Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is the beating heart of Paris and the single image most travelers carry home from France. Built by Gustave Eiffel for the 1889 World's Fair, the 330 metre iron lattice was meant to stand for only twenty years, yet it became the most visited paid monument on the planet. Climbing it is less about the structure itself and more about the staggered reveal of the city below, the way the rooftops, the Seine and the wide boulevards open up as you rise from one level to the next.

There are three stops to know. The first floor sits at 57 metres and now holds a glass floor section that lets you look straight down through the iron skeleton. The second floor at 115 metres delivers the sharpest postcard views, close enough to pick out the Arc de Triomphe and Notre Dame. The summit at 276 metres is the prize, with a sweeping panorama and a small reconstruction of Gustave Eiffel's private office. Two restaurants live inside the tower itself. Madame Brasserie on the first floor offers a relaxed French menu, while the Michelin starred restaurant on the second floor is a special occasion booking that should be made weeks ahead.

The number one rule is to book a timed entry online before you arrive. Walk up queues for the elevators routinely run past two hours in summer, and the summit elevator can sell out by midday. A skip the line summit ticket lets you bypass the worst of the wait, and the most popular upgrade pairs tower access with a Seine river cruise, so you see the monument from below and above in a single afternoon.

For the best experience aim for the first slot of the morning or the last slots before sunset, when the light turns gold and the tower itself sparkles for five minutes on the hour after dark. To get there take Metro line 6 to Bir-Hakeim, line 9 to Trocadero for the classic photo from across the river, or RER C to Champ de Mars. Arrive at least twenty minutes before your slot to clear the airport style security screening at the base.