Arc de Triomphe, Paris

Of triumph and traffic

Begun under Napoleon, finished during the Bourbon Restoration, and commemorating French victories from the Revolution onward, the Arc de Triomphe is both a monument to and a piece of history. Still, standing in this spot reminds you that Paris is a true 21st-century metropolis: Beyond tourist chatter in countless tongues, horns honk in 360 degrees as cars squeeze their way around the massive traffic circle known as Place Charles de Gaulle. From this junction encircling the Arc, a dozen of the city's major thoroughfares radiate out in a star pattern, including the famous Avenue des Champs-Élysées.