PARIS: Arc de Triomphe

Located at the western end of the Champs-Élysées is the Arc de Triomphe.  A famous monument which was built to honor those who died in the French Revolution and the Napoleonic Wars.

Our server at Freddy’s told us watching the sunset from on top of this place was one of his favorite things to do so we decided that we had to do it!

We took the Metro from Saint-Germain and got off at Charles de Gaulle Etoile which drops you off right underneath the famous monument!

We immediately got in line to purchase our tickets.  The line was loooong.  After we purchased our tickets we thought we’d head up to the top.  Wrong!  Well we got to the top of the street, but we then had to get in the line to enter the arch.  So if you buy your tickets ahead of time you get to skip the ticket line and go directly to this line.  I guess we know for next time. 🙂

The sun was setting as we were waiting for our turn.  I know, bad planning on our part.

Here’s the view from underneath the Arc.

Once inside, a narrow set of winding stairs led us to the top.

At the top we were greeted with this beautiful view of Champs-Élysées.

While we were up there the twinkling lights on the Eiffel Tower went off.  So pretty.

Here’s a view facing Avenue de la Grande Armée.

As the sky continued to darken I took one last photo.

Then it was time to make our way back down the spiral stairs.

It was a beautiful end to our night.

Have fun checking out this spot.  I recommend purchasing your tickets beforehand and if you can time it just right, being up there for the sunset wouldn’t be too bad. 😉 Enjoy!

xo, Jenneke Rose