Grande Arche
A hollow cube big enough to hold Notre-Dame, with a roof terrace
- Area La Défense
- Type Landmark
- Time needed 1h 15m
The Grande Arche is a hollow 110m cube of concrete and marble at La Défense, finished in 1989 for the bicentenary of the Revolution, and set on the axis that runs back through the Arc de Triomphe to the Louvre. The opening is large enough to contain Notre-Dame. A lift takes visitors to the roof terrace, which is the reason to come rather than the office floors below. Allow a bit over an hour.
Open in the planner →Getting there
RER A to La Défense-Grande Arche is the fast way, about 15 minutes from Châtelet-Les Halles, or take Métro 1 to the same terminus, which is slower at roughly 30 minutes but needs no change from the centre. Line T2 tram and several Transilien services also end here. From the station concourse you come up onto the Parvis and the arch is directly ahead, a flat walk of three or four minutes up shallow steps.
What you see
Stand on the Parvis first and look back east: the arch frames the Arc de Triomphe and, on a clear day, the Louvre pyramid along the Voie Triomphale. The roof terrace is reached by lift inside the north leg, and from the top you get the Paris skyline laid out to the east, the tower blocks of the business district immediately below, and the suburbs running west. The terrace itself has exhibition space and a cafe. Back at ground level the Parvis is an open-air sculpture collection, with Calder's red Araignée rouge and Miro's figures among the towers.
What to pair it with
The Arc de Triomphe sits on the same axis and the same Métro 1, so the two read well together. The Bois de Boulogne and the Fondation Louis Vuitton are a short way south on line 1. Les Quatre Temps shopping centre on the Parvis is the practical stop for food.
When to go
Late afternoon and early evening give the best view east, with the sun behind you and the city lighting up. Weekday lunchtimes are full of office workers, which makes the Parvis lively but the restaurants busy; weekends are quiet to the point of being bleak. Winter is exposed, as the terrace is high and the wind funnels between the towers. Check opening times before you go, as the roof has closed for extended periods in the past.
What is hard about it
The roof terrace has been shut for long stretches and the viewing offer has changed more than once, so confirm it is open before making the trip. The view is impressive but faces a working business district rather than historic Paris, and some visitors find it a poor substitute for the Eiffel Tower or Montparnasse. The Parvis is a wind tunnel of concrete and glass with almost no shelter. The arch itself is mostly offices, so there is less to go inside than its size suggests.
Common questions
How long do you need at the Grande Arche?
Around an hour for the roof and the view, plus half an hour wandering the Parvis sculptures. Longer if you eat there.
Is the view better than the Arc de Triomphe?
It is higher and takes in the whole western axis, but you are looking at Paris from outside it. The Arc de Triomphe puts you in the middle of the city.
How do you get there from the centre?
RER A to La Défense-Grande Arche in about 15 minutes, or Métro 1 to the same terminus in about 30 with no change.
More of the same kind
- Eiffel TowerGustave Eiffel's 330-metre iron tower, the one unmistakable thing on the skyline
- Arc de TriompheNapoleon's arch at the top of the Champs-Élysées, with a roof terrace
- Palais GarnierGarnier's opera house, all marble staircase, gold and Chagall ceiling
- Place de la ConcordeThe largest square in Paris, with an Egyptian obelisk at its centre