Visiting the Eiffel Tower: Highlights and Tips

What began as a whimsical show in 1889 has now evolved into a permanent installation that magnifies the skyline of Paris, the most renowned French city. The Eiffel Tower, which opened in 1889 as the entrance to the World Fair, was dubbed dysfunctional and a wicked column of bolted sheet metal for construction of its size. What was supposed to be a marvellous entryway like the Arc de Triomphe turned out to be a revolutionary iron-lattice display that has lasted 111 years after it was supposed to be disbanded.

Today, this Parisian Tower, named after its designer Gustave Eiffel, has become one of the most famous French structures, with millions of visitors each year. And visiting this 1065-foot ornate webbed-metal lattice tower from the 19th century was positively an adventure! The Eiffel Tower is painted in various shades of red, brown and bronze perfectly complements the Parisian skylines. The shading (darkest shade on top, lightest shade on bottom) reduces atmospheric mist and gives the Eiffel Tower a uniform appearance. Once upon a time, the Eiffel Tower was also besmeared in bright yellow and red.

Bronze Eiffel Tower Paris

At other times, the Tower engages in a game of glassiness! The Eiffel Tower is enveloped, by a bulletproof glass wall that is 2.5 metres high. Two exquisite rosewood-roofed glass crenellated pavilions highlight the interactive historical exhibitions on the first floor. A glass floor allows you to look down on the ground below. The ground floor is free to visit; however, if you must explore the upper stories, you must pay a small price. If you’re not afraid of heights, it’s a breathtaking view that’s well worth the money.

Eiffel Tower Paris

The two new pavilions are inspired by Gustave Eiffel’s obliquely shaped pillars. The Gustave Eiffel pavilion, on the north-eastern side, has been transformed into a massive reception hall with a modular stage, a retractable façade, and an elevator for professional events. Ferrié Pavilion, a two-story structure on the south-western side, is home to a group of Eiffel Tower models. Ferrié Pavilion, along with, an open space cultural room is dedicated, to visitor recreation and includes restaurants, boutiques and a play area.

A culture route mapped across enables guests to explore the work of Gustave Eiffel and the history of the Tower’s evolution in the form of touch tablets, kiosks, digital screens and albums. The glass enclosures are a part of a €300-million transformation project to lessen queues, guard visitors against rain and snow, and enhance overall facilities. There are two entries to the glass enclosure on Gustave Eiffel and two exits on Quai Branly.

The lift ascends three storeys, although you must change elevators on the second floor to reach the third floor. The 3rd-floor observation deck, on the other hand, is solely open to EU citizens. The lift will set you back €15. Alternatively, you can use South Pillar to reach the 2nd level by steps (approximately 720). Each level is linked to the next by roughly 300 steps. Two snack bars, 58 Tour Eiffel on the 1st floor and Le Jules Verne on the 2nd floor, as well as a macaron bar and a Champagne bar, are available for refreshments.

Master Chef Alain Ducasse runs Le Jules Verne, a Michelin-starred restaurant. The Eiffel Tower’s story is anything but straightforward, from being ridiculed to setting records and from being home to secret apartments. The private apartment was where architect Gustave Eiffel ran experiments and entertained dignitaries. After being locked away for years, the office has been reenacted and is now open to the public for tours.

Just when I believed Semolina ascending the Eiffel Tower in the Beatles’ song “I’m the Walrus” had familiarised me with the structure, I discovered that Erika La Tour Eiffel had added even more to its reality. A woman married the Eiffel Tower in 2008, changing her name to Erika La Tour Eiffel as a result. Margaret Thatcher and the Eiffel Tower are both known as ‘La Dame De Fer,’ which means “Iron Lady.” The cost of taking the stairs is €7, while the cost of taking the lift to the first floor is €8.50 and the cost of taking the lift to the second floor is €11.

Visit in the summer to see the full height of this world-record-breaking Tower, since it shrinks by 15 centimetres in the winter. Yes, you read that correctly. Cold weather causes the metal to compress, whilst heat causes it to expand. When it’s windy, the top of the Tower sways. I had the opportunity to see the Tower both during the day and at night. The ideal time for clear vistas and photos is during the day. The Eiffel Tower dazzles with a fascinating light show at night, which you are welcome to capture but not share!

Despite the fact that the tower architecture is in the public domain, the lighting display is copyrighted, making commercial use of the illumination images illegal.

Address: Champs de Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole France, 7th Arrondissement

Timings: Everyday 9:30 AM – 11 PM and 9:00 AM to 12 AM during summer

Metro: Bir-Hakeim – Line 6 or Trocadéro – Line 9

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