The Eiffel Tower: Where the Tour Ends

The Eiffel Tower is the first place that comes to mind when you think of Paris. It was built for the 1889 World's Fair, marking the centennial of the French Revolution, and it appeared front and center on the fair's poster.

In the fair's first week alone the tower drew about 60,000 visitors, and over six months around two million people came, earning roughly 23 million euros in today's money in the fair period alone. According to a recent survey, the Colosseum in Rome is valued at about 91 billion euros, while the Eiffel Tower is worth a staggering 435 billion. Our guide considers it Paris's best landmark, indeed the world's number one. Think of the buildings that represent other cities: the Parthenon in Athens, the Sagrada Família in Barcelona, the Royal Palace and Parliament in Budapest. All were built to display the power and glory of kings or gods. The Eiffel Tower shines all the more because its design was chosen by the government through an open process and it was built by ordinary citizens.

Today it is a global 21st-century landmark that sustains Paris, but it faced a great deal of opposition when it was built. Before it rose, Paris had just been remodeled under Baron Haussmann. When people heard that a 300-meter iron tower would suddenly be planted in this freshly finished, beautiful city, artists and citizens objected that it would spoil the view, to the point of making the newspapers. Still, faith in Eiffel and rivalry with Britain won out, and the tower was built. In about two years and two months it reached 300 meters, the greatest height possible with the technology of the time, and it remains the building with the highest economic value today. Many cities have copied it, including Japan's Tokyo Tower.

As long as you don't stand right underneath it, the Eiffel Tower looks beautiful from anywhere, at any time, and especially at night. It sparkles in a light show on the hour, and later in the evening there is the "White Eiffel" display.

A few photo tips: a shot from the Trocadéro takes a bit of nerve, and the Pont d'Iéna, on the way from the Trocadéro to the tower, is another good spot. Enjoy the Eiffel Tower in your own way.