148. Eiffel Tower

What is the Eiffel Tower?

The Eiffel Tower was built as the entrance to the World Fair in 1889. It took two years to build and is named after the engineer, Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built it. Mr Eiffel had also helped build the Statue of Liberty (387) in 1881. The same height as an 81 storey building, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest man-made structure in the world until the Chrysler Building overtook it in 1930. 7 million people visit the Eiffel Tower each year.

What's the Eiffel Tower like?

It's far more beautiful up close than you expect. The lattice work looks almost delicate. There are three floors and you can either walk up 1700 steps or get lifts.


Where is the Eiffel Tower? 

Paris, France

When did we go?

April 2019

How did we get to the Eiffel Tower? 

I teamed up with my godson, Sebastian (9), his brother Stefan (6), and their parents for a day trip to Paris on the Eurostar. I'm not sure I'd recommend the day trip idea - we spent a lot of time in queues and had no time for food - but a great time was had by all and the Eiffel Tower was well worth the effort. I went back at a later date to visit the Louvre (53) and Musée d'Orsay (79), which are about a 40 minute walk away.

Worth noting

I booked 'skip-the-line' tickets through a tour group but even then it took us over an hour to get into the Tower, due to the stringent security measures. The normal buy-a-ticket-on-the-day queues can take up to three hours apparently. 


Where was the Eiffel Tower in the 2015 edition of the Lonely Planet Ultimate Travel List?

40

Does the Eiffel Tower deserve its lower place in the 2020 Lonely Planet Top 500?

I'm really surprised it dropped out of the Top 100. It's iconic and beautiful.


Eiffel Tower Lonely Planet 500

Eiffel Tower