YeinJee's Travel Journal » Eiffel Tower

Paris panoramic view from Eiffel Tower

Yein Jee — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 03:30:40 +0000

Panoramic view of Paris, from the 2nd level platform on Eiffel Tower…

Paris city and the beautiful Seine River

Shadow of Eiffel and the Trocadéro; high rise buildings can be seen in newer area of Paris

The far point at the centre of picture is Montmartre and Basilica of the Sacred Heart

Champ de Mars

The Paris view from Eiffel Tower was amazing; the enlightening experience has sparked my interest to see a city from birds-view whenever possible in future.

Eiffel Tower, Paris

Yein Jee — Mon, 10 Oct 2005 03:00:38 +0000

2nd day in Paris… we had an early bus tour around the city before arriving at Eiffel Tower (La Tour Eiffel) at around 9.30am. The queue wasn’t very long; we waited for around 15 minutes and managed to squeeze into the elevator and get to the 2nd level of the tower.

Eiffel Tower look golden in early sunshine

There are 3 levels of platforms that are opened to public, and the entrance fees ranged from 4.50€ to 11.50€ for adults (using the elevator); level 1 and 2 is accessible by stairs (over 600 steps) as well, and with cheaper entrance fees. [Entrance fees reference]

The 2nd level platform (~115 metres) offers the best view of Paris, and the perfect range for photographs. [Read my next post for photos of the panoramic view of Paris] The 3rd level is probably too high to see the city in details.

Eiffel Tower is arguably the most visited landmark in the world; it has been visited by 229,623,812 visitors since its opening in 1889 until 2006. [Reference]

The tower (including its antenna) is 324 metres high, and was once the tallest building in the world; it is still the tallest building in Paris.

Eiffel Tower’s structural view from
the ascending elevator

History of Eiffel Tower

Eiffel Tower started its construction in 1887 and completed in 1889. The tower was built in conjunction to the World’s Fair in Paris in 1889, the Exposition Universelle.

The name Eiffel Tower was derived from Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the designer of the tower, who was assisted by Emile Nouguier, Maurice Koechlin and Stephen Sauvestre in constructing the iron structure.

The construction of Eiffel Tower created strong reactions from Parisians, claiming that the design was ugly and distaste to French art… but nothing could stop the construction of the tower.

Eiffel Tower was supposed to be torn down in 1909; it was initially built to be easily dismantled at the beginning. However, at that time, the tower’s antenna was heavily used for communication (telegraph) purpose, thus putting off the dismantle plan.

Besides, Eiffel Tower was already a prime tourist attraction back then, bringing in huge economic value for Paris and France… and Parisians began to accept the tower as a symbol of modernization. Given all the circumstances, the Eiffel Tower was destined to stay as a permanent icon for Paris.

(left) On the 2nd level platform of Eiffel Tower; it seemed like a sunny morning, but it was quite chilly… I was regretting that I wore just a t-shirt; (right) true color of the tower

Seine River cruise – night tour on Paris

Yein Jee — Sun, 09 Oct 2005 05:00:34 +0000

We boarded on a cruise to tour Seine River at 830pm. I was a bit sceptical about the night tour at the beginning; my perception was that a day tour would be more fitting to see Paris… but after the tour, I was totally convinced that it was a right choice.

Pont-Neuf, which means ‘New Bridge’, is ironically the oldest standing bridge in Paris (left); Musée d’Orsay (The Orsay Museum), formerly a train station, now an art museum

Institut de France (French Institute), connected by pedestrian bridge Pont des Arts
(Bridge of the Arts) to Lourve at the other end

The highlight of the night was Eiffel Tower; it was a WOW experience when I first saw the tower with its spectacular light show… I could feel my adrenalin pumping; it was an exciting moment that I would cherish for life.

Eiffel Tower and its light show at night