Planning the Arc de Triomphe? The lift remains out of service - Ouest-France
A closure notice and a lift outage affect visits to the Arc de Triomphe. The rooftop requires 284 steps; wheelchair access to the forecourt is separate.
On 6 November 2026, the Arc de Triomphe’s official website displays a closure notice, with automatic refunds for CMN e-tickets. It gives no reopening time. When visits resume, the rooftop still comes with a climb: 284 steps to the terrace, with no lift alternative. The lift has been out of service since late July 2026. For anyone who cannot manage the stairs, that changes the visit before questions of tickets or timing even arise.
The monument’s current accessibility notice confirms stair-only access. Renovation is planned, but a return-to-service date in 2027 has yet to be announced. An older description mentioning a lift is therefore no basis for booking a step-free visit.
If climbing is out of the question for someone in your group, leave the terrace out of your shared plan. Access to the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is normally free and separate from the rooftop visit, but the closure notice must also be taken into account when planning it.
The Arc is closed on the morning of 11 November. Ceremonies can also cause exceptional closures; the official information does not promise a precise reopening time that afternoon.
The closure notice takes precedence over ordinary opening hours. It also means that a ticket or the ability to climb the stairs does not establish that a visit can go ahead.
Pedestrians reach the monument through the Passage du Souvenir underpass. For wheelchair users, the official route to the forecourt is different: a drop-off on the Grande-Armée side by taxi or private vehicle, without prior reservation. Do not cross the roundabout on foot. There is no luggage storage on site. The official visitor page carries the lift notice and exceptional closures—the two details to recheck if your visit is later in the season.
Sébastien founded QuandPartir in 2004 and has been its publishing director ever since. His love of travel led him to build a personal database of destinations, which later became the website.
