The Eiffel tower / La Tour Eiffel

Paris and the Iron lady ; this will forever be top of the mind association of the city of light and love.  Your first time here you want to go see for yourself if all that you’ve seen in postcards and movies and heard stories about is as real.

La tour Eiffel (French pronunciation – la toor aiffelle), you’ll take note as you walk around the city, is so huge that it’s reasonably visible from many a corner, street and rooftop.

You could approach the Eiffel from Champs de Mars or its opposite side the Trocadéro gardens, for a full distant view while still having your feet on the ground. A scenic view from across bridges bir hakeim or pont alexander iii is also breathtaking. Then there are spectacular skyline views of Paris and the Eiffel that you can witness from atop any of the following buildings; montparnese observation tower, the roof of Sacré coeur church at montmartre, the rooftop of notre dame church (may close for renovation soon), Galaries Lafayette mall roof, a few starred hotels around the tower or the special toits of apartments that a few locals or photographers will know of and have access to. Next you must decide where you’d like to take in the view of the tower from, separately during the day and night.

A must have experience ~ ride up the tower.  I’d suggest to get in line early in the day to be among the first ones. The tickets are €11 and €17 to get to the 1st and 2nd level of the tower by elevators and €7 if you wish to take the stairs. You also have the option of paying an extra fee to any local tour company in the city who offer skip the line guided tours.

Now, my favourite topic ~ getting those snapshots .

Everyone wants that perfect snap with the Iron lady dressed in lace. So come prepared if you want that dream come true, totally in awe, iconic capture. Plan your outfit , your photographer or how you’re going to click the pic and the place or places you’re going to shoot. Keep in mind always that the key is to enjoy the moment and that will reflect in your pictures.

“TOP PHOTO HOT SPOTS – SAY CHEESE “

a) Trocadéro garden

Take centre stage if you arrive here at sunrise or real early in the morning. It is the time when you’re most likely to find no crowds except for professional photographers with their clients. You could pose on the steps staring at the Eiffel or near the centrepiece fountain with its 20 water cannons or take a walk down and sit on a park bench, having the green trees add to the beauty of the picture or walk on closer to the tower and sit on the carrousel to get a playful snapshot. Don’t forget to enjoy the view. Come back here after sunset to watch the Eiffel light up and twinkle. Witnessing this for the first time will definitely take your breath away. It’s simply magical. You can enjoy a simple baguette cheese and wine sitting in this garden under the glow of the Eiffel.

b) Champs de Mars garden 

In spring summer these are open to public so you can have a picnic here and lie on the green grass, enjoy the day, soak in the sun and have gorgeous close shots with the Iron lady. You could get the distant view of the tower or stand right under it and get someone to take a click from ground level up.

c) Pont de bir-hakeim 

Popularly you may know this as the Inception bridge because it featured in the movie. The view of the tower from here is beautiful over the river Seine. The metro line runs on the upper level and motor vehicles below. You must be careful at the lower level and wait for the stop signal, so that you don’t get the traffic in your way while taking photographs.

d) Pont Alexandre III  

This is my most favourite bridge in the city. It is pretty beyond words. You must see it to believe it.

The bridge, be it day or night looks straight out of a fairytale. The Eiffel at a distance simply adds to the whole view.

e) Avenues with Eiffel as a backdrop

Finally, for a more casual or chic street stylish look, walk down one of the avenues near the Eiffel such as Avenue de la Bourdonnais, Square Rapp or Boulevard de la Maubourg. You’ll find the tower appearing to peek out across from cute Parisian buildings and cafés, providing the perfect place to strike a pretend pose like a chic Parisian out for the day .