Contes et histoires 2024: shows and storytelling tours at the Arc de Triomphe

As usual, the national event Contes et Histoires returns to the Monuments Nationaux during the Christmas vacations. This cultural and family event gives us the opportunity to visit the region's great monuments in a different way, and in particular theArc de Triomphe, which offers a variety of activities from December 21 to January 5, 2025.

• To be read
• Tips for the week of November 18 to 24, 2024 in Paris: free or inexpensive outings
• What to do in Paris and the Paris Region in November 2024? Our tips and ideas for outings
• What to do in Paris this weekend of November 16 and 17, 2024 kids?

Now's the time to (re)discover this historic national monument, which has stood the test of time and history, with the whole family. Built under Napoleon 1st, from 1806 to 1836, the Arc de Triomphe is a reference to theArch of Titus in Rome. It took 30 years to build, with work suspended several times, and Napoleon 1st never even saw the monument completed.

Finally, it was Louis-Philippe 1st, King of the French in 1836 (after the First Empire, the return to Monarchy...) who saw theArc de Triomphe before his eyes for the first time. The façade of the arch bears the names of decisive battles and important generals, engraved in stone.

For the2024 edition of Contes et Histoires, we invite you to discover this monument steeped in history (and emblematic of Paris) onan original storytelling tour for the whole family!

On the program for Contes et Histoires 2024 at the Arc de Triomphe:

• Poilu Show
  Show
  For the end of the year, the Arc de Triomphe presents a moving and funny show about the daily life of a Poilu during the First World War. For the first time, the Arc de Triomphe is hosting a play within the monument. The "Poilu Show" tells the story of an era and its people. It's a comedy that describes the daily lives of the poilus with great humanity and historical accuracy. The show will be followed by a discussion with its author and historian, Jean-Yves Le Naour.
  Saturday, December 21, 2024, 10am and 3pm
  Running time: 2h30
  
  
• Once upon a time" family tour
  Storytelling tour
  Embark on a storytelling tour of the Arc de Triomphe, where history meets magic! Once upon a time... the Arc de Triomphe! Take part in a participatory, theatrical family tour, punctuated by tales, shadow puppets and drawings. Join in the adventures of the monument during this visit, in which young and old are invited to participate. The activity includes a tour of the monument and its panoramic terrace.
  December 27 and 28, 2024 and January 2 and 3, 2025, 10am
  Duration: 1h30
  
  
• Le murmure des dieux
  Guided tour
  Discover the Arc de Triomphe through a guided tour that immerses you in a dreamlike epic! "One day five centuries ago, it is said that the tired gods of Antiquity, who no longer had any followers, were drawn to a place called the Champs-Élysées, whose name evoked for them the lost paradise of their youth. At their wits' end, they arrived in what was a marshy area on the outskirts of Paris. Surprised, but no longer energetic, they settled in, unaware of the hell they were about to experience. Between urbanization and revolution, their stay was not an easy one. It wasn't until the 19th century that they found refuge in the Arc de Triomphe. Fred Pougeard, storyteller, came by night to collect the rustle of their crazy stories in the monument.
  Storytelling by Fred Pougeard, compagnie l'Allégresse du pourpre
  Saturday January 4, 2025, 11am and 3pm
  Running time: 1h