Address Champ de Mars, 75007 Metro: Trocadéro, Ecole Militaire or Bir Hakeim Admission: 4.50 € to the first level 7.80 € to the second level 11.50 € to the third level Stairs to the second level 4.00€ Open: Sep.–May daily 9 :30 a.m.–11 p.m. June–Aug daily 9 a.m–midnight Fall and winter stairs open until 6:30 p.m.

The Eiffel Tower is the symbol of Paris and probably the most recognizable monument in the world. The tower itself was supposed to be a temporary exhibit for the 1889 World’s Fair, held in Paris. Gustave-Alexandre Eiffel, who also helped build the Statue of Liberty, was the engineer. The French hated it when it was unveiled, but they kept it as it was helpful in radio transmission.

On a clear day it is said you can see forty miles. I’ve never really thought the view from the Eiffel Tower was as spectacular as the one from the Sacré Coeur or the Arc de Triomphe, but many people want to be able to say they went up the tower. In the months of December and January, there is an ice rink set up in the Eiffel Tower, which is a lot of fun.

There are two restaurants on the Eiffel Tower, Le Jules Verne (01 45 55 61 44) is the high end restaurant, and Altitudes 95 (01 45 55 20 04) is a bit more affordable but still not inexpensive. Both require reservations, and you do not have to wait in line to get into them, as they have their own elevators.

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