We will be on tour in Paris, August of 2024. Can tickets be bought on site or will be better of making a reservation ahead of time?
Is the guided tour of the monument worth the extra cost?
Thank you,
Posted by
Mayberry on the Willamette
355 posts
we were just there in October. We bought tickets on site. There may be a way to buy them online but the ticket line wasn't long. The bag check line was longer but not terrible. Did you know there are 284 steps to the top? We didn't. Be sure your legs are in shape. The staircase is beautiful. We did not take a tour. There is probably a tour you can download and listen on your earbuds. ....ooops just looked....nothing. I guess if you are a Napolean/history buff I would take a tour. But as general tourist ....non. We did not see any tours there
Posted by
Tucson
4183 posts
To me, the most interesting and moving part of visiting the Arc de Triomphe is being there when the eternal flame is lit at the tomb of the unknown soldier. This happens every evening at 18:30. We knew nothing about it on our 1st trip to Paris and wondered what was going on. All traffic was stopped on the Avenue des Champs-Élysées and the traffic circle around the monument. There was a large crowd waiting. A group of veterans were right in front of us on the sidewalk. They walked into the street and to the tomb. Once they had all crossed, traffic was allowed to proceed and we were able to take the tunnel under the traffic circle to the monument and watch the rest of the ceremony.
Here's a link to La Flamme sous l'Arc de Triomphe, the organization that is responsible for doing this every evening. It should automatically go to English: https://www.laflammesouslarcdetriomphe.org/.
The information there is well worth exploring to learn the history of this touching daily remembrance of the French soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country. November 11th this year was the 100th year anniversary of the lighting of the flame.
Posted by
Windsor, Ontario, Canada
4087 posts
I found the Arc to be easily toured by yourself.
Posted by
Brooklyn, NY
4257 posts
We were also there for the 6:30 ceremony this past April. As a side note, when we were there my husband told them he has a pacemaker and couldn’t go through the scanner. He walked around and a woman approached us. She asked id we would like to take the elevator up since he had a bad heart. Yes please. We had to walk up about 10 extra steps to get to the outside on the roof but that was fine. So, anyone who has a problem with stairs, ask about the elevator. It couldn’t hurt.