Place Charles de Gaulle · 8th arrondissement
A €16 winter ticket from the monument gets you the museum and the roof. The resale tickets cost more, rate about 4 or below, and one still promises a lift that is out of service.
Updated October 26, 2026 · Prices checked October 26, 2026 · Tour prices refresh daily
Photo: Steve McDonald from West Hartford, CT, USA / Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
Buy your Arc de Triomphe ticket from the monument. From October to March it costs €16 at the ticket office, it is free for under-18s and for EU nationals aged 18 to 25, and everyone gets in free on the first Sunday of November through March. Every resale ticket we checked costs more than that, and none rates above about 4 out of 5.
What the ticket buys is a climb: 284 steps to the roof, because the lift has been out of service since July 2026 and is not due back until 2027. Here is what is inside, the official prices, when to go for sunset and the Christmas lights, and how to reach the Arc without crossing the traffic.
N° 01Short on time
1erSummit accessIf you want a guide
The only resale ticket here with a real extra: an upgrade to a 1.5-hour private guide for up to six, or a Seine boat ride. As a plain ticket it costs more than the monument’s own, and it rates 4.0.
Free cancellation
From$34.59
lowest listed option (ticket only)
2eSummit accessCheapest resale ticket
Paris Odyssey
A plain adult ticket with free cancellation up to 24 hours before. Ignore its line about an elevator: the monument says the lift is out of service and the roof is 284 steps.
Free cancellation
From$28.45
per person
3ePrivateThe Arc by night, no climb
Pinky Tour - Paris
Not a ticket. A private two-hour evening drive in a pink 2CV that starts and ends at the Arc, past the lit Champs-Élysées, for anyone who wants the night view without the stairs.
Free cancellation
From$158.21
lowest listed option; Champagne option costs more
We may earn a commission when you book through links on this page, at no extra cost to you. It never decides our picks. Tour prices are Viator’s US-dollar from-prices, refreshed with ratings every day; they change by date, and Viator may show your local currency. How we make money.
N° 02Le billet
One ticket covers the whole monument: the rooms inside the arch, the small museum and the rooftop terrace. There is no separate rooftop-only ticket.
Allow about 45 minutes. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the arch is free, with no ticket. The flame is rekindled there every evening at 6:30pm, and you can watch from behind the barriers.
N° 03Tarifs 2026
These are the monument’s own ticket-office prices. There is no reduced rate for students or seniors. You either pay the single price or qualify for free entry. Bring ID for any free category.
| Ticket | Who it is for | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Single ticket, Oct 1–Mar 31 | Anyone not in a free category | €16 |
| Single ticket, Apr 1–Sep 30 | Thursday to Tuesday | €22 |
| Wednesdays, Apr 1–Sep 30 | Anyone not in a free category | €16 |
| Partner rate | SNCF Grand Voyageur or Thalys cardholders | €14.50 in winter; €20 in summer (€14.50 Wednesdays) |
| Under 18 | Any nationality | Free |
| Ages 18–25 | EU nationals and non-EU legal residents of France | Free |
| Disabled visitor | The visitor and one companion, individual visits | Free |
| Jobseekers and teachers | Jobseekers, and teachers with a valid Pass Éducation | Free |
| First Sunday | January, February, March, November and December | Free |
| Tomb of the Unknown Soldier | Under the arch, no climb | Free |
Checked October 26, 2026. The next free first Sundays are November 1 and December 6, 2026, then January 3, February 7 and March 7, 2027. Under-16s must be with an adult. Groups of 7 to 35 book four weeks ahead. Official e-tickets are refunded automatically if the monument closes. Source: Arc de Triomphe practical information.
N° 04Le bon plan
For most people, go direct. The official Arc de Triomphe site has a “Book your ticket” link to the national monuments ticketing site, where you pick a date and time. The ticket office at the Arc also sells on the day, and the monument does not say individual visitors need a time slot.
The resale tickets below are self-guided entry to the same monument, for more than the €16 winter rate. None skips the security check. Here is what each adds, if anything.
Summit accessFree cancellation
From$34.59
lowest listed option (ticket only)
The one with a reason to exist. The plain option is a ticket sent 24 hours ahead, with phone and WhatsApp support. Upgrades add a 1.5-hour private guide in English or French for up to six, or a one-hour Seine boat ride with an audio guide. Free cancellation until 24 hours before. It is the most reviewed of the three, rates 4.0, and correctly says the elevator is out of use.
Summit accessParis Odyssey
Free cancellation
From$28.45
per person
A plain adult ticket, with no guide or audio guide. Free cancellation until 24 hours before is all it adds. Free visitors still go to the cashier at the Arc. It has fewer than 50 reviews, and its listing says an elevator is available. The monument says the opposite, so do not book it if you cannot manage stairs.
Summit accessWorld Pass Tour France
From$50
per person
Skip this one: the same self-guided ticket at the highest price of the three, rated below 4, and all sales are final. Its inclusions are what every ticket gets, and the tomb is free anyway.
N° 05Côte à côte
All three are self-guided entry, not tours. From-prices are the lowest listed option in US dollars, and every one costs more than the monument’s own ticket in the table above.
| Tour | Format | Length | Reviews | From | Book |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arc de Triomphe rooftop ticket (optional private guide)Visitors who just want the rooftop view, with the option to add a private guide Free cancellation | Ticket · ticket | 1–2 hours | 4.00446 reviews | $34.59lowest listed option (ticket only) | Check |
| Arc de Triomphe entry ticketParis OdysseyAdults who want the cheapest refundable rooftop ticket and are fine climbing stairs Free cancellation | Ticket · ticket | 1–2 hours | 4.0449 reviews | $28.45 | Check |
| Arc de Triomphe ticket with terrace access (non-refundable)World Pass Tour FranceOnly worth it if the cheaper refundable tickets are sold out | Ticket · ticket | 2 hours | 3.8278 reviews | $50 | Check |
N° 06Quand y aller
From October 1 to March 31 the Arc is open from 10am to 10:30pm, except Tuesdays, when it opens at 11am. From April 1 to September 30 it closes at 11pm. Last entry is 45 minutes before closing. Closures to plan around:
It can also close for official ceremonies or bad weather.
The late hours are the Arc’s best feature. Sunset comes around 5:10pm in mid-November and just before 5pm in December, so climb about half an hour before, then come down for the flame at 6:30pm.
From November 22, 2026 to January 4, 2027, the Champs-Élysées Christmas lights are on every evening from 5pm to midnight, according to the Paris tourist office. From the roof you look straight down the lit avenue. More in Paris in December; the Arc is also the backdrop for New Year’s Eve on the Champs-Élysées.
No stairs? This private evening drive starts and ends at the Arc, or picks you up:
PrivatePinky Tour - Paris
Free cancellation
From$158.21
lowest listed option; Champagne option costs more
Our Paris night tours page has more.
N° 07L’accès
You cannot cross Place Charles de Gaulle on foot. The way in is the Passage du Souvenir underpass, entered on the right-hand pavement at the top of the Champs-Élysées as you face the Arc, or on the left at the top of the Avenue de la Grande-Armée. Both have stairs. The station is Charles de Gaulle–Étoile (métro 1, 2 and 6, RER A).
The lift has been out of service since late July 2026. The monument says it will return in 2027, date to be announced. Until then the roof means 284 steps, and visitors who cannot climb stairs cannot reach the museum or the terrace. The underpass is not wheelchair accessible either; wheelchair users use a taxi or car drop-off on the Avenue de la Grande-Armée side, marked with a blue sign.
Everyone goes through security. Bags can be no bigger than 40 × 40 × 20 cm, and there is no left-luggage office. Strollers can be left with the security staff. Selfie poles, tripods, scooters and glass bottles are banned.
N° 08Aux alentours
The Arc sits at the top of the Champs-Élysées, so the obvious plan is to walk down the avenue afterward. In late November and December that means walking under the lights toward the Christmas market announced for the lower avenue near Concorde. Our Christmas markets guide has its dates.
For the classic Eiffel Tower view, Trocadéro is a short ride on métro line 6 from Charles de Gaulle–Étoile. If you want a second rooftop, compare Eiffel Tower tickets. A Seine cruise from the tower’s quay rounds off the evening.
Visiting over the holidays? Check what is open in Paris at Christmas.
N° 09Good to know
At the monument, a single ticket costs €16 from October 1 to March 31. From April 1 to September 30 it costs €22, or €16 on Wednesdays. There is no student or senior discount. Resale tickets on Viator cost more.
Yes, from November to March: the first Sunday of January, February, March, November and December. The next ones are November 1 and December 6, 2026, then January 3, February 7 and March 7, 2027.
284 steps to the rooftop terrace, and with the lift out of service there is no other way up. There are seats on every level if you need a break.
Not at the moment. The lift has been out of service since late July 2026 and is due back in 2027, with no date yet. Ignore any resale listing that says an elevator is available.
Not usually. The ticket office at the Arc sells on the day, and the monument does not say individual visitors need a time slot. Book a dated ticket on the official site if your day is tightly planned.
Only in the afternoon. It is closed in the morning for the Armistice Day ceremony at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, and the reopening time is not published.
Yes, if you can manage 284 steps. It costs less than a lift ticket to the Eiffel Tower summit, it stays open late, and the roof looks straight down the Champs-Élysées, which is at its best at dusk or when the Christmas lights are on. If stairs are a problem, wait until the lift returns.
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