The Eiffel Tower – Paris’ Iconic Landmark: Full Free Guide

The Eiffel Tower is a wrought-iron (meaning iron with carbon) lattice tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris, France. It is named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower.
In this video and audio guide, we will talk about the history, design, and important personalities of this place. And at the end of the video, we will have some interesting facts and takeaways.
Locally nicknamed “La dame de fer” (French for “Iron Lady”), it was constructed from 1887 to 1889 as the centerpiece of the 1889 World’s Fair. Although initially criticized by some of France’s leading artists and intellectuals for its design, it has since become a global cultural icon of France and one of the most recognizable structures in the world. The tower received almost 6 million visitors in 2022, up 197 percent from 2021 when numbers dropped due to the COVID virus. The Eiffel Tower is the most visited monument with an entrance fee in the world: almost 7 million people ascended it in 2015. It was designated a monument historique in 1964 and was named part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.

The Eiffel Tower – Full Free Guide

The tower is 330 meters tall (1083 feet), which equals the 81-story building. It’s the tallest structure in Paris. Its base is square, measuring 125 meters (410 feet) on each side. During its construction, the Eiffel Tower surpassed the Washington Monument to become the tallest human-made structure in the world, a title it held for 41 years until the Chrysler Building in New York City was finished in 1930. It was the first structure in the world to surpass both the 200-meter and 300-meter mark in height. Due to the addition of a broadcasting aerial at the top of the tower in 1957, it is now taller than the Chrysler Building by 5 meters (17 feet). Excluding transmitters, the Eiffel Tower is the second tallest free-standing structure in France after the Millau Viaduct (bridge in Southern France).
The tower has three levels for visitors, with restaurants on the first and second levels. The top level’s upper platform is 276 meters above the ground (906 feet) – the highest observation deck accessible to the public in the European Union. Tickets can be purchased to ascend by stairs or lift to the first and second levels. The climb from ground level to the first level is over 300 steps, as is the climb from the first level to the second, making the entire ascent a 600-step climb. Although there is a staircase to the top level, it is usually accessible only by lift. On this top, third level is a private apartment built for Gustave Eiffel’s private use. He decorated it with furniture by Jean Lachaise and invited friends such as Thomas Edison.
Let’s quickly talk about the history of this building.
The Eiffel Tower was designed by Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier, two senior engineers of the company: Compagnie des Établissements Eiffel.
It was envisioned after the discussion about a suitable centerpiece for the proposed 1889 Exposition Universelle, a world’s fair to celebrate the centennial of the French Revolution. Eiffel openly acknowledged that the inspiration for the tower came from the Latting Observatory built in New York City in 1853. In May 1884, working at home, Koechlin made a sketch of their idea, described by him as “a great pylon, consisting of four lattice girders standing apart at the base and coming together at the top, joined together by metal trusses at regular intervals”.
Eiffel initially showed little enthusiasm, but he did approve further study, and the two engineers then asked Stephen Sauvestre, the head of the company’s architectural department, to contribute to the design. Sauvestre added decorative arches to the base of the tower, a glass pavilion to the first level, and other embellishments.
The new version gained Eiffel’s support: he bought the rights to the patent on the design and the project was put on display at the Exhibition of Decorative Arts in 1884 under the company name.
Quite a little progress was made until 1886 when Jules Grévy was re-elected as president of France and Édouard Lockroy was appointed as minister for trade. A budget for the exposition was passed and, on 1 May, Lockroy announced an alteration to the terms of the open competition. On 12 May, a commission was set up to examine Eiffel’s scheme and its rivals, which, a month later, decided that all the proposals except Eiffel’s were either impractical or lacking in details.
A contract was signed 7 months later. Eiffel signed it acting in his own capacity rather than as the representative of his company, the contract granting him 1.5 million francs toward the construction costs: less than a quarter of the estimated 6.5 million francs. Eiffel was to receive all income from the commercial exploitation of the tower during the exhibition and for the next 20 years. He later established a separate company to manage the tower, putting up half the necessary capital himself.
A French bank, the Crédit Industriel et Commercial, helped finance the construction of the Eiffel Tower. It then appeared that the bank took these funds from Haiti’s government to compensate French slaveowners for lost income after the Haitian Revolution in 1804.
The design and sizes of the Eiffel Tower were an object of mass criticism from French artists. Gustave Eiffel responded to these criticisms by comparing his tower to the Egyptian pyramids: “My tower will be the tallest edifice ever erected by man. Will it not also be grandiose in its way? And why would something admirable in Egypt become hideous and ridiculous in Paris?” Some of the protesters changed their minds when the tower was built; others remained unconvinced. It is believed that Guy de Maupassant supposedly ate lunch in the tower’s restaurant every day because it was the one place in Paris where the tower was not visible.
The enormous amount of exacting preparatory work that took place behind the scenes: the drawing office produced 1700 general drawings and 3629 detailed drawings of the 18 thousand different parts needed. The construction foundation started in January 1887. Each of the 4 shoes was anchored to the stonework by a pair of bolts 10 cm in diameter (4 inches) and 7 and a half meters long (25 feet). The foundations were completed in June. No drilling or shaping was done on site: if any part did not fit, it was sent back to the factory for alteration. In all, 18 thousand pieces were joined using 2.5 million rivets.
About halfway to the first level construction was paused to create a substantial timber scaffold. This renewed concerns about the structural integrity of the tower, and sensational headlines such as “Eiffel Suicide!” At this stage, a small “creeper” crane designed to move up the tower was installed in each leg. They made use of the guides for the lifts which were to be fitted in the four legs. The critical stage of joining the legs at the first level was completed by the end of March 1888.
Although construction involved 300 on-site employees, due to Eiffel’s safety precautions and the use of movable gangways, guardrails, and screens, only one person died.
The main structural work was completed at the end of March 1889 and, on the 31st of March, Eiffel celebrated by leading a group of government officials and the press, to the top of the tower. Because the lifts were not yet in operation, the ascent was made by foot and took over an hour.
There was still work to be done, particularly on the lifts and facilities, and the tower was not opened to the public until nine days after the opening of the exposition on 6 May; even then, the lifts had not been completed. The tower was an instant success with the public, and nearly 30 thousand visitors made the 1710-step climb to the top before the lifts entered service on 26 May. Tickets cost 2 francs for the first level, 3 for the second, and 5 for the top, with half-price admission on Sundays. By the end of the exhibition, there had been 1.9 million visitors.
Famous visitors to the tower included the Prince of Wales, Sarah Bernhardt, “Buffalo Bill” Cody, and Thomas Edison.
Edison signed the guestbook with this message: “To Mister Eiffel the Engineer the brave builder of so gigantic and original specimen of modern Engineering from one who has the greatest respect and admiration for all Engineers including the Great Engineer the Bon Dieu, Thomas Edison”.
Eiffel made use of his apartment at the top of the tower to carry out meteorological observations and also used the tower to perform experiments on the action of air resistance on falling bodies.
Eiffel had a permit for the tower to stand for 20 years. It was to be dismantled in 1909 when its ownership would revert to the City of Paris. The city had planned to tear it down, but as the tower proved to be valuable for many innovations in the early 20th century, particularly radiotelegraphy, it was allowed to remain after the expiry of the permit.
Later the city improved the lift system, the tower was used for different science purposes, meteorology, transmitting, different measurements, city illumination, testing waves, etc.
In 1940 during the German occupation, the French cut lift cables, and the tower was closed to the public until 1946.
In 1944, Hitler ordered General Dietrich von Choltitz, to demolish the tower along with the rest of the city, but he disobeyed the order. Before the Germans had been driven out of Paris, the German flag was replaced with a Tricolour by two men from the French Naval Museum.
In 1964, the Eiffel Tower was officially declared to be a historical monument by the Minister of Cultural Affairs, André Malraux.
According to interviews, in 1967, Montreal Mayor Jean Drapeau negotiated a secret agreement with Charles de Gaulle for the tower to be dismantled and temporarily relocated to Montreal during the Expo. But the plan was allegedly vetoed by the company operating the tower.
In 1982, the original lifts between the second and third levels were replaced after 97 years in service. It reduced the journey from 8 to less than 2 minutes.
In 1987, A. J. Hackett made one of his first bungee jumps from the top of the Eiffel Tower.
In 1991, Thierry Devaux, along with mountain guide Hervé Calvayrac, performed a series of acrobatic figures while bungee jumping from the second floor of the tower.
In 1999, famous flashing lights and high-powered searchlights were installed on the tower.
In 2002, the tower received its 200 millionth guest.
Today, radio and digital television signals are still transmitted from the Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel Tower has 4 levels:
Ground floor with 4 towers and lifts.
1st floor is publicly accessible by elevator or stairs. There is the Eiffel Restaurant and other facilities.
2nd floor is also publicly accessible by elevator or stairs. It has several gourmet and Michelin restaurants.
The 3rd floor is the top floor, publicly accessible by elevator. Originally there were laboratories for various experiments, and a small apartment reserved for Gustave Eiffel. Today there is still Eiffel’s flat open to the public more as a museum. Additionally, there is a champagne bar on this floor.
Interesting facts and takeaways
The Eiffel Tower was the tallest building in the world between 1889 and 1930. And it is still the highest structure in Paris.
Gustave Eiffel engraved on the tower the names of 72 French scientists, engineers, and mathematicians in recognition of their contributions to the building of the tower.
It’s been a part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1991.
The total weight of the building (carcass, lifts, shops, and antennae) has brought the total weight to approximately 10.1 thousand tonnes.
The tower is painted in three shades: lighter at the top, getting progressively darker towards the bottom to complement the Parisian sky.
The Eiffel Tower is the most visited monument with an entrance fee in the world.
The height of the tip is 330 meters (or 1083 feet).
The Eiffel Tower sways by up to 9 cm (3.5 inches) in the wind.
Maintenance of the tower includes applying 60 tons of paint every seven years to prevent it from rusting. The tower has been completely repainted at least 19 times since it was built.
The illumination of the tower is considered an “original visual creation” protected by copyright.
As one of the most famous landmarks in the world, the Eiffel Tower has been the inspiration for many replicas and similar towers (Blackpool Tower, Tokyo Tower, replica in Las Vegas, Kings Island in Mason, Ohio, Durango Mexico).
In 2011, the TV show Pricing the Priceless on the National Geographic Channel speculated that a full-size replica of the tower would cost approximately 480 million US dollars to build. This would be more than ten times the cost of the original budget.
Due to high demand make sure to buy tickets to the tower beforehand.