Arc de Triomphe

The Arc de Triomphe stands at the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle in Paris, where twelve of the city's grand avenues converge in a formation that has defined the western axis of the capital for two centuries. Commissioned by Napoleon Bonaparte following his victory at Austerlitz, the monument was designed by Jean-François-Thérèse Chalgrin and completed in 1836, long after Napoleon's death. Its four sculptural groups include François Rude's celebrated relief known as La Marseillaise, and the names of French victories and generals are engraved across its facades and inner walls.

Beneath the arch lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, where a flame has burned continuously since 1923 in memory of those who died in the First World War. Visitors who purchase an entry ticket gain access to the interior museum, which traces the monument's history through documents, photographs, and scale models. The rooftop terrace, reached by a spiral staircase of just over two hundred steps, offers an unobstructed panorama across Paris, from the Eiffel Tower to the distant towers of La Défense.