Tour Eiffel
Photo: Jiuguang Wang on Flickr
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An international icon of France
Noteworthy for: Only expected to stand for 20 years, it's now France’s tallest and most visited monument.
Word to the wise: For the most majestic view, go to the Place du Trocadéro to watch the sun set behind the Tower.
You can’t avoid the country’s most famous landmark looming above the Paris skyline, and it's hard to resist scaling its heights. Gustave Eiffel constructed this feat of engineering for the 1889 World Fair in honour of the 100-year anniversary of the French Revolution.
It’s 324 metres high, but don’t worry, there are plenty of lifts, though expect long queues in high season. If you’re fighting fit, brave the 1,665 steps instead, and reward yourself with a glass of bubbly from the champagne bar perched at the very top, from where your line of vision stretches for over 64km on a clear day. If heights aren’t your thing, there are panoramic views from the second floor.
From 11pm every night, the tower sparkles for five minutes every hour with the help of 20,000 bulbs, and on the national day of France and New Year’s Eve, fireworks launched from the tower light up the night sky.