A Visit To L'Arc De Triomphe

There is so much to see in Paris, but it's not always easy to decide what to do. Luckily, the city of Paris gives you the opportunity to visit many of it's landmarks for free during the first Sunday of each month. We've taken advantage of quite a few "first Sundays" and have seen The Louvre, Centre Pompidou and the Arc de Triomphe, all gratuit.

The first weekend in February, we ventured out to the 8th arrondissement to see the Arc de Triomphe. When we arrived, we didn't plan on going up to the top, but the line moved quick so we were able to climb the 234 steps to get to the observation deck. It has so many magnificent views of the city including the Sacre Cœur, the Eiffel Tower and the impressive traffic circle just below, where twelve (yes, twelve) different avenues meet.

The Arc de Triomphe was inspired by the Roman Arch of Titus and commissioned by Napoleon who wanted his soldiers to be able to "march home through arches of victory." This monument is impressive, so I definitely recommend a visit especially if it includes a climb to the top.

As you'll see, we got lucky with sunny, blue skies, though the wind was a bit wild. The clouds moved fast, so those rain clouds off in the distance came in much quicker than we anticipated! 

Information:
L'Arc de Triomphe
Place Charles de Gaulle, 75008 Paris
Metro: Charles de Gaulle Étoile, Line 1, 2, 6, RER A
12€ per person; tours in English, French and Spanish

The Arc de Triomphe has definitely made my list of the best views of Paris (for another blog post). What do you think? What is your favorite view of the city?

xo,
Whitney