FRANCE - Best of Europe 2014 - page 300

ingviews.Thecityliesbeforeyou(pickoutsightswiththehelpofthepanoramicmaps).On
a good day, you can see for 40 miles.
The second level has the best views because you're closer to the sights, and the monu-
mentsaremorerecognizable.(Whilethebestviewsareuptheshortstairway,ontheplatform
withoutthewire-cagebarriers,atbusytimesmuchofthatzoneistakenupbypeoplewaiting
for the elevator to the top.) This level has souvenir shops, public telephones to call home,
and a small stand-up café. While you'll save no money, consider taking the elevator up and
the stairs down (5 minutes from second level to first, 5 minutes more to ground) for good
exercise and views.
The first level has more great views, all well-described by the tower's panoramic dis-
plays. There are a number of photo exhibits on the tower's history, WCs, a conference hall
(closed to tourists), an ATM, and souvenirs. A small café sells pizza and sandwiches (out-
door tables in summer). This level also has two fine restaurants run by famous French chef
AlainDucasse:58TourEiffel(listedon here ) hasmoreaccessiblepricesthantheJulesVerne
Restaurant (€90 weekday lunch menu, €170-220 weekend lunch menus, €220 dinner menu,
reserve 2-3 months in advance, tel. [phone], www.lejulesverne-paris.com ). In winter,
part of the first level is set up for winter activities (most recently as an ice-skating rink).
Climb the stairs to Cineiffel for a small gallery and theater. A tired eight-minute video that
continuously features clips of the tower's construction, its paint job, its place in pop culture,
and the millennium fireworks.
After Your Visit: Descend back to earth. From here, consider catching the Bateaux Par-
isiens boat for a Seine cruise (see here ) or visiting one of the following nearby sights: the
Quai Branly Museum ( here ), Rue Cler market street, Army Museum and Napoleon's Tomb
( here ), or Rodin Museum ( here ).
Fora final peek at the tower,stroll across the river to Place duTrocadéro orto the end of
theChampdeMarsandlookbackforgreatviews.Howeverimpressiveitmaybebyday,the
towerisanawesomethingtoseeattwilight,whenitbecomesengorgedwithlight,andvirile
Paris lies back and lets night be on top. When darkness fully envelops the city, the tower
seems to climax with a spectacular light show at the top of each hour...for five minutes.
Near the Eiffel Tower
(See “Eiffel Tower & Nearby” map, here . )
▲ Architecture and Monuments Museum (Cité de l'Architecture et du Patrimoine)
This museum, on the east side of Place du Trocadéro, takes you through 1,000 years of
French architecture, brilliantly displaying casts and models of some of France's most cher-
ishedmonuments fromthe11thto21stcenturies. Gaze intotheeyesofmedieval statues and
wander under doorways, tympanums, and arches from the abbey of Cluny, Chartres Cathed-