With children
Visiting the Arc de Triomphe with kids
The flame, the underground passage and 284 steps — what holds a child's attention, and where the climb gets hard for younger legs.
Check tours on Viator ↗The tunnel and the flame come first
Families reach the arch through the Passage du Souvenir, the underground passage from the top of the Champs-Élysées or the Avenue de la Grande-Armée, which can be a small adventure in itself for younger children. At the centre, the flame at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, rekindled every evening since 1923, is the detail that tends to hold attention.
284 steps is a real ask for under-eights
The spiral stair is narrow and runs about 240 steps before the museum level, which makes it a real undertaking for younger children. Pushchairs are not allowed inside; the access control officers will hold them until you come back down. A lift exists for visitors who need it, but the operator currently reports it out of service for maintenance.
The 18:30 ceremony works well for school-age children
Timing a visit so the climb finishes by early evening lets a family catch the daily flame ceremony at 18:30, which is brief, free to watch and visibly ceremonial in a way that tends to land with children better than a plaque or a label.
A practical note on cost
The operator states free entry for under-18s, and for 18-to-25-year-olds who are EU nationals or non-EU legal residents of France — worth checking directly if it applies to your family, since it changes the maths on a family visit considerably.