The Étoile (the roundabout circling the Arc de Triomphe) is nerves-in-a-blender intense.  It’s a 10-lane roundabout without any lane markers. Cars enter aggressively from the right, mini-catapults accompanied by heart-blanching honking.  It’s mind-frazzling.

Another well-known Paris landmark is the Arc de Triomphe, a moving monument to the many brave women and men who have died trying to visit it. – Dave Barry

Not up to the challenge? There’s a less chaotic way around the Arc de Triomphe. Turn right at the last street just before hitting the main roundabout. These two streets – rue de Presbourg and rue de Tilsitt – form an outer ring around l’Étoile that avoids the busiest roundabout in Paris.

In Paris, unlike the rest of France, cars entering the roundabout have priority over those who are already in it. Who knew?

Toni 11/6/16