Arc de Triomphe allows you to see the whole of Paris if you climb to the top. It was built between 1806 and 1836. The Unknown Soldier was buried at the base of the arch in 1921. The flame of remembrance is remade every day at 6:30 pm. The Arc de Triomphe was built in 1806 and took 30 years to make so it was finished in 1836.
After world war I, in 1921, the coffin of an unknown dead soldier, was chosen (from eight identical coffins brought back from the different zones on the front line in France) to be laid to rest at the bottom of the Arc de Triomphe. It was then decided to build a memorial flame, lit for the first time on the 11th of November 1923. Every evening at six thirty the flame is re-lit by a member of the committee, to recall the sacrifice of the unknown soldier, who gave his life during World War I.
We walked from the Eiffel Tower to the Arc de Triomphe. We climbed the 284 stairs to reach the top. We did stop half way to catch our breathe. I think the views were actually better than the Eiffel Tower, maybe because the Arc is the center of Paris. The Arc was built to commemorate those who died in the French Revolution and Napoleonic wars, since then troops have marched under it after war victories. Napoleon’s body was brought back from St Helena under the arc two years after he died, to be buried.
We walked from the Eiffel Tower down to the Arc de Triomphe
Views from the Arc de Triomphe; Eiffel Tower and the Sacre Couer
Tourist Information for the Arc de Triomphe
Opening Hours
Last admission 45 min before closing time.
