower, the Sacré-Cœur, the La Défense, the Champs-Élysées that the stretches the 2 km to the Place de la Concorde, the most beautiful urban view in the world), the museum inside (the history of the Arc, the Napoleon, the sculptures, and the best small museum in the Paris), the sculptures: the “Le Départ de 1792” (the “La Marseillaise”, the Rude, the 1836, the most famous sculpture on the Arc, the winged Liberty, the soldiers, and the most patriotic sculpture in the France), the “Le Triomphe de 1810” (the Napoleon, the glory, the goddess), the frieze of the Revolution and the Empire, and the names of the 660 generals and the 158 battles of the Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars the engraved on the walls (the underlined names are the general who died in the battle, the most moving detail of the Arc). The essential Arc de Triomphe timing: the 6.30pm, the Ravivage de la Flamme, the daily ceremony, the free with the entry ticket, and the best time to be at the Arc. The essential: the last entry is the 10.15pm, and the Arc at the 10pm, the Eiffel Tower at the sparkle (the 5 minutes every hour on the hour, the see the sparkle from the Arc de Triomphe at the 10pm is the essential Paris experience). More France →
• The Champs-Élysées and the essential Paris context: The Champs-Élysées (the 2 km, the “most beautiful avenue in the world”): the walk from the Place de la Concorde to the Arc de Triomphe (the 2 km, the 25 minutes, the plane trees, the pavement, and the essential Paris walk. The essential: the 11pm, the Champs-Élysées at the night, the lights, the Arc at the end, the most beautiful avenue walk in Europe), the stores (the Louis Vuitton, the largest LV store in the world, the 1,800 m², the 3 floors, and the essential Champs-Élysées stop), the Ladurée (the 1862, the macaron, the €2.50 each, the rose, the pistachio, the vanilla, and the essential Champs-Élysées splurge), the Fouquet’s (the 1899, the brasserie, the €50 for the main, the red-velvet, and the most famous restaurant on the avenue). The essential Paris Arc de Triomphe afternoon: the 2pm: the climb the Arc (the 284 steps), the 3.30pm: the walk the Champs-Élysées to the Place de la Concorde, the 4.30pm: the Jardin des Tuileries (the walk to the Louvre), the 5.30pm: the Louvre (the outside, the pyramid at the golden hour), the 6.30pm: the return to the Arc for the Ravivage de la Flamme