My mum would insist I’ve technically already been to the Eiffel Tower. She was pregnant with me when she visited it in 1966, so depending on how generous you’re feeling, I’ve either been once already … or I’ve never been at all. Personally, I’m claiming the latter, I don’t remember a thing, and I wasn’t tall enough at the time to appreciate the view.
What Makes the Eiffel Tower Iconic.
The Eiffel Tower is an iron lattice masterpiece standing proudly on the Champ de Mars in Paris. Designed by engineer Alexandre Gustave Eiffel and completed in 1889 for the World’s Fair, it wasn’t exactly loved at first sight. France’s leading artists and intellectuals complained it looked like a giant industrial mistake. Fast‑forward a century or so, and it’s now one of the most recognisable structures on the planet, funny how opinions change when the gift shop starts selling well.
Height, Structure, and Record‑Breaking Facts.
At 1,063 feet tall (about the height of an 81‑storey building), it held the title of the tallest man‑made structure in the world for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building muscled in during 1930. Its base is a perfect square, 410 feet on each side, which is probably the only square thing in Paris that isn’t a café terrace.
Levels, Restaurants, and the Famous View.
The tower has three visitor levels. The first and second floors have restaurants, because of course they do, it’s France, and the third level is an observatory platform 906 feet above the ground. It’s the highest publicly accessible viewpoint in the European Union, which is a polite way of saying “don’t look down unless you’re feeling brave.”
Climbing vs Taking the Lift.
You can climb the stairs to the first and second levels if you’re feeling energetic: over 300 steps to the first, and another 300‑plus to the second. The stairs to the top do exist, but they’re usually closed to the public, so the lift is the only way up to the summit. That suits me fine, I want to go all the way to the top, take in the view, and enjoy Paris from the Tower Eiffel without needing a defibrillator halfway up.
Why It’s Still on My Bucket List.
Strangely, despite living relatively close to France, I’ve never visited Paris as an adult to actually look around. I’ve flown over it, driven past it, and watched it in films, but I’ve never stood beneath the tower and looked up at the ironwork for myself. It’s time to change that.
This one stays firmly on the bucket list until I’m standing at the top, looking out over the city of lights, preferably with a camera in one hand and something French and overpriced in the other.
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