In the summer, the Eiffel Tower is open until 12:45 a.m., and once an hour its own lights fire off.
By ALISON SMALE
LIKE many of the best things in life, this one came along by chance — though it had been hiding in plain sight.
On a witheringly hot summer day a few weeks ago, our niece and daughter had chickened out of the trek to the Eiffel Tower, and the long wait to go up it. But a friend recalled that it was open at night, and, indeed, to my surprise I learned that you could ride up as late as midnight.
So we set off, and hit the tower line around 10 p.m. As during the day, the lines snaked away from the elevators at the north and east pillars, and the stairs in the south pillar. But you weren't wilting in heat, forced to buy bottled water or ice cream at exorbitant rates from nearby stands. Nor was the wait quite as long — an hour or so, better than the 90 minutes you can expect on the average summer day in July and August, when the tower attracts up to 31,000 visitors during the hours the elevators are open.
The crowning pleasure was, of course, the view that unfolded at the second stage. There you are, 377 feet above Paris, with the illuminated bridges sparkling in the Seine's reflection, the cleverly illuminated tricolor fluttering above the vast crystal roof of the Grand Palais, the summer Ferris wheel turning above the Tuileries gardens, tossing shadowy light onto the Rue de Rivoli and toward the Louvre. Notre Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, Sacré-Coeur, the Invalides, the Panthéon, St.-Sulpice — all these famous monuments laid out in a visual feast.
Sure, by day, this is a spectacular view. You see in detail how Paris has preserved its ancient core, cleverly consigning the architectural gems or monstrosities of the late 20th century to the city's outer reaches, where they cannot sully the wonder of the heart. You appreciate, too, the hint of the Mediterranean that is part of Paris's lure: the buildings are pale, like many across Southern Europe, with streets running like dark rivulets across the cityscape.
At night, however, there is a seductive magic to the glittering spectacle of Paris. And there is mystery, the hint of romance and adventure, in all those dark spots dotted with lamplight and the odd burst of neon color from stores and theaters. What is going on down there, in between the lights?
For the complete thrill, you must go to the summit (elevator access to the top is limited, so to be sure of making it in time, get to the tower line by 9 p.m.). That puts you roughly 1,000 feet above all this. On a rainy night, your head is literally in the clouds, which scud across a sky riven by the spotlight that rotates continuously from the apex, adding another aspect to that view.
Everyone is beguiled: Waldemar Neufeld, 40, on his third visit to Paris from Koblenz in Germany, simply rolled his eyes when someone asked what was different at night. “Everything.” The Cisneros family, from Montclair, N.J., was enthralled. “I think it's great; you just see it all sparkle,” said Claudia, 9, her eyes radiant. “C'est très, très, très bien,” gushed her mother. Even a more cynical spectator, a middle-aged Russian named Valentin who noted proudly that “I am from St. Petersburg, so you can't surprise me with much,” conceded: “I got what I wanted. This is how it should be.”
At the summit, there are clear, helpful guides to all the monuments you can see, and reminders of how far you are from home: 9,739 kilometers from Tokyo, for instance. You gaze in at replicas of Gustave Eiffel's office and apartment on the tower, where, on Sept. 10, 1889, the year the tower was built for the World's Fair, Eiffel received Thomas Edison, who brought a model of his recently unveiled phonograph. And, yes, you will feel the tower sway.
There are so many marvels to a nighttime visit, but here are two more.
First, the elevator ride up and down, through the illuminated lattice work of the tower itself, and the even greater pleasure when it is lighted — a giant flashing sparkler with 20,000 light bulbs, for 10 minutes, on the hour every hour till 2 a.m. (1 a.m. in winter). The ride makes you appreciate the true genius of Eiffel's tower: it is an engineering marvel and an aesthetic masterpiece, its curls and swirls echoing the filigree stonework of Notre Dame's rose windows, or the carefully wrought balconies of all those buildings along Haussmann's boulevards. You can see this by day, but much more clearly at night.
Secondly — and this too is true by day, but enhanced by the cocoon of darkness — it's a chance to savor all those people around you. I have traveled a lot, but can think of few spots where you will see so many different people from across the planet as you do here. Lovers kiss. An aging Chinese woman in a wheelchair marvels, while a young South Asian man in another wheelchair strains upward so his friend can snap his face against the backdrop of that nighttime view. You will hear Hindi, Spanish, Russian, Arabic, German, oh, yes, English, Swedish, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean and, of course, Chinese.
It is also here that you appreciate how fast mass tourism has grown. Last year, the Eiffel Tower had a record 6,695,000 visitors, according to Carole Baudry, of the Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel, the private body that runs the tower. That is one million more than in 1997. When the Chinese (already 4 percent of the annual visitor total) really start traveling en masse, will 15 hours a day be enough to accommodate all those rightly longing to see one of the wonders of the modern world?
VISITOR INFORMATION
The Eiffel Tower is open daily (www.eiffel-tower.com). From June 15 to Sept. 1, the elevator is open 9 a.m. to 12:45 a.m. Stairs are open 9 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. Last tickets are sold 45 minutes before close; last trip to the summit is officially 11 p.m. but may be earlier depending on weather and crowds. Around the Easter and May holidays, these hours also apply. Otherwise, from Jan. 1 to June 14, and Sept. 2 to Dec. 31, the elevator is open 9:30 a.m. to 11:45 p.m.; stairs, 9:30 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
Elevator to summit: 11.50 euros (about $16 at $1.38 to the euro); 6.30 euros for children age 3 to 11. To second stage: 7.80 euros; 4.30 euros for children. The first stage, which features a movie on Eiffel Tower history, is 4.50 euros; children, 2.30 euros. Disabled people with papers attesting to disability go at reduced rates, as does one accompanying person. Wheelchairs are not allowed to the summit.
RESTAURANTS
Altitude 95 (telephone 33-1-45-55-20-04), on the first stage, has a panoramic view over the Seine and the Trocadero. Appetizers start at 11 euros, and main courses from 17 euros (for a vegetable plate); salmon fillet with asparagus risotto is 24 euros; and a two-course fixed-price lunch is 26 euros. The Jules Verne (33-1-45-55-61-44), on the second stage, is pricey; at least 100 euros a head for dinner; lunch menu is 65 euros. Reservations for dinner are needed at least six weeks in advance.
More suggestions on what to do and see in Paris can be found at nytimes.com/travel.
