Tour Eiffel

The story of La Dame De Fer

By Trotternama

April 10^th, 2020

La Dame De Fer - the iron lady of France

The year was 1898. The city of Paris wanted to host an Exposition Universelle (World Fair) to mark the 100-year anniversary of the French Revolution. And they were looking for a monument to be built as the entrance to this fair.

That, in short, is the history of the birth of the Eiffel Tower.

While Alexander Gustav Eiffel is often credited to be the sole creator of the Tower that bears his name, in reality, it was his company Eiffel et Compagnie which won the contract for the commission. Eiffel had already made his fame as a bridge constructor, but the three architects of his firm who actually built the first plans for the Tower were Stephen Sauvestre, Maurice Koechlin, and Émile Nouguier

Credit where its due though. Gustav Eiffel was a visionary who could see a dream before it became a reality. To be fair, the names of the 72 engineers who worked on the project, are engraved on the side of the Tower. Today, with 7 million visitors every year, the Eiffel Tower is the number one paid tourist destination of the world.

But how is the experience in reality?

Well for casual tourists (like me), it depends. It depends on myriad factors like weather, season, length of queues, crowds on that particular day and whether or not you fought with your girlfriend on the way. On most days the place is thronging with tourists, and it is a jostle to get into lines, climb into lifts, walk up the stairs and be moved along the outer ramparts of the observation deck to catch breathtaking views of the city panorama.

Depending on the length of the queue, the number of people squashed in the elevators and the number of toes that step on you as you get herded through your experience with 500 other people at the same time, it can vary between mildly irritating and moderately spectacular.

What inevitably happens is a sense of wonder, satisfaction and realisation. A moment when you feel, "Yes I did it! I made it to the Eiffel Tower" interlaced with " Wow, what an architectural marvel", juxtaposed over "God, are all the tourists of the world standing right in front of me"?

2.5 million rivets. 1665 stairs. A EUR 26 ticket for the lift to the top. While you can walk the steps to the first observation deck if you want, (and frankly many people do), most end up in the elevators making stops at three levels, creating gigabytes of selfies to last a lifetime.

Finishing up the tour generally comprises a glass of wine at the Le 58 Tour Eiffel, a shot of Macaroons at the divinely tasteful macaroon bar and for those who have all the money in the world, a full course Michelin Star meal at the Le Jules Verne Restaurant.

I don't drink that much, couldn't really bother with booking a Michelin star meal months in advance (which was way too expensive) and failed at getting decent pictures, with elbows and heads adorning almost every single frame.

And yet I felt happy.

I loved the macaroons and Gustav Eiffel's small little office right at the top of the Tower, overlooking Paris. Sweeping vistas across the Champs De Mar, Jardines Du Trucadero, Montparnesee, the loop of the river Seine and the 15th Arrondissement.

There was this curious sense of satisfaction.

It was incredible to fathom that this 1000 feet high monolith was designed to sway in the wind by about two to three inches, but it made scientific sense. A 7300 ton wrought-iron superstructure would otherwise break in gale-force hurricanes and storms.

The journey from Observation Deck 2 to the top was a ride up a narrow long elevator shaft. There is this cosy little champagne bar when you arrive and for those who have vertigo, its advisable to swig a bit of the bubbly before you decide to look down.

The other two facets of the Tower that interested me a lot were the "Secret" military bunker at the base of the south pillar and the old hydraulic lift engines.

The word "secret" I felt, was more of a marketing narrative since the bunker is open to a small number of weekly public visits and the French army does own it. I could not really find out whether it connected through a tunnel all the way to the French Ecole Militaire at the opposite end of the famous Champs De Mar park. What I did thoroughly enjoy was the presence of old historic photographs of the Tower's early years and its most important historical milestones. A quaint exhibition of sorts where there was not much tourist interest.

The last port of call was the engine rooms, but alas, I could not gain access, so I had to content myself by reading about it on the Eiffel website!. A pretty interesting read if you love engineering. To see what they achieved in fluid dynamics 100 years ago. How using just water pressure within a hydraulic system visitors could be transported up the length of the tower. Fascinating stuff.

So that was my day at the Eiffel. Started a bit rainy, ended a bit sunny with three hours in between spent in exploring a mnemonic of French architecture (over French Champagne) and making a long-time dream come true. Sure it was crowded. Sure it was irritating jostling with tourists for space, but then that is the charm of travel.

Sitting down at the Champs De Mar as the sun set, I watched the Tower light up. The Eiffel looked stunning in glittering gold.

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PHOTOGRAPHY TIPS

Before I end, it would be amiss not to share this final bit. Like all famous monuments, the best pictures of the Eiffel come from locations which are far away from it. It took me a couple of days of walking around Paris and extensive google mapping to track a list of locations from where I believe photo enthusiasts can get some of the best pictures of this incredible landmark.

These are,

Jardins du Trocadero
Carousel
Pont de Bir-Hakeim
Arc de Triomphe
Rue de l’Université
Square Rapp
Seine banks
Montparnasse Tower

Start your day at the Jardins du Trocadero. Enjoy different views and angles there, and make your way down to the Iena bridge. There you’ll be at location two, which is the Carousel. Before crossing the bridge, you can go down the stairs on the side, and you’ll end up in the Seine Banks; this is the ideal location to chill for a bit and enjoy a nice meal with a view. Then, go back up the stairs, cross the bridge, enter the area below the Eiffel Tower. When you exit the area, go straight to the Rue de l’Université; once you’re here, turn around, and you’ll have a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower, framed by a charming street. Finally, walk 5 minutes towards Square Rapp.

Travelers Corner

Best time to go:

December (or off-peak months)
Try to go in an off-season (though for the Eiffel I doubt there is any off-season). It's incredibly hot in the summer
Also try to go before 10 am or after 5 pm in the evening

Nearest metro/subway station:

Trocadero - Line 9
Bir Hakem - Line 6
Ecole Militaire - Line 8
Probably the easiest way to travel in Paris. Stations are clean and services are good
You can buy tickets here

Ticket cost:

€ 16.60 - till the second floor
€ 25.90 - all the way to the top
You can buy tickets here

Food and Refreshments

Tour time

Two to three hours
However, depending on your sense of urgency, you can possibly do an express tour in about 90 minutes

Opening hours:

The Eiffel Tower is open all days of the year with the following hours
9:00 am to midnight from mid-June to early September
9:30 am to 11:00 pm the rest of the year (closing time is pushed back to midnight over Easter weekend and spring break)

Accessibility:

It’s accessible via elevators to the first and second floors. Ascent to the top is discouraged for accessibility challenged patrons due to height and vertigo issues.