June 18, 2023

Today, we got up bright and Early for the Eiffel Tower. We had a guided tour at 9:15am. I had a plan of two trains we would take to get there, since it was more than we wanted to walk that early in the morning. We quickly realized that the train service was going to be an issue. I am not sure if it was because it was early in the morning, or specifically early on a Sunday morning, but the train we wanted had large gaps between arrival times. I knew we would be cutting it close, but we got on the first train. We made our first transfer, and the second train did not do the full route, so we had to switch trains. At this point, we cut our losses and left the train station to get a taxi. All of this to say, while we try our best to use public transportation, it just doesn’t always work. Trains can be full, or late, or on different schedules for different reasons.

When we arrived at the Eiffel Tower, our tour provided had many people to check-in. They recommend you get there 30 minutes early to check-in. Obviously, that wasn’t happening for us. We ended up in a long line, but all’s well that ends well. We got checked in and put with our guide Bayo.

Sidenote: I booked this tour on Viator months ago. After I booked the guided tour, I got on the Eiffel Towers website to see if I could just purchase the same thing on my own and save some money. Everything was booked for the same package I bought. The tour we had was walking the stairs to the second floor and then riding an elevator to the summit. The segment where you ride the elevator to the summit sells out really fast. You can get tickets the day of, but, from what I understand, you need to arrive early. Our tour guide had not bought our tickets early, but bought them on arrival (maybe around 9:30am). As he was buying our tickets, they sold out of summit tickets. I am not sure what would have happened if they had been sold out, maybe a refund and an apology? All this to say, I would either get with a guide that knows this stuff, or get on the Eiffel Tower website as soon as your day opens ( I think it is 60 days out) to get tickets.

After Bayo got everyone checked in, he took everyone’s pictures in front of the tower, and then we waited in line for tickets. I am going to guess this took between 15-30 minutes. He gave us a brief overview on the ground, then after climbing to the first level, he gave us more information and then we were basically on our own to climb to the second floor and then take the elevator to the summit at our own pace. This was logistically the best decision.

When Gustave Eiffel, and his company, proposed the idea to build a 300 meter tower, it was met with much criticism. Parisians were not a fan of this large metal monstrosity ruining their beautiful city. As Bayo told us, the government did not want to pay for it, so Eiffel told them he would fund the building of the tower. He asked them how long it would be allowed to stay up for him to recoup his costs. The government told him 20 years. He took the deal and funded the tower himself. To lengthen the life of the Eiffel Tower, Eiffel said the purpose was for scientific advancements. The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889 in times for the Paris World Exhibition. It took 300 men 2 years, 2 months, and 5 days to complete. There were no deaths in the construction of the Eiffel Tower. Almost 2 million people, almost 12,000 a day, visited the Eiffel Tower during the World Exposition. In the first week of opening, lifts were not in service, and 30,000 still completed the climb of 1,710 steps to the top. The Eiffel Tower was paid off in 1.5 years.

Our climb to the first floor took 327 steps and maybe 15 minutes. The first floor stands at 187 feet high. At the first floor, there was restrooms, a quick service, a bistro, and a gift shop. If you look at the Eiffel Tower, there is much more room on the first platform than the second, so there is more services there and it is much less crowded. At the first floor, we got more information from the guide. Here are some facts we learned:

• The Eiffel Tower gets painted every 7 years and takes 3 years to paint by 25 painters. It was getting painted while we were there in preparation for the Paris 2024 Olympics. It i has been red, yellow, gray,brown, and now an army khaki color. It is hand painted, not sprayed.
• The Eiffel Tower has 72 names on the outside of the first floor platform. Eiffel wanted to use this to not honor aristocrats, but scientists, astronomers, and engineers. All 72 names are male.
• The Eiffel Tower is once married and once divorced. Erika Eiffel, an American (go figure!), married the Eiffel Tower in 2007. She believes in object sexuality and fell in love with the Eiffel Tower in 2004. She divorced the Eiffel Tower in 2022. Previously, Erika had a 20 year relationship with the Berlin Wall, but the relationship eventually crumbled. Currently, Erika is attracted to a red picket fence. I am not even kidding. Google it.
• One man died after he wanted to test a parachute off the first landing. Bayo showed us a video and it didn’t slow his fall at all. Another man died after proposing to his wife. He had taken champagne to the top , and drunkenly fell on the way down the stairs and died. Safety has improved since then.
• The Eiffel Tower was originally 1024′ high, making it the tallest structure in the world at the time. The United States decided to one up the French and built the Chrysler Building, measuring 1048′ feet. The Eiffel Tower, with antennas, stands at 1083′(330 meters) today. The upper level stands at 906′ feet (280 meteres).
• The record for a man to reach the top is 7:48.77 set in 2016 by Polish Runner Piotr Lobodzinski and the record for a woman to reach the top was set in 2017 by Australian runner, Suzy Walsham, with a time of 9:34.75.

After we got our final information from Bayo, we took off to the second level. There are 347 steps between the first and second level, totaling 674 total steps. This took another 15 minutes or so. The second level is much small and more crowded. There is another shop, albeit more crowded, and a restaurant, The Jules Verne. We took some pictures and got in line for the elevator to the top floor. While there are stairs to the top floor, they are closed to the public.

Once at the top of the tower, it is very crowded. There is a replica of the office Eiffel kept at the top depicting Eiffel and Thomas Edison meeting there. Dan bought us champagne from The Champagne Bar at the top. We took in the sights and headed back down.

After the Eiffel Tower, we did not feel like walking far, so we grabbed a taxi to the Arc d’Triomphe. From there, we walked down Champs-Elysees and had lunch along there.

After lunch, we decided to go back to the hotel and take a nap before dinner. We were all zapped of energy. By supper time, it looked like rain so we ate at the cafe right across the road form our hotel. It wasn’t great. We decided to get our dessert at the hotel. When we got to the hotel restaurant, we weren’t thrilled with the menu so we headed back to Au Chien Qui Fume for desserts. This was a fitting end to our time in Paris because we loved that cute little cafe.