Travelling in France is truly memorable if you do not miss your chance to visit the Eiffel Tower. The Eiffel Tower, designed by Gustave Eiffel, has become a global icon of France and one of the most well-known structures in the world. The tower is also the tallest building in Paris.
More than 200,000,000 people have visited the tower since its construction in 1889, including 6,719,200 people in 2006, making it the most visited paid monument in the world. If you are currently travelling in France or planning to go on vacation to France in the near future, the tower must be in your bucket list.
To visit the Eiffel Tower, we will be heading over to Paris, France. Construction of the Eiffel Tower began in 1887, and it took over 2 years to build. The Eiffel Tower was to be used as an entrance to the World’s Fair in 1889. It really did not have a purpose other then to impress and prove that the engineering could work.
The Structure
The structure was made of iron in criss crossed beams so that the wind could pass through it. Not everyone liked the tower at first. They thought it would ruin the beauty of the city of Paris. The plan was, in fact, to tear it down after only 20 years. Long story short, it is still here. It is really hard to imagine Paris without the Eiffel Tower.
Over the last 130 years, they have done their best to maintain as much of the original structure as possible, while keeping it safe for millions of visitors every year. Let’s make sure that we appreciate the enormous size of the Eiffel Tower. If you are standing on top of the Eiffel Tower, the people below you, on the ground, look like tiny ants.
The Eiffel Tower was almost twice as tall at 300 meters. The Eiffel Tower was the tallest structure for 40 years, until the Chrysler building was finished in 1930. The Empire State building, however, by this point was the tallest with about. There has been a lot more competition in recent decades to be the tallest structure in the world.
The Eiffel Tower has 3 floors. All of which are open to the public. The first floor has 3 red buildings which contains a theater, restaurant, shops, and places to learn more about the Eiffel Tower. Towards the center, there is a glass floor around the edges that you can walk onto. The second floor has two decks for sight-seeing.
The Views
You can also have a great view of the river Seine from up here. There is also the Jules Verne restaurant which can be accessed by the elevator from the ground floor. The third floor is much smaller and mostly for sight-seeing. On the bottom deck, you can see out through the windows or come up the stairs to the open air.
Gustave Eiffel actually built his private apartment up here. At the very top is the perfect spot for television, poker online and radio antennae.
If you are travelling in France, especially in Paris, you might be wondering how do you get to these 3 floors. Well, you can reach the first and the second floors by elevator or stairs. The third floor is only accessible by elevator. The elevators are accessible from each of the 4 pillars and open for public.