I love Paris in the springtime, I love Paris in the fall… In fact, I love Paris any time of the year! But Paris isn’t Paris without taking a trip up the infamous and unique Tour Eiffel. But I use the word “unique” loosely as there are more imitations out there then you may think.  But you can keep your glitzy Vegas Tower and your Texan copies… there’s only one true Eiffel Tower for me! So, here are a few facts and figures about the iconic structure that everyone should take a trip to see at least once in their lives. Put it on your bucket list and think of this when you’re there…

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To start with let’s remember, Mr. Alexandre Gustave Eiffel was a really clever chap. But did you realize just how clever Mr. Eiffel actually was? When he designed the « dame de fer » AKA Iron Lady (yes, France has one too), he orientated it as per the four points on a compass… So if you need to go Nord, Sud, Est or Ouest when you’re in Paris just find your way to the Eiffel Tower and off you go in your relevant direction.

Photo by Alphonse Liébert

Check out 10 more fun and interesting little-known facts about the Eiffel Tower!

  1. The tower’s designer, Gustave, was also responsible for some other well-known buildings both inside and outside France, including: The Nice Observatory and the Statue of Liberty (not all of the famed designer’s works were successful. His design and construction of the Locks for the Panama Canal brought him not only a terrible reputation but also an 8 day prison stay after spectacularly running out of money!).
  2. 20 years after it’s construction it was programmed to be dismantled and sold for scrap.
  3. It took a mere 2 years, 2 months and 5 days to construct the Eiffel Tower.
  4. The tower was the worlds tallest building for a whole 40 years before the Chrysler Building was built (but is still the tallest structure in Paris!)
  5. It weighs a massive 10,000 tons.
  6. The elevators run at a 60° angle.
  7. It sways 5 inches in the wind and it leans 7 inches away from the sun.
  8. It is repainted every 7 years in three slightly different shade.
  9. The inventor of the coat parachute did his test run jump from the tower – he’s dead!
  10. For over 10 years Citroen used the tower as it’s advertising bill board, the biggest ad of all time.

Visit Paris and take a trip to the Tour Eiffel, promenade the Boulevards, sway 5 inches in the wind and lean 7 inches from the sun… you will be using your French before you know it. Find some Easy French courses here, plan your 60° angled ride in an elevator, see what all the fantastic fuss is about!