Eiffel Tower

Paris, France

The Eiffel Tower (La tour Eiffel) is an iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris. It was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Erected in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair, it was initially criticised by some of France's leading artists and intellectuals for its design, but has become both a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the most-visited paid monument in the world.

The tower is 324 metres tall, about the same height as an 81-storey building. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to assume the title of the tallest man-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building in New York City was built in 1930. Because of the addition of the aerial atop the Eiffel Tower in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building by 5.2 metres (17 ft). Not including broadcast aerials, it is the second-tallest structure in France, after the Millau Viaduct.

The tower has three levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second. The third level observatory's upper platform is 276 m above the ground, the highest accessible to the public in the European Union. Tickets can be purchased to ascend by stairs or lift (elevator) to the first and second levels. The climb from ground level to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the walk from the first to the second level. Although there are stairs to the third and highest level, these are usually closed to the public and it is generally only accessible by lift.

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Details

Founded: 1889
Category: Miscellaneous historic sites in France

Rating

4.6/5 (based on Google user reviews)

User Reviews

Michael A (8 months ago)
The magnificent Eiffel towering over the city that never sleeps - Paris. It was great to see it first hand and we had a clear view on different times of the day. We went in the morning, afternoon and at night where they have an hourly sparkling display of the tower. I would recommend to view it at night with the sparkling lights and enjoy its beauty. This is the mother design of Tokyo Tower. There are people selling mini-tower if you want a souvenir and at night, it also has sparkling lights :-) It is romantic to take a picture as a couple or with family. So come to Paris and enjoy not only this part but a lot of things to explore. 1 week is not enough to explore and enjoy the city variety of food, grandeur and beautiful museum. Enjoy.
Viktória Farkas (8 months ago)
I visited the Eiffel tower for the second time and it was beautiful. It is such an interesting landmark, has a nice history and the view is breathtaking! It changed quite lot since I first saw it 8 years ago. Now it has fun facts about the Eiffel tower in the staircase and a museum on the first floor. Both is worth visiting. I recommend visiting it before sunset to get the best of both worlds - Paris in daylight and night. It can get crowded, but it wasn't unbearable. I was recommended not to go up to the top and only visit the second floor as the view is better - you can actually see the beautiful buildings of Paris that would be super to small from the top floor. After sunset the Eiffel tower is "sparkling" for 5 minutes in the beginning of each hour, do not miss it!
Sa Br (8 months ago)
Super cool experience to go up to the second level of the tower. Would definitely recommend getting tickets ahead of time as that got us up a lot faster. The elevator was very hot and cramped. The views from the second level were amazing and it was cool to be up there right after sunset. It was also nice to be able to walk down to the first level where they had food and drinks. It was also really nice to be there when it was twinkling. Overall great experience and would highly recommend.
Tyler Shoaf (8 months ago)
If you're reading this, you're probably going to visit no matter what you read in reviews, so I'll focus on things to know about visiting. 1. In June 2023, the tower is being painted. I read it will no longer be brown, but a more yellow-brown shade. You can still go up, and the efforts are pretty unobtrusive, but there is some safety netting up and some small areas on the observation decks that are blocked off for painters. 2. One person in our party is in a wheelchair. She was able to go up one lift (I believe the second floor), but could not go to the top. 3. The grounds underneath the tower are under some construction, I presume to prepare for the 2024 Olympics. As a result of that and a fair number of people on the day of our visit, restrooms were limited and lines were long. 4. We visited the tower during the day but stayed in the area to get a view of it at night. It's a truly beautiful sight, even more so at night. If you do go at night, be sure to have a good viewing spot at the top of the hour, as that's when the lights sparkle. 5. We bought tickets in advance, but there was still a pretty long wait. It's a huge tourist attraction after all, so be prepared.
thisismy name (8 months ago)
There were a TON of people there. However, we still could take amazing photos. There were tons of vendors there that provided water, photography, and souvenirs! Although it was very warm there, by the time it was 11pm, the Eiffel Tower was glowing brightly lighting up everything around it. I would recommend for tourists to come see this if they haven’t for the first time. What a beauty!
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