We spent a long weekend in Paris to celebrate our one-year anniversary and it was as romantic as you could imagine it to be.
I first visited Paris as a young girl to visit Disneyland, with only hazy memories of the experience. I went back to Paris many years later in 2017, the first stop of my first ever solo backpacking trip, a two-week expedition around France. You could almost say that Paris changed my life.
Of course, hands down the most famous landmark in the city - and one of the most famous in the entire world - is the iconic Eiffel Tower. There are so many great angles to see this monument from so I've put together a list of my favourites for you to visit on your next trip to Paris.
→ Check out my complete guide to spending a weekend in Paris!
Of course, hands down the most famous landmark in city - and one of the most famous in the entire world - is the iconic Eiffel Tower.
A quick history lesson on the tower that is intrinsically tied into Paris' identity: it was built between 1887-89 for the 1889 World's Fair and designed by Gustave Eiffel after whom the tower is named. Standing at 330 metres tall, the tallest building in Paris, it has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.
Fun fact, Gustave Eiffel also had an office in Porto, Portugal where he designed the Maria Pia Bridge as well!
As it was just really intended for the World's Fair, it was meant to be dismantled in 1909. However, it proved to be useful far beyond that time frame not only in tourism but also for things like radio, television and wireless operations - some of which continue to this day. The Eiffel Tower receives a whopping approximately seven million visitors per year - this makes it the most visited attraction (with a paid entrance fee) in the entire world. So... it's definitely something you have to see.
Approximately 25,000 people go up the Eiffel Tower every day making it the most-visited paid attraction in the world. However, I might distance myself slightly from the trend here and say that I actually don't recommend going up the Eiffel Tower. After all, it's the best part of Paris' skyline and if you're standing on it, you won't get to see it!
Here is how to get to the Eiffel Tower:
By foot: The Eiffel Tower stands at the end of the Champ-de-Mars, near the River Seine, in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. You can easily walk here.
By metro: Three metro stations are close to the Eiffel Tower: Bir-Hakeim station on line 6, Trocadéro on line 9 and Ecole Militaire on line 8.
By RER train: You can get off line C at the Champ-de-Mars station, just five minutes from the tower.
By bus: Lines 30, 42, 69, 72, 82 and 86 all stop within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower, depending on where you're coming from in Paris.
By Uber: Uber is readily available and pretty affordable for getting around Paris.
By car: If you have your own wheels, you might wish to arrive at the Eiffel Tower by car; the closest parking is at Quai Branly.
→ If you don't have your own car, you can rent one in Paris.
By bus tour: A very popular way of exploring Paris is to join a hop-on, hop-off bus tour which stops at all the major landmarks and attractions across the city, including the Eiffel Tower.
By bike tour: Paris is great for cycling and a popular way of getting around among locals, so why not hop on a bike tour to explore the city, including the Eiffel Tower?
As I said in the last section, I actually don't recommend going up the Eiffel Tower. After all, it's the best part of Paris' skyline and if you're standing on it, you won't get to see it!
Instead, here are my favourite places to see the best landmark in Paris:
Place du Trocadéro
Perhaps the most famous viewpoint of the Eiffel Tower is the Place du Trocadéro, a large stone platform across the Seine from the Champ-de-Mars. It's always busy but it's also always worth it, especially at night when every hour on the hour the Eiffel Tower twinkles with sparkling lights!
Lit up at night
Garden in front of Musée de l'Homme
This peaceful garden is near the famous Place du Trocadéro which is always overflowing with people trying to get Eiffel Tower photos. Just walk a bit into the gardens and you'll probably have the view to yourself!
End of Avenue de Camoens
I found this spot on Instagram and it's truly such a fabulous photo spot with a pretty view of the Eiffel Tower behind a stone fence at the dead end of Avenue de Camoens. The sweetest solo backpacker girl took our incredible couple photos, a memory of our anniversary weekend we'll cherish forever.
Pont de Bir-Hakeim
This bridge has one of the prettiest views overlooking the wide Seine River and the impressive Eiffel Tower standing just on the riverbank. Prime photo spot!
Champ-de-Mars
This is a hugely popular spot, being the massive park that sits under and beyond the Eiffel Tower. It's one of the best places to have a picnic in Paris, being so close to the tower. You can also go for a nice walk (or run!) in the park.
Rue de l'Université
The end of this street leads right to the edge of the Champ-de-Mars and has a different up-close perspective of the Eiffel Tower which we really enjoyed. It's not a big location, so it can get crowded!
Top of the Arc de Triomphe
This is hands down my favourite landmark in Paris to visit. To reach the top of the Arc, you can either climb a spiral staircase of 284 steps or ride the elevator. The view is outstanding with 360-degree panoramic views of the entire city and every arrondissement in Paris.
I also came here in 2017!
Café Fleurus
We didn't dine here this time - but it's on my list for next time - although we absolutely loved the view of the Eiffel Tower popping up at the end of the street!
Pont Alexandre III
Back in 2017, I visited this bridge, home to two grand golden statues and a beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower. If you cut along to the Seine after visiting the Jardin des Tuileries before the Champs-Elysees, you can easily spot this bridge.
We spent 3 days exploring Paris in celebration of our one-year anniversary. I wrote a complete guide on how to spend a long weekend in Paris, including:
- where to go in Paris
- how to get around
- where to stay
- where to eat
- all the best things to see and do in Paris
→ Check out my complete guide on how to spend a weekend in Paris!
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Hi! I’m Jana, a Dutch-German-British-Canadian with a dream of seeing every country in the world. I am a storyteller, photographer and adventurer passionate about documenting and sharing my travels.
I can’t figure out how to get to this post. There’s a link at the bottom but that’s to a previous blog post. And ways to get to related subjects like “places to stay” etc. But how to you access the current blog itself?
Author
Hi! Not sure exactly which post you’re referring to. Here are the blog post links for Paris:
https://janameerman.com/eiffel-tower/
https://janameerman.com/paris-weekend/
Cheers,
Jana