By Ed King BBC Sport in Paris

Ascot has royalty, Goodwood offers glorious views towards England's south coast, but, for sheer style and panache, Longchamp is peerless.

A 19th century windmill stands in the corner of the course

For one weekend a year, the eyes of the racing world are on Paris as the good and the great of flat racing descend on the French capital for the Prix de L'Arc de Triomphe.

Situated a couple of miles from the city centre in a swathe of parkland, with the Eiffel Tower looming in the distance, Longchamp has a quiet existence for most of the season, only springing into life in October for its showpiece event.

The Arc is run over the classic mile-and-a-half distance and boasts an illustrious list of former winners - Ribot, Sea Bird, Allez France, Peintre Celebre and Mill Reef.

With six group one races on the Sunday, the meeting is a must for all racing fans.

But as BBC Sport's racing presenter Clare Balding points out, it is a special event both on and off the course.

"Longchamp has an element of style about it that only the French could offer - they have a great way of organising events like this," she says.

There's a great bit of banter between the British and the French Clare Balding

"I always look forward to coming here - it's one of the highlights of the racing year and looking around it's easy to see why.

"Paris in the autumn is stunning, the leaves are turning brown, there is a slight chill in the air, and the visit to Longchamp marks the closing of the flat season.

"I love the paddock here, it is one of my favourite in the world, when you're in it you feel you're in the middle of all the action.

"Real racing fans come from Britain for the meeting. I know some people whose only trip to the races throughout the year is Longchamp for the Arc."

The British influence is certainly felt, with fans from across the Channel making up more than half of the crowd.

In addition, British and Irish trained horses traditionally arrive en masse for the Arc, creating a friendly rivalry between the home stables and foreign visitors.

LONGCHAMP FEATURES 1856 Windmill in corner of course, giving name to the Group 1 Prix du Moulin Two Caucasian Pterocaryas, rare trees 33 metres high with 6.80 metres of trunk circumference Totaliser building: Housed the Longchamp totaliser, a forerunner to the computer, from 1927 to 1972

Recent years have seen Godolphin take the honours, Frankie Dettori riding Sakhee to victory in 2001 and Marienbard in 2002.

But Olivier Peslier claimed a hat-trick of wins for the French from 1996 to 1998.

Rivalries aside, it is both a race that every trainer wants to win, because of the quality of horses and the prestige attached to the meeting, and one racegoers love coming to.

"It's a great place for the fans as well - incredibly cheap and without any pretensions," says Balding.

"Everybody is welcome, and in that sense it's a tremendously egalitarian race meeting, there are no divisions between members and the general public.

"And of course there's a great bit of banter between the British and the French, but it's always friendly, and there's never any trouble."

Not that you would expect any of that at Longchamp. This is an event that on and off the course exudes class.