It’s hard to beat the temptation of going up the Eiffel tower as soon as one arrives in Paris. It beckons from a distance from almost every corner of Paris. It is almost impossible to imagine the size of the Tower unless one is really close to it and it leads one to wonder - is the base of the tower more like the size of a soccer field or a tennis court? Historical and engineering facts aside, it's one of the most impressive places I have visited and often, the first encounters are difficult to forget. 

For me, the Eiffel experience started with a tall structure looming large on the horizon while driving into Paris around 12 years ago. Since then, I have been to Paris and visited the Eiffel Tower several times and feel that it’s not just about going up the tower. There are so many facets to the Eiffel Tower Experience that every time it’s a new one. The first time, we went up the tower in the lift after waiting in the serpentine queue for an hour (which surprisingly moves very fast), and realised that one can actually go up the tower from the four pillars with lifts / staircase. Second time, we decided time to climb up the tower up to the second level. There are stairs going up to the summit from the second level but it's usually possible to go up to the summit via only one common lift. 

The Eiffel Tower summit offers great views of the city (though its quite windy and chilly up there in winters) and for me the best part of the experience is to actually play a treasure hunt and spot other monuments of Paris from the top – not an easy task if one is 300 meters above the ground. One of the most stark personal experience of being at the top of Eiffel Tower was recounted to me by a friend who witnessed Notre Dame burning down while being at the top of the Eiffel Tower. Clearly, the tower has been part of several other events in the history of Paris – though initially it was considered to a ‘gigantic smoking chimney and useless’ by Parisians of that time and it was planned that the tower will be brought down after 20 years when it was constructed. 

Once you are done with the ritual of going up to the base and climbing the summit, it begins to dawn on you that it's practically impossible to fit yourself and the tower in the same (picture) frame unless you are lying on the ground and clicking pictures in rather amusing positions. The best way to get a great picture with the tower is to hunt for the right photography spots. Here are some of my favourite spots and would recommend that you explore at least two of these.. 

When it comes to Eiffel Tower experience, I think once is not enough and i would recommend to head down there again after the sunset to see the entire tower glittering in the dark, and it incidentally is a work of art that is copyrighted too. And, if it's already evening then you could also catch up on the dinner around the Tower. Like any other famous monuments, there are lots of restaurants on the main streets leading to the tower and I personally find most of these to be classical touristy ones – which cater to large volumes and fast movements - not a bad choice, if you are running short of time. If you do have some time, especially for a nice relaxing dinner, then hop on to some of the side streets and check out the smaller restaurants that offer great meals at prices that wouldn’t blow a hole in your pocket. My personal favourite is a Thai restaurant on Avenue Rapp. Feel free to ping us if you are looking for some interesting dining options around Eiffel Tower for special moments! 

Until you get a chance to visit Paris and the Eiffel Tower - check here for more fun facts and trivia.