No one could imagine Paris today without its signature spire. But Gustave Eiffel only constructed this graceful tower – the world’s tallest, at 320m, until it was eclipsed by Manhattan’s Chrysler Building some four decades later – as a temporary exhibit for the 1889 Exposition Universelle (World Fair). Luckily, the tower’s popularity assured its survival beyond the fair, and its elegant art nouveau webbed-metal design has become the defining fixture of the city’s skyline.
Lifts/elevators yo-yo up and down the north, west and east pillars to the tower’s three platforms (57m, 115m and 276m); change lifts on the 2nd level for the final ascent to the top, from where views extend up to 60km. (There’s wheelchair access to the 1st and 2nd levels.) If you’re feeling athletic, you can take the south pillar’s 1665 stairs as far as the 2nd level. Prebook tickets online to avoid monumentally long ticket queues.
Refreshment options in the tower include the 1st-level 58 Tour Eiffel (p59), the sublime 2nd-level Le Jules Verne, and, at the top, the new Bar à Champagne.
Read more: http://www.lonelyplanet.com/france/paris/sights/landmark/eiffel-tower#ixzz2XNlO5yv2