Paris Attractions

Venue: Arc de Triomphe    When: Daily

Napoleon's grand symbol of military victory has ironically been used twice as a shaming ground for crushing French defeats: in 1871 by the Prussians and in 1914 by the Germans. Nonetheless, this grandiloquent marble arch proudly crowns the Champs-Elysees and sits on the city's most important axis, La Voie Triomphale.

Beginning with the Louvre, this axis passes through the central alley 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 and commemorations. 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, is the record holder for having the highest number of car accidents annually in Paris. The traffic madness witnessed there is entertainment in itself.