Historical Axis of Paris

Arc De Triomphe

Turns out there are two Arc de Triomphes, the du Carrousel and the much more famous de I’Etoile. A brief history, both Arcs are to celebrate Napoleon’s victories in 1805. Carrousel was constructed between 1806 to 1808, while the much larger I’Etoile was constructed between 1806 to 1836.

Arc de Triomphe de l’Étoile

I’Etoile stands 50 m (164 ft) tall and has a viewing deck at the top for those with tickets. Access to the inner area is via one of two underground passageways. To reach the viewing deck is via spiral staircases, consisting of, by my count, approx. 280 steps. From up top you can take in a panoramic view of all 12 roads that intersect here. Views to Eiffel Tower, Sacre-Coeur and Champs Elysees to name a few. To be fair, every direction in Paris has a famous sight to see.

Access isn’t very stroller friendly with the sheer number of stairs from the Charles de Gaulle – Étoile Train station. It’s also quite the labyrinth, so keep following the signs to exit 1. Once on street level you’ll be greeted with an impeccable view of the Arc de Triomphe. Grab a few photos and then head back down the next set of stairs to access the central area. The ticket booth has stroller parking with their own supplied locks. You’ll also get to jump the queue with the baby. But you’ll feel everyone of those steps on your way up holding the baby.

Arc de Triomphe du Carrousel

About half the size of its more famous namesake and I didn’t look, but I assume it’s not possible to go up this one. This is also very close to the Louvre, so is an easy site to visit. Carrousel also forms the first historical site along the Historical Axis of Paris. l’Étoile is the fifth site along this axis.

Louvre Museum

The Louvre, or as most people see it, the Pyramid. The entrance is easy to work out, just head towards the Pyramid and go downstairs. Once inside this is where things get confusing. Are you on level -1? -2? 0? Who knows! Grab a map and look for an elevator, nope it’s not there! Oh well use the stairs, am I now on -1? (-1)? 0? (0)? Who knows! Go up some more stairs and then see a room number, which are displayed inconsistently, as well as the map not listing the room number. Now you can work out what floor you are on.

Take another flight of stairs, am I now on level 0? Who knows! Nope you are on (0). And if you are lucky enough to need to use the elevator, good luck finding those, and then getting stuck by a random short flight of stairs, and then having to find an alternate way, which will also be blocked by a small flight of stairs. The good news is after a full day here you’ll start to work out how the map works. Which is terribly.

Louvre History

The Louvre is full of history. Originally built in 1190 and was continuously rebuilt since then. Serving as a Royal Palace until Louis XIV moved the royal residence to Versailles in 1682. The Louvre has been a museum since 1793 and has Napoleon to thank for rebuilding and expanding the museum.

Notable Pieces

The most famous piece is the Mona Lisa. I didn’t look at it because I’ve got better things to do than stand in line for hours. Anyway, I can see it better on google than in person. Another famous piece is the Winged Victory. While I’m not one for knowing fine art, I do enjoy looking at dinosaurs and Egyptian items. Sadly, there are no dinosaurs here, but there is an Egyptian section. There is the crypt of The Sphinx.

Read more about our Paris trip, such as Latin Quarter, Montmartre, Versailles, Eiffel Tower and Invalides.

October, 2019