Arc de Triomphe
Napoleon ordered it after Austerlitz in 1806; twelve avenues still radiate from the star-shaped square around it.
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Climb the spiral to the rooftop terrace and the whole star of radiating avenues opens beneath you. Up close, the arch doubles as a war memorial — 158 battles carved into the stone, with a tomb underneath.
What to look for
- On the southern façade (right side), Rude's 'Departure of the Volunteers of 1792' — the winged figure of Liberty crying out above the marching men
- The 660 military leaders' names cut into the inner walls; underlined ones were killed in action
- Under the vault, the eternal flame over the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, inscribed 'Ici repose un soldat français mort pour la Patrie, 1914–1918'
240 steps to the museum level, 40 more to the rooftop terrace; elevators reach both.
Arc de Triomphe is one of 39 sights worth the detour in Paris, all bundled offline in Voyage GO — download the Paris pack and it sits on your map with no signal, filling your travel passport the moment you walk past.
More to see in Paris
- Eiffel TowerThe 300-metre iron tower Parisian artists petitioned against before it was even finished.
- Louvre MuseumThe world's most-visited museum lives inside a 12th-century fortress that became a royal palace.
- Notre-Dame de ParisThe spire fell on live TV in April 2019; since December 2024 you can walk back inside.
- Musée d'OrsayVan Gogh and Monet hung inside a Beaux-Arts station built for the Paris–Orléans railway.
- Champs-ÉlyséesA single 1.9-km straight line runs from the Concorde obelisk to the Arc de Triomphe — Paris's ceremonial spine on the Axe historique.
- Place de la BastilleThe prison that lit a revolution is gone — and the mob that stormed it on 14 July 1789 came for gunpowder, not the seven forgotten men inside.