Eiffel Tower

NileGuide Expert tip:

Fit cheapskates can climb the 704 steps to the second floor and get there for half the price of the lift ticket

Description:

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  Gustave Eiffel's iconic creation was meant to be a temporary attraction for the 1889 World Exhibition, but it has been making headlines ever since and is top of everyone's top ten of things to do in Paris. At 300m (984ft) high, it was the world's tallest building at the time. Today the third floor viewing platform is still 276m (905ft) above ground, though the official height of the tower is a little more than in Eiffel's day. The spindly-looking assemblage of iron girders weighs about 7,300 tonnes and 60 tonnes of paint are used to repaint it every seven years. Lifts serve all floors and each floor has two levels – one enclosed and one open-air. On the first-floor platform (57m / 187ft above ground), you'll find a cinema, exhibitions about everything to do with tower, a self-service restaurant, a gift shop and a post office, where your postcards will be franked Paris Tour Eiffel. The Michelin-starred Jules Verne restaurant is 115m (377ft) above ground on the second floor. On the third floor you can toast your trip to Paris with a glass of champagne. New attractions are always being added. One of the latest is an i-Pad guide available to rent from the second floor.
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