Arc de Triomphe

At the top of a famous avenue, in the middle of a vast traffic circle where a dozen roads meet, stands a single enormous stone arch carved with figures and names. This is the Arc de Triomphe, a monument to the soldiers of France, and one of the defining landmarks of Paris.

It was commissioned by Napoleon in 1806, at the height of his power, to honour his armies, though it was not finished until 1836, long after his fall. It stands in the tradition of the triumphal arches of ancient Rome, scaled up to dominate the city around it.

The arch is covered in sculpture and inscriptions: great carved groups on its faces showing the departure and triumph of French armies, and the names of battles and generals cut into the stone. The most famous of the sculptures, showing a fierce winged figure urging volunteers forward, is worth seeking out.

Beneath the arch lies the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, marking the unidentified dead of the First World War, with an eternal flame that is rekindled each evening in a quiet ceremony. It turns the monument from a celebration of victory into a place of remembrance.

The arch stands at the centre of a star of twelve avenues that radiate outward, a grand piece of city planning. The most famous of them is the Champs-Élysées, the broad avenue of shops and cafes that runs down toward the gardens and the heart of the city.

You can climb to the top, up a spiral stair, to a viewing platform high above the traffic. From there the twelve avenues spread out below like spokes, and the view runs down the great avenue one way and toward the modern district of towers the other.

That rooftop view is one of the best in Paris, and many prefer it to higher viewpoints because it includes the great iron tower in the panorama rather than standing on it. The sweep of the planned city, seen from here, is striking.

The traffic circle around the arch is famously chaotic, a swirl of cars with their own rules, so do not try to cross to the monument at street level. An underground passage leads safely from the pavement to the base of the arch.

The monument is the focus of national ceremonies, especially the military parade held each year on the national day, when the avenue and the arch fill with crowds. At such times it is the symbolic centre of the country.

The setting ties it into a grand axis of monuments running across the city, from the gardens and the Louvre through to the modern arch in the business district, all roughly in line. Standing on top, you can trace that line by eye.

A few practical notes. Reach the arch by the underground passage, not across the traffic; the climb to the top is ticketed and best booked ahead, and sunset is a popular and beautiful time. The stairs are many, with no lift for most of the way.

Stand beneath the great vault by the eternal flame, then climb to the top and look out over the radiating avenues, and the monument's double nature becomes clear: a celebration of arms and a memorial to the fallen at once. When you walk back down the great avenue, the arch stays framed behind you.