About Arc de Triomphe
Twelve avenues empty into the square around the Arc de Triomphe, and the traffic circles it with no apparent rules. Don't even think about crossing on foot at street level: pedestrian access is through underground passages, from the Champs-Élysées and from Avenue de la Grande Armée. Napoleon commissioned the arch in 1806, work stopped during the Restoration and the inauguration only came in 1836.
Beneath the vault lies the Unknown Soldier, a French combatant of the First World War buried there in 1921. Every evening at 6:30 p.m., veterans' associations rekindle the flame in a free ceremony open to the public. Afterward, take on the 284 steps to the terrace and watch the avenues radiate out like a star.
