Paris in summer can be glorious – or it can be a dream-destroying nightmare of tourist hordes, heated queues and the desperate search for an icy cold beverage. Fortunately, I’ve got some tips to help!
Climbing the Eiffel Tower at Night
On my last visit to Paris, I scorned the Eiffel Tower. For views, I preferred the hilly haven of Sacre Coeur, or the dizzying spectacle around the Arc de Triomphe. I still think the Arc gives you the best views of the Tower – yay for those iconic photographs! – and great views of Paris. But I also have to humbly confess that I might have been wrong… the best views of Paris may well be those from the Eiffel Tower. I was forced to change my mind after climbing the Eiffel Tower at night on my most recent visit.
We first wandered past the Tower during the day, on one of those perfect blue-sky winter days. It was my friend Stacey’s first time in Paris, so I devised a whistle-stop tour of some of the highlights to cover in a day and a half. The Louvre, Notre Dame, Le Marais, Sacre Coeur – not one could be missed! The final stop in our traipsing round town was the Eiffel Tower, by now twinkly with lights and sending beams high into the cloud in a light-display every hour. We hadn’t pre-booked as we weren’t sure where we would end up, so had plenty of time to admire the Tower during our 45 minute queue. Top tip: if you can, try to pre-book… it was chilly waiting in the wind!
Once we were through, we jumped into the lift which hurtled us high into the sky. The first time I went up the Tower, many years ago, I’d only gone as far as the first floor due to time constraints. This time, we were going all the way baby! The top level is 180m high and as we discovered, more than a little windy! But you just can’t beat these magical views of the City of Lights laid out beneath us.
Looking towards Place de la Concorde and the Jardin des Tuileries
The Arc de Triomphe
Looking west down the Seine
It’s a tough gig, but next time I’m back in Paris I think I’ll have to try the Tower by day as well. Just to confirm whether those views really are as magical in the sunlight!
Have you visited the Eiffel Tower? Day or night?
Snapshots – February 2015
February is such a sneaky, speedy short month isn’t it!? I packed it with lots of London adventures and finished it off with a fleeting weekend trip to Paris. Now to March, and my visit home to New Zealand is in just three days time – can’t wait!
A beautiful sunrise at Westminster
It SNOWED (briefly) in London!!!
The last dish in the amazing tasting menu at The Manor in Clapham
For Waitangi Day pub crawl this year the girls and I were yellow-eyed penguins – for last year’s outfits and efforts, click here!
I love running up the Mall on Sundays when it’s closed to traffic – can you spot Buckingham Palace at the end?
Henry Moore’s The Arch in Kensington Gardens
Even the trains were feeling the love on Valentine’s Day!
A frosty start to the Hampton Court half-marathon
Replacing the calories burnt with this epic Sunday Roast at The Draper’s Arms in Angel – this is a serving for three but we still couldn’t finish it!
Early morning in Trafalgar Square
A picture-perfect start to my weekend in Paris
My first time visiting the Eiffel Tower at night – so gorgeous
Artists in Place de Tertre near Sacre Coeur
Favourite posts this month:
- Climbing Cologne’s Cathedral: fabulous views of the Christmas markets from Cologne’s central landmark
- 8 Awesome Things to Do in Berlin: some of the amazing sights, activities and food I got to experience during my all-too-short four days in the German capital over New Year
- Bountiful Dairy-Free Afternoon Tea at Browns Hotel: a lovely afternoon spent munching goodies and chatting to some of my favourite bloggers in a luxury London hotel
So I think I’ve probably mentioned a few (million) times – but I’m off to New Zealand in March! Do you have any exciting travel plans of your own?
Eating My Way Around… Paris!
Garlic snails, crusty fresh baguettes, pungent cheese… thinking about French cuisine always conjures up vivid pictures (and smells!). Zoe and I were lucky enough to collect some stellar recommendations before our trip to Paris meaning we ended up with some wonderful food memories. Here’s some of my favourite places that we tried!