place Charles-de-Gaulle, 8e. The axis of 12 broad boulevards on what used to be called place de I’Etoile, Napoleon’s triumphal arch was founded in 1806. On the emperor’s birthday, August 15, the sun rises directly above the 45 m arch. Four sculpted reliefs decorate the pillars (most notably Francois Rude’s La Marseillaise), topped by an action-packed frieze. Below, the Tomb of the Unknown Warrior burns an eternal flame, and a small museum recounts the arch’s history. But the piece de resistance is the view across Paris from the roof.