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Tue / Jan 26
Party Earth Review Although it’s hard to imagine today given its immense popularity, public opinion about the Eiffel Tower – constructed as the entrance arch to the 1889 World’s Fair – was emphatically negative. Critics decried it as an... ... read full review
5 Parc du Champ de Mars
75007 Paris
Bir-Hakeim
Daily 9am–midnight
7eme, Paris –
Although it’s hard to imagine today given its immense popularity, public opinion about the Eiffel Tower – constructed as the entrance arch to the 1889 World’s Fair – was emphatically negative.
Critics decried it as an eyesore, headlines screamed with quotes like “A BLACK PUDDLE OF IRON,” and everyone took heart that designer Gustave Eiffel had only received a twenty-year permit for the structure.
Fast-forward more than a century later and this 1,063-foot tall “black shadow over Paris” is one of the most-visited manmade monuments in the world, attracting millions of sightseers every year and still standing proud as a defining icon of the city.
Anyone can make the trip extra special by enjoying the site Parisian-style, which means packing some bread, cheese, and wine, and claiming a spot on the grass near the base as the tower illuminates from the orange glow of the sun and then sparkles again with a light show every night.
Either to work up an appetite or burn off that cheese – or to avoid the ever-present crowds in the elevators – stairs provide a thigh-busting side trip up the first few hundred feet.
Yet while the views from the top of the stairs are stunning, they’ll only reinforce an elevator ride to the summit, where it seems like all of France spans out from La Tour Eiffel.
Tourists in the tower, young locals in the park, all ages.
A bird’s-eye view of Paris from a world-famous landmark.
There are a couple of restaurants in the tower itself, but they require reservations. Traveling wine vendors in the park.
Elevator to the top €11.50. Stairs to the second platform €4, plus €3.50 for the elevator to the top. Student discounts available.
Casual.
Any day, though the tower is more festive when groups start off a Friday or Saturday night with an evening picnic and a tour.
There are many reasonably-priced restaurants and bars in the streets around the tower, as well as several spots for crêpes, ice cream, and snacks.
The Eiffel Tower User Reviews