Arc de Triomphe: Rooftop Terrace, Tickets, Opening Hours and Access

Updated on October 8, 2026

The Arc de Triomphe has a rooftop terrace (284 steps); tickets €16, €22 from April to September; access via the underground passage. It is open daily until 22:30 (23:00 from April to September). Built between 1806 and 1836, it was commissioned by Emperor Napoleon I and completed under Louis-Philippe; it was built by the architects Chalgrin, Goust and Blouet, and its sculptures are the work of Cortot, Rude, Etex, Lemaire and Pradier. Standing at the center of Place Charles-de-Gaulle, two kilometers from Place de la Concorde, the Arc de Triomphe is 45 meters wide and 50 meters high, making it one of the largest triumphal arches in the world. The Unknown Soldier lies beneath its vault.

Highlights

The panoramic view

A spiral staircase of 284 steps leads to the terrace, 50 meters up. The view takes in the twelve avenues radiating from Place de l'Étoile, the vista down the Champs-Élysées to the Louvre, the Eiffel Tower and the towers of La Défense. The elevator, normally reserved for people with reduced mobility, is under maintenance until further notice.

The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier

An unknown soldier of the First World War has rested beneath the vault since 1921. The Flame of Remembrance is rekindled there every evening at 18:30 by veterans' associations, a ceremony that has never been interrupted since 1923 and that you can watch freely from the foot of the monument.

The room beneath the terrace

Before reaching the top, the staircase passes through an exhibition room set up in the monument's attic, which traces its construction and the major national ceremonies held there. Temporary installations are shown there in certain seasons.

Access via the underground passage

Never cross the Étoile roundabout on foot: twelve avenues feed into it and there are no pedestrian crossings. You reach the Arc through the Passage du Souvenir, an underground passage starting from the top of the Avenue des Champs-Élysées or the Avenue de la Grande-Armée; the ticket desks and security check are at the foot of the monument.

Tickets and free entry

Tickets cost €16 from October to March; from April to September the price rises to €22 (€16 on Wednesdays). Entry is free for under-18s, for 18-25-year-olds who are EU nationals or regular residents of France, and on the first Sunday of January, February, March, November and December. The Arc de Triomphe is included in the Paris Museum Pass.

Practical info

Tips

Queues are generally shorter at opening time and in the evening. Wear comfortable shoes for the 284 steps; there is a water fountain inside. On Tuesdays, the monument doesn't open until 11:00. After your visit, walk down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées to Place de la Concorde, which takes about 25 minutes. Our complete guide to the Champs-Élysées lays out a detailed route for walking down the avenue from the Arc.

How to get there

Metro and RER: Charles de Gaulle-Étoile station (lines 1, 2 and 6, RER A), Avenue des Champs-Élysées exit, then the underground passage to the foot of the Arc. Address: Place Charles-de-Gaulle, 75008 Paris. Buses 22, 30, 31, 52, 73 and 92 stop around the square. Avoid driving: parking is scarce and expensive in the area.