Eiffel Tower

The sommet of Paris panoramas is of course the sommet (top) of the Tour Eiffel. Depending on what day you visit, you may have to wait for hours to reach the top, and on some days you may not be able to reach it at all.

What to do? Well, the tower's first and second levels offer splendid views not much different from the top, for less money and less waiting time.

Not only that, more than a dozen other buildings in Paris offer spectacular views at less cost with shorter (or no) waits. Here they are:

Arc de Triomphe

Great views—including of the Eiffel Tower—from the top of a monument you'll have to see in any case—but you'll have to climb 284 steps to the top. (There's an elevator/lift for handicapped ony.) More...

Nighttime view of the Champs-Elysées from the Arc de Triomphe.

Basilique du Sacré-Coeur

Everybody goes to Montmartre to see this iconic neo-Byzantine church, and stays to see the splendid views to the south from the front of the church; but for the best panoramic (360-degree) views you must climb 300 narrow spiral steps to the Dôme (inaccessible to the handicapped). More...

Tour Montparnasse

Everybody hated it when it was built—as with the Eiffel Tower—but if you're on top of it, you don't see it, you see all of Paris—including the Eiffel Tower! A swift elevator/lift takes you to the top. More...

Musée d'Orsay

Believe it or not, there are great views from the upper-floor Terrasse d'Été of this superb museum, it's accessible, and it's included in the regular admission fee. More...

Grande Arche
de la Défense

Modern expression of the triumphal arch, there's never a long line to ride the elevator/lift to the top of this huge monument and enjoy the view. More...

Open at Night

Don't forget that some of these vantage points, such as the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triomphe and Tour Montparnasse, are open at night when Paris truly becomes the City of Light. (Remember: Paris has over 16 hours of daylight on June 21st, but only eight hours on December 21st.)

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