ThE pLACE i wAnt tO ViSIt !!!
The Eiffel Tower (French: La Tour Eiffel, [tuʁ ɛfɛl]) is an iron lattice tower located on the Champ de Mars in Paris, named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. Erected in 1889 as the entrance arch to the 1889 World's Fair, it has become both a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower is the tallest structure in Paris[10]
and the most-visited paid monument in the world; 7.1 million people
ascended it in 2011. The third level observatory's upper platform is at
279.11 m (915.7 ft) the highest accessible to the public in the European Union. The tower received its 250 millionth visitor in 2010.
The tower stands 324 metres (1,063 ft) tall, about the same height as
an 81-storey building. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower
surpassed the Washington Monument to assume the title of the tallest man-made structure in the world; the Eiffel Tower held the title for 41 years, until the Chrysler Building in New York City
was built in 1930. Because of the addition of the antenna atop the
Eiffel Tower in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building by 17
feet (5.2 m). Not including broadcast antennas, it is the second-tallest structure in France, after the Millau Viaduct.
The tower has three levels for visitors. Tickets can be purchased to ascend, by stairs or lift
(elevator), to the first and second levels. The walk from ground level
to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the walk from the first to
the second level. The third and highest level is accessible only by
lift—stairs do exist but are usually closed to the public. The first and
second levels have restaurants.
The tower has become the most prominent symbol of both Paris and France, often in the establishing shot of films set in the city.
