THE EIFFEL TOWER IN PARIS

There are many opinions about which tourist attraction in Europe is the most visited. The Eiffel Tower in Paris is undoubtedly among the top 10 with 5.5 million visitors each year. The Eiffel Tower was designed by the architect Gustave Eiffel and built between 1887 – 1889. The builders used 7,000 tons of steel, 18,038 pieces of steel and 2.5 million rivets. The tower is 324 meters high and every seventh years the tower is maintained with 60 tons of paint. On the 31st March 1889 the Eiffel Tower was inaugurated and Gustave Eiffel was able to walk the 1,665 steps to the top and raise the French Tricolour. At the beginning the Eiffel Tower was by no means popular, and many believed that it would not fit into the cityscape. The purpose of the construction of the Eiffel Tower was that it would act as gateway to the world exhibition in Paris in 1889 and it was also a celebration of the 100 years anniversary of the French Revolution. Actually, Gustave Eiffel planned to build the tower in Barcelona, but his idea was rejected and instead it was built in Paris. It was constructed in a way that it could easily be demolished and it was initially planned to tear it down again after 20 years. In 1908 the first radio signal was sent from the Eiffel Tower and as the tower proved to be reluctant, it was not taken down in 1909, as planned. Today the Eiffel Tower is functioning as telecommunication, but is best known as a landmark of Paris. If you move up the Eiffel Tower you will find 2 restaurants. At the first floor you will find “58 Tour Eiffel” and the second floor “Le Jules Verne”. Both restaurants have a reputation for being extremely excellent and then you can also enjoy the food in fantastic surroundings with excellent views. “Le Jules Verne” is the most expensive of the two restaurants and it is recommended to book a table. Normally there is a very long queue to get up to the Eiffel Tower and therefore we recommend that you purchase your ticket online prior to arrival to Paris. You can do this here.