Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe: The Complete Guide
A 2,400-metre race, a racing weekend in the Bois de Boulogne, grandstands, lounges and Paris all around: how to approach an October weekend that rewards early preparation.
Last updated 6 October 2026 · 5 min read
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is a Group 1 flat race, run over 2,400 metres of turf at ParisLongchamp racecourse, in the Bois de Boulogne, in Paris. Created in 1920, it is traditionally run on the first Sunday of October, within a racing weekend that begins on the Saturday. The 2027 edition will take place in October; the exact day has not yet been published by France Galop, which organises the race and sells tickets and hospitality: lawn, grandstand facing the finish, lounges, restaurants and private boxes. Everything else — hotel, travel, attire, dinners — is composed around it, and booked early.
What is the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe?
The racecourse came first. Longchamp was inaugurated on 27 April 1857, in the presence of Napoleon III and Empress Eugénie, on the lands of the former Longchamp Abbey, between the Bois de Boulogne and the Seine. The race came later: the Société d'Encouragement created it in 1920, in the aftermath of the war, and named it in honour of the monument beneath which the Allies had paraded in 1919. The first edition was run on Sunday 3 October 1920.
Since then, the Arc has been interrupted only in 1939 and 1940; it left Longchamp for Le Tremblay in 1943 and 1944, then for Chantilly in 2016 and 2017, while the grandstand was rebuilt. The racecourse reopened in spring 2018 under the name ParisLongchamp. It is a Group 1 race for horses aged three and over, colts and fillies, geldings not being admitted.
How the weekend unfolds
The Arc weekend spans two days. Saturday opens the meeting, with several group races, in a calmer atmosphere. On Sunday, the gates open in the late morning; a parade precedes the first races, several Group 1 races follow one another through the afternoon, and the Arc is run in mid-afternoon. In 2026, the weekend featured eighteen races, six of them Group 1 on the Sunday.
The timings below are those published for the 2026 edition; those for 2027 will be published as the meeting approaches, and we confirm them before your stay.
| Moment | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|
| Gates open | 12pm | 11am |
| Before the racing | — | Parade of nations, 12.50pm |
| First race | Around 1.20pm | 1.40pm |
| The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe | — | 4.05pm |
| Gates close | 8.30pm | 9pm |
The 2027 date
The 2026 edition, the 105th, was run on Sunday 4 October. For 2027, France Galop has not yet published the exact day: the race is traditionally run on the first Sunday of October, and we confirm the date to you as soon as it is published.
For a first visit, Sunday is enough to understand the place and the race. Both days let you see the racecourse from two angles — a Saturday in the grandstand, a Sunday in a lounge or a private box. Many of our clients turn the weekend into a Parisian stay of three or four nights.
Grandstands, hospitality and private boxes
France Galop sells several levels of access: general admission, at the edge of the track near the winning post; a reserved lawn facing the finish; a grandstand with numbered seats along the home straight, with a private bar; a raised platform; a festive area on Sunday. Then comes hospitality: lounges with a numbered grandstand seat, restaurants — including a panoramic gastronomic table and, on Sunday, a Michelin-starred table —, a trackside cocktail, and private boxes, on request.
The offer for the 2027 edition has not yet been published; names and contents may change from one year to the next. Our guide How to Attend the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe? sets out each route.
Preparing your stay: attire, hotel, arrival, budget
Attire first: no written rule applies across the whole racecourse, but some restaurants require smart dress, and on Sunday custom is elegant. Our guide What Is the Dress Code for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe? covers it in detail.
Then the hotel: a Right Bank palace hotel, some twenty minutes from the Bois de Boulogne depending on traffic. Finally, the arrival: chauffeur, free shuttles from Porte Maillot and Porte d'Auteuil, tram, jet to Le Bourget, helicopter to the Paris heliport. Our guides Where to Stay for the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe? and How to Get to the Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe? compare each option.
The budget is composed item by item — seat or hospitality, number of days, private box and guests, hotel, travel, dinners — and prepared on quotation. We explain what makes it vary rather than publish a rate card.
What to remember
The Prix de l'Arc de Triomphe is run in October 2027 at ParisLongchamp, traditionally on the first Sunday of the month, within a racing weekend; the exact day will be published by France Galop, which sells tickets and hospitality. TGZ Conciergerie, an independent house with no affiliation with France Galop or with the racecourse, and no official status, composes the complete stay — seat or hospitality sourced on request, hotel, travel, attire, dinners —, on quotation, availability and conditions confirmed before any commitment.
Frequently asked questions
In October 2027, at ParisLongchamp racecourse. The race is traditionally run on the first Sunday of October; the exact day for 2027 has not yet been published by the organiser.
In mid-afternoon: in 2026, the off was at 4.05pm, after several other races. The 2027 time will be published as the meeting approaches.
2,400 metres, on the Longchamp turf. It is a Group 1 race, open to horses aged three and over, colts and fillies; geldings are not admitted.
Since 1920. It bears the name of the monument beneath which the Allies paraded in 1919, and is run at Longchamp, a racecourse inaugurated in 1857, except during a few years of war and building works.
Yes, and pushchairs are accepted; animals are not, even on a lead. Entry conditions for younger guests are set by the organiser for each edition: we check them for your group.
Early: hospitality often goes weeks in advance, and Paris is in high demand in early October. A quotation can be prepared now; tickets and packages are sourced as soon as the 2027 sale opens.
No. TGZ Conciergerie is an independent house, with no affiliation with France Galop or with ParisLongchamp racecourse, and no official status. We compose stays and source tickets and hospitality on request, without ever reselling a ticket.
Take it further
Your Arc weekend is prepared now
Tell us how you wish to experience the Arc — in the grandstand, in a lounge, in a private box — and we compose the complete stay: hotel, arrival, chauffeur, attire, dinners, tickets and hospitality sourced on request. A single point of contact, a quotation item by item.