Get to the Arc
Far from the start? The app plans the trip to Étoile by métro or bus, step by step, and tells you when to get off. How the métro guidance works
Paris like a localWalks
Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre
From Napoleon’s arch to a glass pyramid, the whole walk follows one straight line: the axis Paris was built around.
The walk from the Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre runs about 4 km (2.5 miles) down the Champs-Élysées, across Place de la Concorde and through the Jardin des Tuileries. It is flat and paved, and takes about 2 h 30 at an easy pace with stops. Paris Like a Local, a free iPhone app by Estudio JT, tells its stories as the Triumph Trail, with no signal needed.
Download for iPhoneFree · Works offline
- Distance
- 4 kmFlat and paved
- Time
- 2 h 30At an easy pace, with stops
- Stories
- 35 minOf listening, told by Charles
- Start
- ÉtoileMétro 1, 2, 6 · RER A
- Finish
- LouvrePalais Royal–Musée du Louvre · Métro 1, 7
- Price
- FreeThe app and the walk
The route
One straight line
Seven landmarks, each lined up with the last. Walk east and you never once need to turn back.
01Arc de Triomphe
02Champs-Élysées
03Grand Palais
04Concorde
05Tuileries
06Arc du Carrousel
07Louvre
Métro Line 1, underneath the whole way
Drawn to scale, as the crow flies: about 3.3 km (2.1 miles) end to end. The Triumph Trail is about 4 km (2.5 miles) because it circles the Arc and wanders the garden.
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01 · Start
Arc de Triomphe
Built for an emperor who never saw it finished.
Napoleon commissioned it in 1806, after Austerlitz. It stands 50 metres tall where twelve avenues meet, and carries the names of 558 generals and 136 battles. Beneath it lies the Unknown Soldier: the flame has been rekindled every evening since 1923. On the side facing the Champs-Élysées, find Liberty and the rooster hidden in the carving.
- Get in
- Take the underground passage. Never cross the roundabout on foot. The passage has stairs and no lift.
- Roof
- 284 steps to a 360° view: the lift is closed for modernisation. €16, free for EU residents under 26. Check hours.
- Métro
- Charles de Gaulle–Étoile: lines 1, 2 and 6, and RER A.
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02
Champs-Élysées
One gardener drew the line. A city built a stage on it.
André Le Nôtre laid out this perspective in 1667. Today it runs 1.9 km (1.2 miles) from the Arc down to Place de la Concorde: the shop windows give way to gardens and chestnut trees in its lower half.
- Métro
- Line 1 under the avenue: George V, then Franklin D. Roosevelt.
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03
Grand Palais & Petit Palais
Two palaces, built for one party.
Both went up for the 1900 World’s Fair and face each other across the avenue: glass and iron on one side, gilded gates on the other.
- Free
- The Petit Palais permanent collection.
- Visit
- Grand Palais site · Paris Musées, for the Petit Palais.
- Métro
- Champs-Élysées–Clemenceau, line 1.
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04
Place de la Concorde
The square where France ended its monarchy.
The largest square in Paris. During the Revolution the guillotine stood here, and the king and queen were executed on this ground. At the centre rises an Egyptian obelisk more than 3,000 years old, between two fountains; eight statues stand for eight French cities.
- Cross
- Traffic is heavy: use the marked crossings.
- Métro
- Concorde, line 1.
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05
Jardin des Tuileries
Pull up a green chair.
Le Nôtre again: the gardener of the Champs-Élysées designed this one too. Children sail model boats on the basin, and Parisians drag the green metal chairs into the sun. Entry is free.
- Hours
- 7:00 to 21:00 in April, May, September and October; to 23:00 in summer; 7:30 to 19:30 in winter. Louvre site.
- Métro
- Tuileries, line 1.
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06
Arc du Carrousel
The first arch, and the horses that went home.
Before the Arc de Triomphe, Napoleon built this smaller one. He crowned it with the bronze horses of St Mark’s in Venice; after his defeat they were sent back.
- Look back
- Stand under the arch and face west: the Arc de Triomphe sits on the same line, at the far end.
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07 · Finish
The Louvre
Eight hundred years of building. One glass pyramid.
A fortress, then a royal palace, then a museum. I. M. Pei’s pyramid opened in 1989 and still divides opinion. The courtyard and the pyramid cost nothing to see from outside.
- Métro
- Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre, lines 1 and 7.
No signal. Still guided.
Paris Like a Local keeps the audio, text, maps and routing on your iPhone. Stories start as you arrive, and play on the lock screen.
Fully offline
No data, no roaming, no buffering underground. Install on Wi-Fi before you go.
Stop anywhere
Line 1 runs beneath the whole walk. Tired feet? Pause the story, step down and ride.
Switch to airplane mode at the Arc. Switch back at the pyramid.
Before you go
Practical answers for the walk. For help with the app itself, see Support.
001How long is the walk from the Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre?
The Triumph Trail is about 4 km (2.5 miles). Allow about 2 h 30 at an easy pace with stops; the stories add up to about 35 minutes of listening. The route is flat and paved.
002Which métro stations are at the start and the end?
Start at Charles de Gaulle–Étoile (métro lines 1, 2 and 6, and RER A). Finish at Palais Royal–Musée du Louvre (lines 1 and 7). Line 1 runs under the whole route, so you can stop at any point and ride back.
003Is the walk step-free?
Not entirely. To reach the Arc de Triomphe you use an underground passage with stairs and no lift; never cross the roundabout on foot. The lift up the Arc is closed for modernisation works, so the roof is 284 steps. The rest of the route is flat and paved, but it is a long walk.
004Can I go up the Arc de Triomphe?
Yes, with a ticket: €16, free for EU residents under 26. The lift is being modernised, so the climb is 284 steps to a 360° view over Paris. Check opening hours on the official website before you go. The tomb of the Unknown Soldier, under the arch, costs nothing to visit.
005What is free along the way?
The walk itself, the Jardin des Tuileries, the tomb of the Unknown Soldier under the Arc, the Petit Palais permanent collection, and the Louvre’s courtyard and pyramid seen from outside.
006Do I need mobile data?
No. Paris Like a Local, an iPhone app by Estudio JT, keeps the audio, text, maps and routing on your phone. Install it on Wi-Fi before you go; after that it works with no data or roaming, even in the métro.
007Is the app free?
Yes. The app and the Triumph Trail are free, with no account and no ads. More walks are coming soon. It is in public beta on TestFlight, for iPhone with iOS 18 or later, in English.