Eiffel Tower
Wrought Iron Tower Built For The 1889 World'S Fair By Gustave Eiffel'S Company, About 330 M Tall; Part Of The UNESCO Banks Of The Seine Listing · Paris, Ile-de-France
The Eiffel Tower was built by Gustave Eiffel's company for the 1889 World's Fair, meant to stand for twenty years, and was saved partly because it proved useful as a radio mast. At about 330 m it was the tallest structure in the world for four decades, and it is now the symbol of Paris and of France. Visitors can go up to two floors and a summit: the first floor has a glass floor section and a museum-like display, the second floor has the best balance of height and detail, and the summit, reached only by lift, looks down on the whole city. Lifts run to all levels; stairs run to the second floor for a cheaper ticket and a close look at the ironwork. Timed tickets on the official site sell out weeks ahead in summer. A security perimeter with glass walls and bag checks surrounds the base. After dark the tower sparkles for a few minutes every hour. The best views of it are from Trocadéro, the Champ de Mars and the Seine. The area around it is thick with scams.
Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole France, 75007 Paris, Paris, Ile-de-France, France
Open every day of the year in normal times, from morning until late in the evening, with longer hours in summer and a last ascent well before closing; the summit can close earlier than the lower floors. Lifts and stairs keep separate hours, and the stairs close earlier. The summit and sometimes the whole tower close in high wind, storms or ice, and parts can shut for maintenance, repainting campaigns or staff strikes, which have closed the tower for days in recent years. Timed tickets are released on the official site some weeks ahead and the popular summer and sunset slots sell out early; a limited number of tickets are sold on site each day, with long queues. Everyone passes a security check to enter the fenced area at the base, and that queue is separate from the ticket queue. The sparkling light show runs for a few minutes on the hour after dark until late at night, and the Champ de Mars and Trocadéro are open at all hours to watch it. National holidays, especially the fourteenth of July fireworks and New Year, bring closures and huge crowds. Confirm the day's hours and any closures on the official site before you go.