A photograph of Champ de Mars
Photograph · Mattgirling · CC BY-SA 3.0

Historic site · Paris 7e Arrondissement, Paris

Champ de Mars

Open today, 00:00 – 23:59
Today
Open today, 00:00 – 23:59
Visit duration
45 min Editorial visit time estimate
Accessibility
Step-free
Price
Free entry
Standing
Must see · Heritage site
Rank
Rank 14 of 7,609
Plan a day around this Map

Reviewed by Elena Voss · Roavina Travel Editor

Plan your visit.

Opening hours

Monday 00:00 – 23:59
Tuesday 00:00 – 23:59
Wednesday 00:00 – 23:59
Thursday 00:00 – 23:59
Friday 00:00 – 23:59
Saturday 00:00 – 23:59
Sunday 00:00 – 23:59

Checked 2026-11-03 · Source

Admission

Per person Free entry

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

Access and facilities

  • Accessible toilets · Available
  • Pushchair access · Available
  • Step-free access · Available
  • Toilets · Available

Source · Checked 2026-08-31

A photograph of Champ de Mars
Photograph · Eric Salard · CC BY-SA 2.0

About Champ de Mars

The Champ de Mars is a parade ground that became a lawn, and the Eiffel Tower stands at one end of it. It runs through the 7th arrondissement from the tower at the north-west to the École Militaire at the south-east. The site was made when the École Militaire was built in 1765: the ground was levelled, ringed with a ditch and planted with a long avenue of elms, as an esplanade for drilling soldiers. The name is Latin — the field of Mars, the god of war — and it was accurate.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

A photograph of Champ de Mars
Photograph · Eric Salard · CC BY-SA 2.0

What's inside

Grass, gravel walks and the most photographed view in France. What is here is mostly what happened here. The first hydrogen balloon went up from this ground on 27 August 1783. The first Bastille Day, the Fête de la Fédération, was held here on 14 July 1790, and the massacre followed on 17 July 1791. The Festival of the Supreme Being was staged here on 8 June 1794. Five Expositions Universelles used the field — 1867, 1878, 1889, 1900 and 1937 — and the Eiffel Tower is what the 1889 one left behind.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

How long to spend

Half an hour, and it is the best half hour near the Eiffel Tower. The lawns face the tower directly, which makes this the place people sit for an hour with something to eat. Nobody queues for a lawn. Walking the full length from the tower to the École Militaire takes fifteen minutes and gives the tower shrinking behind you, which is the only way to feel how large the thing actually is. The Trocadéro across the river is the other free viewpoint and is twenty minutes away over the Pont d'Iéna.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

Season and crowds

The public lawns and paths are accessible 24 hours daily; events, security and maintenance can close sections.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

Tickets

Park access is free; events and nearby Eiffel Tower admission are separate. The base amount and currency follow the operator tariff; premium products and separate institutions remain excluded unless named.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

A photograph of Champ de Mars
Photograph · Jebulon · CC0

Getting there

Metro École Militaire or Bir-Hakeim and RER C Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

What to watch out for

Step-free entrances or public approaches, lifts where required, and accessible toilets serve principal visitor areas. Historic surfaces, crowds and security remain relevant.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

Photography

The tower from the middle of the field, with lawn in the foreground, is the standard shot and it is better in the morning, when the sun is behind the photographer rather than behind the tower. From the far south-east end near the École Militaire, a longer lens compresses the avenue and puts the tower at the end of a corridor of trees. Almost nobody walks that far. For the tower's structure rather than its silhouette, stand under the four legs at the north-west end and shoot straight up.

Checked 2026-08-31 · Source

Place details and sources

Type of place
Attraction OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Heritage designation
listed in the general inventory of cultural heritage Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Internet access
Wi-Fi OpenStreetMap · Checked 2026-09-09
Architect
Stéphen Sauvestre Wikidata · Checked 2026-09-09
Wikipedia article
Champ de Mars Wikipedia · Checked 2026-09-09

Common questions

What are the regular hours?

The public lawns and paths are accessible 24 hours daily; events, security and maintenance can close sections.

What is base admission?

Park access is free; events and nearby Eiffel Tower admission are separate.

Is the complete route step-free?

Step-free entrances or public approaches, lifts where required, and accessible toilets serve principal visitor areas.

Which public transport is named?

Metro École Militaire or Bir-Hakeim and RER C Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel.

Can operations alter access?

Yes. Worship, events, maintenance, weather and security can change ordinary access.

Are premium products included?

No. Special tours, exhibitions and upgrades use separate tickets.

Nearby

Within 5 min on foot
  • Eiffel Tower 2 hours
    5 min walk · Paris 7e Arrondissement

    Eiffel Tower

    • Must see · Heritage site
    • Historic site
  • Immeuble de la Société théosophique 1 hour
    5 min walk · Paris 7e Arrondissement

    Immeuble de la Société théosophique

    • High · Heritage site
    • Art and culture venue
  • Gustave Eiffel 45 min
    5 min walk · Paris 7e Arrondissement

    Gustave Eiffel

    • High
    • Historic site

Last updated:

Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, Wikidata ·