There are only two places in the world where you can live happy; at home and in Paris. – Ernest Hemingway

Paris. It is the city of love, the city of lights, the city of romance… It is hard not to fall in love with Paris. The architecture, the art and museums, the cuisine, the fashion, the gardens – everyone falls in love with some interesting aspect of Paris. I thought it would be apt to start my Paris series with the majestic Tour Eiffel.

I hate the timing of this post ( the Notre Dame fire) but I had been working on this for several weeks now and thought I would publish anyway as there is never a right time. I am confident that Notre Dame will be rebuilt retaining all it’s old glory. I choose to see hope over devastation.

WARNING:
This post includes an overdose of Eiffel Tower photos!

Eiffel tower’s ubiquitous presence is hard to avoid in Paris. It is the icon of France, the symbol of Paris and one of the most recognized structure in the world! However, the tower was initially criticized and scorned upon by the great literary and artistic intellectuals of France. They said the location was too residential, the design too industrial and that it was useless and did not conform to the French standards. However, it withstood the test of time and became the symbol of Paris and France and Love. Today, it is one of the most visited monuments in the world!

The construction of the tower, its criticism to eventual universal acclaim and accolades reminds me that no matter what, quality always get recognized. The cream always rises to the top and despite all the criticism we initially face, we will eventually gain recognition for our hard work. 

Interesting facts about Eiffel Tower

• It was designed as the central piece of an international fair in Paris marking 100 years of French Revolution.
• Gustave Eiffel, the architect who designed the tower is a railroad engineer. The tower’s base resembles a rail road bridge.
• The tower is like a 3D puzzle that has numerous pieces and was “put together” at the location. The pieces were manufactured at Eiffel’s factory and brought along the Seine.
• It was initially red and then repainted ochre and brown!
• It was supposed to be disassembled after 20 years for scrap metal but Eiffel installed antennae and converted it to a wireless transmission and radio tower to avoid its destruction. Today, there are more than 100 antennae atop it.
• The tower boasts a dazzling display of lights and sparkles for 5 minutes every hour on the hour. 20000 lights were installed on top of the golden lights just for the twinkles.

So this is a monument that has been photographed countless times in so many angles. How to avoid the typical touristic photo and find the best angle of the tower? Here are some tips and you will see them used in all the photos in this post.

1. Find a unique perspective and try different angles.
2. Place yourself as the subject and the tower in the background.
3. Find an interesting object like another monument with the tower as a backdrop or use a ‘frame’. Check out two of my favorite shots below, one with leaves and branches, and another with a monument.
4. Take both close ups and wide angle shots including all the surroundings.
5. Try adding more elements into the photo like streets, river, cars, trees etc.
6. Add some props like a picnic basket, a champagne bottle or some flowers.

Now where can you find the best views of Eiffel tower and capture its sparkling beauty? Well I’ve got you covered. Note that this list is not exhaustive and only covers a few spots. But these places were enough to fill my phone with countless photos of the tower! Good luck capturing your best Eiffel Tower shot!

Parc du Champs de Mars

What better place to get a view of Tour Eiffel than the Park adjacent to the tower? It is a vast open garden area where you could picnic, take beautiful photos of the tower with blossoming trees in the spring or golden leaves in the fall. If you are pressed for time, this is the place to visit.

Jardins du Trocadéro

In my opinion, this is the best spot in all of Paris for a photo shoot with the tower and a favorite of photographers. When we arrived in Paris, it was overcast during the day and the tower was covered in clouds. Fortunately for us, the weather gods blessed us with clear skies at night and a great view of the dazzling tower. As soon as we saw the clear skies, we left for Trocadero and spent over 2 hours (well past midnight) shooting. Take a stroll and scout for the best locations at Trocadero and snap away! 

Along the Seine and a boat tour

A nice romantic walk along the Seine in the evening would be a great time to watch sunset over the majestic tower. The right bank especially is perfect for an evening walk and photo shoot. If you are not staying close to the tower, a boat tour would be a great option to catch the sparkling lights.

Pont Alexandre III and other bridges

Head to the Les Invalides metro stop (past Champs du Mars) for an iconic shot of the ornate bridge and the symbol of Paris. I love this bridge. It’s arch and installations are perfect to capture the tower. There are many other bridges connecting left bank to the right bank to stop and admire Eiffel Tower from afar.

The streets leading to the tower

A walk through the inner streets from Champs de Mars station to Les Invalides would give you glimpses of the tower with the beautiful white apartments and cute cafes. The residential neighborhood of this arrondisement is a perfect complement to the tower.

Wake up to the view of Tour Eiffel at Hotel Pullman Paris

This one takes some spending but wouldn’t it be breathtaking to wake up to a view of the tower! And for a hotel that is closest and has best views of Eiffel tower, it is not too expensive. We had the luxury to fall back to our hotel room when the weather didn’t cooperate or when we were too tired to go for a walk. We could also watch the tower glowing at night as many times as we desired without leaving the comfort of our hotel.

Tall buildings and monuments (Arc de Triomphe, Tour Montparnasse)

Tall buildings with views of the city would have a great view of the tower during sunset or sunrise. We did not get a chance to climb any of these but you should try if you have the time.

I hope you have got enough ideas to take your camera out and capture the best views of the Eiffel Tower. Tell me about some of your favorites places to capture the beauty of the tower in comments below.