Eiffel Tower: description, history and practical information

Nowadays, no one can imagine Paris without the Eiffel Tower. But it wasn't always like this. After the construction many citizens didn't like it and they found it extremely absurd. Hugo and Maupassant, for example, often said that the tower should be removed from the streets of Paris.

Originally the building was planned to be dismantled in 1909, 20 years after its construction. However, after a stunning commercial success, the tower got an an "eternal residence permit". Nevertheless, most Eiffel Tower visitors just love the tower. Even after 120 years, it remains the tallest building in Paris and the fifth tallest in France. Despite its majestic size, its total weight does not exceed 10 thousand tons, It exerts pressure on the ground equal to the pressure of a person sitting on a chair, and if the whole metal of the tower is melted into a single block, it will occupy an area of 25 by 5 m and will be only 6 cm high! However, today, the construction of a similar structure would require three times less metal.

This is interesting, that the Eiffel Tower is probably the only building in the world that has its own patented color, “the brown Eiffel”. It gives the tower a special bronze color. Before, it had changed several colors: yellow, red-brown and ochre. Now the tower is repainted every 7 years. In total, this procedure has been carried out already 19 times. Each painting requires about 60 tons of paint (as well as about 1.5 thousand brushes and 2 hectares of protective mesh), so that over time the tower is still adding weight. And not only in weight - the new antennas are gradually increasing its height: today it is 324 m, and this is far from being the limit.

In fact, the Eiffel Tower is not at all monochrome, as it may seem at first. It is painted in three different shades of bronze - from the darkest on the first level to the lightest on the third. This is done to make the tower look more harmonious in the sky.

Since 1985, the Eiffel Tower has been lit with golden lights. Sometimes, however, there are some changes. For example, in honor of the French Presidency of the European Union, it was shining blue, and in solidarity with women with breast cancer, it was shone with pink.

The main light of the Iron Lady comes on at the beginning of darkness. But every hour (winter from 9 p.m., summer from 10 p.m.) the additional shimmering lights come on. This performance lasts 3 minutes. The last time the bulbs are lit is at 1:00.

There are no big restaurants near the Eiffel Tower. But if you are in line and hungry, you can eat pancakes or sandwiches. In the Trocadéro Square there are a lot of good restaurantss with stunning views of the Tower. There are also more budget cafes and pizzerias next to the Bir-Hakeim station.

There are two restaurants on the Eiffel Tower: "58" on the first floor and "Jules Verne" on the second floor. Lunch at 58 will cost you 41 € and dinner will cost 95 € per person. In Jules Verne, prices, quality and service are much higher and the view is more pleasant. Both Eiffel Tower restaurants have their own elevator to catch up on. There is no queue here.

The Eiffel Tower is open for visitors in the summer from 9 a.m. to 0.45 p.m., and in other seasons from 9.30 a.m. to 11.45 p.m. We recommend climbing the tower in the evening (then there are fewer tourists), but then you will only see Paris at night, although it is also stunningly good and brilliant. Many tourists, of course, expect to come to the opening and no one else but them will wake up. In fact, in the morning the queues are the longest. Thus, the greatest solution is to visit the Tower in the afternoon.

In addition to the Eiffel Tower, Paris is full of other viewing platforms with a good view of the city. And if you don't want to queue up and walk up, you can visit the Montparnasse Tower which offers one of the best views of the city. You can also choose a hotel with a view of the Eiffel Tower and enjoy the view all day long.