Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Pickpockets:
Beware. Street thieves plunder awestruck visitors gawking below the
tower. And tourists in crowded elevators are like fish in a barrel for predatory pickpockets.
En garde.
There's a police station at the Jules Verne pillar.
Security Check:
Bags larger than 19” × 8” × 12” are not allowed, but there is no bag-
gage check. All bags are subject to a security search. No knives, glass bottles, or cans are
permitted.
Services:
Free WCs are at the base of the tower, behind the east pillar. Inside the tower
itself, WCs are on all levels, but they're small, with long lines.
Best Views of the Tower:
The best place to view the tower is from Place du Trocadéro
tothenorth.It'sa10-minutewalkacrosstheriver,ahappeningsceneatnight,andespecially
funforkids.ConsiderarrivingattheTrocadéroMétrostopfortheview,thenwalkingtoward
the tower. Another delightful viewpoint is from the Champ de Mars park to the south.
Background:
Built on the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution (and in the spirit
oftheIndustrialRevolution),thetowerwasthecenterpieceofaWorldExpodesignedsimply
to show off what people could build in 1889. Bridge-builder Gustave Eiffel (1832-1923)
won the contest to construct the fair's centerpiece by beating out rival proposals such as a
giant guillotine. To a generation hooked on technology, the tower was the marvel of the age,
asymbolofprogressandhumaningenuity.Notallweresoimpressed,however;manyfound
itamonstrosity.ThewriterGuydeMaupassant(1850-1893)routinelyatelunchinthetower
just so he wouldn't have to look at it.
Visiting the Tower:
Delicate and graceful when seen from afar, the Eiffel Tower is
massive—even a bit scary—close up. You don't appreciate its size until you walk toward it;
like a mountain, it seems so close but takes forever to reach. Despite the tower's 7,300 tons
of metal and 60 tons of paint, it is so well-engineered that it weighs no more per square inch
at its base than a linebacker on tiptoes.
There are three observation platforms, at roughly 200, 400, and 900 feet. To get to the
top, you'll wait in line to ride an elevator to the second level. A separate elevator—with an-
other line—shuttles between the second level and the top. (Note: Whether you have a tick-
et for the top or just for the second level, elevators going up do not stop at the first level.
You can see the first level on the way back down, but not all elevators descending from the
second level stop at the first level—ask before boarding.) Although being on the windy top
of the Eiffel Tower is a thrill you'll never forget, the view is better from the second level,
where you can actually see Paris' monuments.
The stairs—yes, you can walk up to the first and second levels—are next to the entrance
to the pricey Jules Verne restaurant. As you ascend through the metal beams, imagine being
a worker, perched high above nothing, riveting this thing together.
The
top level,
called
le sommet,
is tiny. (It can close temporarily without warning when
it reaches capacity or in windy conditions.) All you'll find here are wind and grand, sweep-
