(Paris, France)

My parents took me to Paris when I was 10 years old. Among other sights, I visited the Louvre (home of the Mona Lisa!), the Arc de Triomphe, and the Eiffel Tower. But that was many years ago, in the spring, and in a much less crowded and much less traveled world.

Although I frequently changed planes at the Charles de Gaulle airport, I had not been to Paris itself since the late 1970s.  So I thought the time was right to not only see the city again, but also to see its most famous sight in a completely new way.  A brilliant idea, right?

France is frequently named as the most popular tourist destination in the world. Paris is its capital. The Eiffel Tower is likely its most iconic sight. July is the height of the tourist season.  I hadn’t booked ahead, because I wanted to climb the Eiffel Tower instead of taking the elevator…and tickets to climb the stairs could only be purchased the same day.  Was this really a good idea?

We walked all the way from Montparnasse to the Eiffel Tower.  It was exciting to catch a glimpse of the Tower here and there, only to have it disappear behind another famous Paris building.  And then, finally, we emerged onto the Jardin du Champ de Mars and the entire Tower (see photo at the very top of this post) was suddenly very, very visible.

As this was just after Bastille Day, crews were still taking down various temporary structures.  The signage was non-existent.  We eventually found a very long line and overheard enough to conclude that this was where we had to line up to get into the Eiffel Tower.  The line moved painfully slowly, and finally we were able to go through the comprehensive security checkpoint.  After about 45 minutes, we were finally right underneath the Eiffel Tower.

It seemed so close.  But we then realized that even longer lines were snaking out from each corner of the Tower.  We had to wait in THOSE lines just to go buy a ticket.  This took more than an hour; perhaps even 90 minutes.   It was also an extremely hot day…and I still had to climb the stairs.

It looked like this was going to be a major test of endurance.  By this point, however, my accumulated restless energy blasted me up the stairs in a flash:  6 minutes to the first observation level, and then another 4 minutes to the second observation level (the highest you could go by stairs).

It’s probably a good thing I went fast.  The higher you go, the more open space you encounter…and the more vulnerable and exposed you feel.  If you suffer from vertigo, I recommend taking the elevator instead.

The spectacular views from each level seemed to be exactly the same as they were nearly 40 years ago.  With the exception of one solitary (and horrendously ugly) 1960s skyscraper near our hotel, the skyline of Paris is not cluttered by tall buildings.  You can still follow the arc of Seine and its many bridges for miles and miles.  You can pick out famous landmarks or simply look at the insect-sized people on the ground far below.

There were changes to the Tower, however.  The interiors of the observation levels felt a little bit like malls, with pricey souvenir shops and snacks.  And the “courtyard” views straight down from the interior of the tower had a new attraction:  part of the floor had been replaced by glass, so you could now look straight down to the ground and feel like you are standing on thin air.

After taking what seemed like hundreds of pictures (one doesn’t climb the Eiffel Tower every day), I made my way down the stairs again…eventually emerging into the courtyard where the line-ups were now even longer.

In the end, I’d have to say it was still worth the wait…partly because there was some satisfaction in climbing the tower myself rather than taking an elevator ride up.  Not as vertiginous or flat-out scary as the Leaning Tower of Pisa, but (other than the souvenir shops) unique in an elegant Parisian way.  Like almost anything else in Paris, I’d still recommend going in the spring or fall if possible.   And if you must go during the summer, try visiting the Tower very early or very late in the day.  The sunset views might even be better!