Arc de Triomphe

You sure can and the cost is included in the Paris Museum Pass or it's about $9 American. The Arch is open until 5:30 p.m. most days and until 10:00 p.m. on Fridays. One final note: You will be climbing stairs, so you may want to do this in the morning.

The flame was meant to honor the tomb of the unknown soldier, as a symbol of all the soldiers who lost their lives for the defence of France. It was first lit on November 11th, 1923, and a ceremony was held everyday since then, even when Paris was occupied during WWII. Students and popular demonstrations were held on the 11 of November during WWII, in defiance of the German army and the ceremony gained then a patriotic undertone.

The ceremony is held everyday at 18:30.

Yes, the Arc is on the World Heritage liste. It has been included in the special listing which regroups most of Paris' historical monuments.

- Napoleon Bonaparte commissioned the Arc de Triomphe to commemorate and honor his victories.

- The construction of the Arc de Triomphe started in 1806. It was halted at the fall of Napoleon, and resumed in 1830 after Napoleon's death, under King Louis-Philippe, to be completed in 1836.

- The Arc de Triomphe was designed by Jean Chalgrin. The design was based upon the Arc of Titus in Rome.

- The Arc de Triomphe includes the Grave of the Unknown Soldier from World War 1. The Eternal Flame burning there represents and honors all who died during the World Wars. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is one of the two places where every head of state, visiting France for a State visit, is supposed to stop (the other one being the Elysee Palace).

- There are 234 steps to climb up to reach to the top (there are elevators as well, don't worry)

- The arch is located in the middle of Place Charles de Gaulle in Paris, France.

- The Champs-Elysees avenue leads up to the Arc. It is one of the 12 avenues radiating from the Arc.

- It is engraved with generals' names who commanded in Napoleon's army during his reign over France.

- On the top, there are thirty shields with the names of Napoleon's most successful battles.

- To build the arch, it cost 9.3 millions of Francs, which was a lot of money at that time.

- It is the second largest triumphal arc in the world today.

- The Arc de Triomphe is 51m tall, 4.5m wide and 22m deep.

- The Arc is made of white limestone. It weighs nearly 100,000 tonnes (metric tons in US English)

- From the top you have a view of La Defense, the Sacre-Coeur basilica, The Eiffel Tower and many Parisian landmarks and monuments.

- On July 14th, a parade begins at the Arc de Triomphe. (France's Independence Day)

- The four supporting columns have the names of the major battles of the Napoleonic Wars.

- The sculpture by Rude, on the right pillar when looking from the Champs Elysees, is called "the departure of the volunteers". Nickamed "la Marseillaise" (as the French national anthem), it is as famous to the French as the Eiffel tower.

Are you serious? It's in Europe; more specifically it is in Paris, France :) It was constructed by Napoleon I believe and it contains the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier. I would recommend visiting it if possible. If you purchase a Paris Museum Pass (which you can find by Google searching it) you can cut the line and climb to the top for free (minus the price of the pass). The pass also allows you to visit many other locations for a great price!

For more information and history, follow link:

Number 30. Leave the Gare du Nord by the main entrance on Rue de Dunkerque; turn right, and walk to the big junction with Boulevard Magenta - a place where eight streets meet. Take the 3nd right, Boulevard de Magenta. The first bus stop you come to is the one you need. The No. 30 goes to Trocadéro, the square outside the Palais de Chaillot. Go between the wings of the Palais and goggle at one of the world's most famous views.

Yes, the Arc is open to the public. You visit the inside of the building where there is a small museum explaining the construction and history, and you can access the platform roof to enjoy the view. You can also freely under the arc.

The Arc de Triomphe de l'Étoile is located in the centre of "Place Charles de Gaulle" (named after a former French president), also known under its former name "Place de l'Étoile", at the upper, western end of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées. La place de l'étoile ("star square") was named this because of the 5 avenues (now 12) which joined there.

The Great Pyramid is the tallest. Here are the heights:

- Great Pyramid, 138 metres (455 ft);

- Statue of Liberty WITH pedestal, 93 metres (305 ft);

- Arc de Triomphe, 50 metres (164 ft);

- Statue of Liberty WITHOUT pedestal, 46 metres (151 ft).

It is a very large stone arch in the middle of Paris

It is 35.2-kilometers from Charles de Gaulle Airport to the Eiffel Tower. Total drive time is an average of 35-minutes.

The Arc de Triomphe stands 50 m (165 ft) in height, 45 m (148 ft) wide and 22 m (72 ft) deep.

It is the second largest triumphal arch in the world, after the one built in Pyongyang, North Korea.

Not too far; can be done by foot. Approximately 1.5 miles and downhill from the Arc to the Louvre. Easier by subway, two station stops. You walk down the Champs Elysee, past the Napoleon bridge to the right and the Grande & Petite Palaces, past the obelisk, through the Orangerie and the Garden of Tuilleries and there is the Louvre.

At the fall of Napoleon, in 1814 , the returning kings stop the work. They have no desire to continue with a monument which they felt was to the glory of Napoleon. To them Napoleon was a former revolutionary and an usurpator.

In 1830 though, the King Louis-Philippe decides on the definitive design, including the statues, as a gesture of reconciliation. The building work resumes in 1832 and the arc is finally inaugurated in July 1836.

Twelve avenues join at the Arc. They are: avenue des Champs-Elysées, then clockwise: avenue Marceau - avenue d'Iéna - avenue Kléber - avenue Victor Hugo - avenue Foch - avenue de la grande armée - avenue Carnot - avenue Mac-Mahon - avenue de Wagram - avenue Hoche - avenue de Friedland

The Arc de Triomphe is located at the upper end of the Champs-Elysees avenue (French: l'avenue des Champs-Elysées).

The avenue is just over 2 kilometres long and links the square Charles de Gaulle - étoile, on which sits the Arc, and the "Place de la Concorde".

You will need about 45 minutes to visit the Arc, at a fast pace. If you want to make the most of your visit, you need at least one hour and a half.

Because it was Napoleon's idea, and th arch was still building when he fell from power. The restored Boubon monarchy had no intention of finishing a monument to a usurper, so it was not for some time that work restarted. I repeat here my fuller answer to a similar question yesterday:

In 1806 Napoleon asked the architect Chalgrin to construct a gigantic triumphal arch in honour of the French Army. The top of the Chaillot hill had to be levelled, and the foundations gave some difficulty, so that by the time the new Empress Marie-Louise arrived in 1810, the arch was only a few feet high. As the Emperor insisted that his bride must drive into Paris through this new gateway, Chalgrin had to get friends from the Theatres of Paris to construct a fake arch of wood and canvas for the occasion. When Napoleon was defeated and exiled in 1814, work stopped, not to be started again till Louis-Philippe ordered it in 1832. It was finished in 1836.

The 'Tombeau du Soldat Inconnu' (or the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier), with its Eternal Flame, is underneath the Arc de Triomphe.

It is very important. As all the soldiers marched through the arc when they returned. An unknown solider was buried there to commemorate all the soldiers who died.

The Arc de Triomphe was commissioned by Napoleon to commemorate his victories and the glories of the French army. The first stone was laid on August 15, 1806.