Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The first level has more great views, all well-described by the tower's panoramic
displays. For much of 2014, this level is being modernized, so expect a changing array of
shops, exhibits, and eateries to distract you from the renovation work. There are generally
a number of photo exhibits on the tower's history, WCs, a conference hall (closed to tour-
ists), an ATM, and souvenirs. A small café sells pizza and sandwiches (outdoor tables in
summer). This level also has two fine restaurants run by famous French chef Alain Du-
casse: 58 Tour Eiffel (listed on here ) has more accessible prices than the Jules Verne Res-
taurant (€90 weekday lunch menu, €175-210 weekend lunch menus, €210 dinner menu,
reserve a few weeks ahead for dinner in summer, tel. 01 45 55 61 44, 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 a small set of stairs to Cineiffel where video screens, displays,
and a continuously running film feature clips of the tower's construction, its paint job, its
place in pop culture, the millennium fireworks, and other tower stories.
After Your Visit: Descend back to earth. From here, consider catching the Bateaux
Parisiens 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 ) .
For a final peek at the tower, stroll across the river to Place du Trocadéro or to the
end of the Champ de Mars and look back for great views. However impressive it may be
by day, the tower is an awesome thing to see at twilight, when it becomes engorged with
light, and virile 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
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 full-sized casts and models of some of France's
most cherished monuments from the 11th to 21st centuries. Pick up the museum plan,
and spend most of your time on the ground floor. Gaze into the eyes of medieval statues
and wander under doorways, tympanums, and arches from the abbey of Cluny, Chartres
Cathedral, Château de Chambord, and much more. For a good background, you can bor-
row the English info sheets (available in most rooms), or you can rent an audioguide.
Take the elevator up a floor to discover a vast array of models from modern projects,
including thought-provoking designs for low-income housing. You can walk into a full-
scale model of Le Corbusier's 1952 Habitation Unit from Marseille and appreciate what a
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