Numbers

The Twelve Avenues of the Place de l’Étoile

1. Avenue de Wagram
2. Avenue Hoche
3. Avenue de Friedland
4. Avenue des Champs-Élysées
5. Avenue Marceau
6. Avenue d'Iéna
7. Avenue Kléber
8. Avenue Victor Hugo
9. Avenue Foch
10. Avenue de la Grande-Armée
11. Avenue Carnot
12. Avenue Mac-Mahon

How It's Used

"The area of the Arc de Triomphe was cordoned off, creating severe traffic congestion. Twelve major streets lead into the Place de l'Etoile. Although the rush hour in August is less busy than at other times of year, the area is always thronging with tourists."

"Napoleon ordered the Arc de Triomphe erected to his own glory. The 164-foot high arch was built at the head of the Avenue des Champs Elysees and at the center of 12 radiating avenues (Place de L'Etoile). Work was begun in 1806 and completed in 1836. The principal sculpture, La Marseillaise, was done by Francois Rude. In 1920 the body of an unknown French soldier was interred beneath the arch and a perpetual flame was lighted."

"Someone told us the view from the top of the Arc de Triomphe was worthwhile, but when we got to the end of the Champs Elysees we were met with a confounding obstacle: A dozen busy boulevards converged on the circular Place Charles de Gaulle like spokes of a wheel, and in the center of what must be one of the world's biggest roundabouts was the arch. I didn't see any crosswalks. But there were people on top of the arch, so they must have gotten there somehow.

"Jeri and I watched the cars whirling around and around the circle like a mad carousel. I stepped tentatively off the curb to see if anyone would stop -- and immediately leapt back. I swear a guy in a Peugeot actually gunned it when he got me in his sights. We waited forever for a break in the traffic. When at last one appeared, I grabbed Jeri's hand and we made a desperate dash. But I badly underestimated how wide the boulevard was, and we were barely a third of the way across when a phalanx of bloodthirsty Parisian drivers bore down on us. There was nothing to do but stand there in the rain and try to make ourselves as thin as possible as automobiles swished past within inches.

"Whenever a little gap opened, we'd dart across the next lane of traffic like players in that old video game, Frogger. (An unfortunate name in this context, but that's what it's called.) Crowds gathered on both sides of the boulevard and shouted encouragement. I couldn't tell if it was aimed at us or the drivers. When we finally lunged to safety on the other side with damp armpits and ashen faces, the crowd applauded. The French always appreciate a bit of daring and drama.

"'But tell me,' someone said. 'Why didn't you just use the underground walkway?'

"'Uh...there's a walkway?'

"Later I came across this quote in The Companion Guide to Paris by Anthony Glyn: 'No one dares to cross Place Charles de Gaulle on foot.'

"Well, almost no one."

"Before heading bravely off into the traffic flows around the Place de L'Etoile, where 12 avenues converge, riders have to first study and inwardly digest a notice on the handlebars which states: 'I will stop at red lights, I will respect one-way streets.' Fat chance of that, or of many of the 22,000 people who used the system on the first day wearing helmets. But the cynics, who predicted that bicycles and taxis would not mix, have been proved wrong - so far."

"The Arc de Triomphe stands at the center of Place de l'Étoile, the hub from which 12 grand avenues — including the idyllic pedestrian mall, the Champs Élysées — radiate to form the star for which the Place de l'Étoile is named. Climb to the Arc's panoramic viewing terrace and gaze down each avenue into the city. It's the best place to admire the taut geometry of Paris's urban plan, devised by Napoleon III's prefect Baron Georges-Eugène Hausmann, who razed the city's medieval slums to lay down broad boulevards. Rows of neatly trimmed plane trees line each avenue, heightening the effect."

Also Known As (AKA)

Place Charles de Gaulle

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