The Arc de Triomphe, the world's largest triumphal arch, is a monument in Paris, France standing in the centre of the Place Charles de Gaulle, also known as the Place de l'Étoile. It is at the western end of the Champs-Élysées. The triumphal arch honours those who fought for France, particularly during the Napoleonic Wars. The Arc is the linchpin of the historic axis (L'Axe historique) which is a sequence of monuments and grand thoroughfares on a route which goes from the courtyard of the Louvre Palace to the outskirts of Paris.

The arch was commissioned by Napoleon as a compliment to the French army. The original architect was Chalgrin; after his death, the work was continued by Joust from 1811-14 until it stopped after the loss of Napoleon. In 1833 work was begun again. The name of Blouet, who had the honor of completing the monument, is engraved on it. The arch was a way of illustrating the new government's efforts at national unity and reconciliation, completed under the new king Louis-Philippe and his minister of the interior, Adolphe Thiers.

The most famous of its sculptural reliefs is La Marseillaise (1833-36) of François Rude. Specific historic associations notwithstanding, the arch has become an emblem of French patriotism.

The monument is 49.5 metres (165 ft) in height, 45 metres (148 ft) wide and 22 meters (72 ft) deep. It is the second largest triumphal arch in existence. Its design was inspired by the Roman Arch of Titus. The monument surmounts the hill of Chaillot at the center of a star-shaped configuration of 12 radiating avenues.