Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower

The Paris audio-guided tour takes you to the foot of the Eiffel Tower, the Iron Lady, become the universal symbol of the French capital and one of the most visited monuments in the world.

A feat of the 1889 Exhibition

The Eiffel Tower was designed to be the centrepiece of the Universal Exhibition of 1889, which celebrated the centenary of the French Revolution. While it bears the name of the entrepreneur Gustave Eiffel, the original idea goes to the engineer Maurice Koechlin. The tower was to be dismantled after the Exhibition, but Eiffel saved it by installing scientific equipment, antennas, barometers and telegraph, which made it indispensable. Sharply criticised at its beginnings by part of the intellectuals, it nonetheless became an international star. From the top of its 324 metres, it remains the tallest monument in France; the metal of its structure expands in summer and can make it gain a few centimetres.

What there is to see

The Eiffel Tower is discovered from bottom to top: the elegant arches of its first floor, the panorama of the second, and the summit from where the view embraces all of Paris. Three floors are climbed by the lifts or, for the bravest, by its 1,665 steps. At nightfall, its sparkle lights up the capital. The centrepiece of the Champ-de-Mars, it remains an obligatory stop for every visitor to Paris.

Practical information

The Eiffel Tower stands on the Champ-de-Mars, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. The visit of the floors is subject to a charge and access is by lift or by stairs; the hours, generally extended in high season, are to be checked on site or with the official website.

Why was the Eiffel Tower not dismantled?

Because Gustave Eiffel installed scientific equipment there, including antennas, which made it too useful to be destroyed.

What is the height of the Eiffel Tower?

About 324 metres, which makes it the tallest monument in France; its height varies slightly with the expansion of the metal according to the season.