Arc de Triomphe - Place Charles de Gaulle Etoile

The Arc de Triomphe is another world famous Paris attraction which is the location where many French people go to for national celebrations. This impressive Paris attraction is fifty meters in height and 45 meters wide.

You can visit this Paris attraction around the clock.

It was commissioned in 1806 by Napoleon Bonaparte and completed in 1836, in the reign of King Louis-Philippe. Upon its completion, the Arc de Triomphe was so far from the center of town almost no one showed up for the opening ceremony. The design is by Jean Chalgrin (1739-1811), in the style of ancient Roman architecture.

The four statues at the base of the Arc are titled The Triumph of 1810, Resistance, Peace and La Marseillaise. Around the top of the Arc are engraved the names of major Revolutionary and Napoleonic military victories. The inside walls of the monument list the names of 558 French generals. The names of those who died in battle are underlined.

Pedestrian access to the Arc de Triomphe is via an underpass. Metro access: Charles-de-Gaulle-Étoile. From the top there is an excellent view of all of Paris, of the thirteen major avenues leading to the Arc and of the exceptionally busy roundabout in which the Arc lies.

The arc was designed by Jean Francois Therese Chalgrin who patterned the arch after the famous ones that were built during the times of ancient Rome. The arch stands 49.5m. in the air and is in between the Louvre and the Grande Arche de la Defense. Parisians hold this landmark dear to them as a symbol of the patriotism of the French.