The Eiffel Tower is a world-famous cultural symbol of France and a landmark of Paris. It is also known as the "Iron Lady" by the French. The tower is the tallest building in Paris and serves as the capital's observation deck.
It has three observation decks – upper, middle, and lower – that can accommodate tens of thousands of people at the same time. Each observation deck provides a different view, bringing a unique experience to visitors. Approximately three million people climb to the top of the tower each year to enjoy the breathtaking panoramic view of Paris.
Together with the Tokyo Tower and the Empire State Building, the Eiffel Tower is known as the "Three Famous Buildings of the West". Parisians affectionately call the tower "The Shepherdess of the Clouds". It was built to commemorate the 100th anniversary of France's 1789 bourgeois revolution on the occasion of the world-famous International Exhibition. The tower is named after its designer, the renowned French architect-engineer Gustave Eiffel. A bronze bust of the Eiffel can be found underneath the tower.
No high-rise buildings are allowed to be built in the square around the tower, providing an unobstructed view of the tower in Paris. Initially, the Eiffel Tower was 312 meters high but now stands 330 meters tall. It has five areas – the plaza, the first floor, the second floor, the top floor, and the garden – and receives seven million visitors annually.
The plaza offers a unique view of the tower's iron structure, with a bust of the Eiffel, a service and ticket center, and an elevator apparatus from 1899. The names of 72 scientists who contributed to the preservation of the tower are engraved on the four corners of the Eiffel Tower.
The first floor features a new interactive program for children to learn the history of the tower for free. The exterior corridor offers a path of discovery with screens, touch screens, windows, digital albums, and replicas of objects related to the Eiffel Tower. The first floor also offers a resting place, and the Gustave Eiffel Lounge is available for all types of professional events. It can accommodate up to 300 people and is equipped with professional equipment. Visitors can also see the revolving staircase, which was dismantled in 1983.
On the second floor, visitors can enjoy a panoramic view of all the monuments in Paris, such as the Louvre, Notre Dame, and Grand Palais. The floor also houses the Jules Verne restaurant, a buffet, and two stores.
The top floor contains the reconstructed office of Gustave Eiffel, which still has a phonograph presented by Thomas Edison. Visitors can also find a panoramic directional marker that provides a view of the distance to the major cities of the world. The top floor also features a model of the top of the tower from 1889, made to a scale of 1:50 and painted in the original color of the tower, "red-brown".
A free garden was designed next to the Eiffel Tower, creating a separate space within the "Eiffel Tower Experience". The garden was completed in 2018 and includes more than 60 species of trees, including weeping willows, cedars, and hepaticas, 20,000 shrubs, and 2,000 perennials for all seasons. Visitors can also find a sycamore tree planted in 1814 in the garden.
The Eiffel Tower is an iconic structure that attracts millions of visitors each year. Its observation decks offer breathtaking views of Paris, and the various areas of the tower provide visitors with a unique experience.