Eiffel Tower ~ Paris ~ France

We love RVing, so our typical holidays have been driving across Canada and the US for most of our travels but not this time. We have now left our RV at home and are doing some global travels so we will share our visit to Paris, France with you.



We are in Paris, France

We arrived by train from England having travelled under the English Channel and across some beautiful French countryside to our destination of Paris by mid-afternoon.  We caught a cab to the hotel and I was trying to get photos of everything we passed, even the street signs! 

The Eiffel Tower, Paris, France

Our first day in Paris was short so we planned nothing but to get settled into our hotel, have a drink at a sidewalk cafe and have a look around before it got dark.  We were only a few blocks from the River Seine and the Eiffel Tower so that was the obvious destination and we were excited to see it.

Under the Eiffel Tower looking skyward

The Eiffel Tower is so much larger than I expected it to be, even though I have seen many photos of it!  We saw it from a distance as we rode in the cab to our hotel, but actually walking up to and under it, WOW, this made it a totally different story.

The elevators ride up the Eiffel Tower in Paris

The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889 for the World Fair and has been an icon ever since, although at times it was considered for demolition.  It is 324 meters (1063 ft) and 108 stories high.  There are elevators to take you for a tour of the tower or to one of the two restaurants on the first and second platforms.  On a great day, they say you can see 72 km. (45 miles).

A gathering and shopping area under the Eiffel Tower in Paris, France

There is lots of excitement around the Eiffel.  So many people are there enjoying the sights and sounds of the whole area.  The River Seine is across the street so between the two big attractions, it is great fun to just be there and enjoy it.

Carousel across the street from the Eiffel Tower

As dusk falls, we’re seeing the Eiffel light up and the atmosphere changes, it will soon be nighttime in Paris and it feels amazing. There are street performers under the Eiffel and a crowd gathers to watch and throw their coins into their hat, the carousel lights up across the street and the lights on the Tower are all beginning to show against the night sky.

The night lights of the Eiffel Tower

We enjoyed our evening walk along the river before we found a nice restaurant for a late dinner, although not as late as most of the diners eat over there.  Once we’re ready to leave, I need to take just a few more photos of the Eiffel Tower before we head back to the hotel to end our first evening in Paris.