Without a doubt, the Eiffel Tower is the most well-known destination in France. Located on the Champ de Mars in Paris, it is an iconic tourist location not just within France or Europe, but throughout the entire world. It is so famous that the Eiffel Tower is synonymous with France even more so than berets or baguettes or anything similar, which really tells you about how culturally significant this tower really is.
However, did you know that people were not too pleased with the Eiffel Tower at first? Back when the tower was in its initial planning phase, people did not like the idea of such a large man-made structure being plopped right down in the middle of Paris, arguing that it would ruin the natural beauty of Paris. Over time though, the sentiment changed as the Eiffel Tower became the home to many of Paris’ best events and gatherings, ultimately bringing recognition to the city as a whole.
The tower is made of metal and actually is painted in three shades to help complement the skyline of Paris by being painted lighter at the top and getting progressively darker as you make your way towards the bottom of the tower. And despite being made of 7,300 tons of metal, there was definitely a lot of consideration involved regarding the wind, to ensure that the tower would never topple over at any point. Overall, the tower was not just a beautiful work of art, but a masterful work of architecture as well.
I definitely recommend seeing the Eiffel tower for yourself if you ever go to Paris, but it is important to realize that this tourist attraction is one of the biggest in the world, meaning you may have difficulty getting up close and personal to the tower itself. Luckily for you, the tower is viewable from afar, and you really don’t need to get up close to the tower to admire its beauty – in fact, it would probably make more sense to see the tower from afar, so you can get a nice comprehensive view of all of the tower at once.
Seeing the Eiffel Tower from afar will also probably help you avoid some of the inordinate fees that would be involved if you were to try to see the tower up close. Parking fees are expensive, and the restaurants within the Eiffel Tower are clearly overpriced. Even if you are willing to wait in line to go up the tower yourself (which will undoubtedly take a long time), you even have to pay a few euros just to do that.
All of those extra costs are honestly not worth it in my opinion. It is much better to see the tower from afar, especially because you can enjoy the tower in conjunction with the rest of the Paris in the background, which really is a beautiful sight to behold. Speaking of which, the absolute best time to view the Eiffel Tower is right at sunset, while the sky starts to darken and you get an absolutely gorgeous view of the Eiffel Tower as the sun sets in the beautiful city of Paris. Another great time to check out the tower is at night when all of the lights are on, which creates a nice contrast with the dark sky behind it.
But no matter when you visit the Eiffel Tower, rest assured that you will be getting an amazing view and one that will last a lifetime. Seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time in my life was a moment that I will never forget, and actually makes me want to see it in person yet again just thinking about it. In short, the Eiffel Tower is the pride and joy of Paris and an absolutely can’t miss destination.