Paris is a beautiful city to walk and get lost in its streets, but also to admire from a good height. Travelers do not love that perspective, the one that gives you position at a certain height (a building, a hill, an old bell tower), to lose your gaze in the distance and take good photos.
Paris is an old city but it has these vantage points that we long for. There are many, some better than others, but we select the top five panoramic views so prop it up and don't miss it on your next trip.
Torre Eiffel
It's a parisian classic and there are always people so if you travel in high season try to be patient. In general, a half hour wait is calculated. You can go up the ladder, between 1655 and 1750 steps to the top, depending on the side, or take the elevator. If the day is beautiful, people prefer the stairs so you will have to wait for everything, whether it is the elevator or the stairs.
The best view is provided by the third platform Well, your eyes can travel about 70 kilometers in the distance. On a clear day, you'll even see Charles de Gaulle Airport, the suburbs, and the countryside. For a more compact view of the city then there is the second platform. From here you can better contemplate the gray roofs of the most famous city in the world, its streets and its people.
Beware that the Eiffel Tower is the most classic viewpoint but perhaps it is not better since it is very west of the French capital. This year the entrance fee to the second floor, with elevator, is 11 euros per adult, 17 euros to the top with elevator and 7 euros up to the second floor by stairs.
Notre-Dame
The Basilica is beautiful, a World Heritage Site according to UNESCO, but after you get to know it inside, the walk is free, yes or yes you must climb the tower. The south tower of the church is 69 meters high and it gives us a beautiful view of the west of Paris so in your visual field you also have the Sacré Coeur church and the Eiffel Tower itself.
The staircase of this Gothic church whose construction began in 1163 It has 422 steps. And beyond sight one is not every day with tempering the ancient ceilings of a medieval church with its gargoyles and so on. That is priceless though ... the ticket costs 10 euros.
Sacré Coeur
Visiting the area where this other basilica is is part of the most touristy outings. The church is at the top of the Montmartre hill And the usual thing is to go up on foot, although there is also a small train that goes up the slope. The temple It is 80 meters high but it is on the hill that is about 80 in turn so you are more or less about 200 meters high. That means a clear day there are 360 degree views. Fantastic!
Not many are aware that the views offered by this hill are excellent, but the truth is that they improve a lot if one climbs the dome of the basilica.. The views from the external gallery are spectacular and on a clear sunny day you have a view that stretches about 30 kilometers to the horizon.
For people who do not enjoy closed environments, climbing inside the tower can be overwhelming. Did you climb the bell tower of Florence or the dome of its cathedral? It is something similar, so if you do not want the staircase at the foot of the basilica is also a unique vantage point. Nowadays the visit to the dome and the crypt cost 8 euros, 6 euros only the dome, 3 euros only the crypt.
The basilica is open every day from 6 am to 10:30 pm, the dome from 8:30 am to 8 pm.
Arch of Triumph
It is only 50 meters high but its location makes it a good vantage point. Located at the end of the famous Champs Elysees, in a rotating area that you arrive crossing a tunnel under the street, makes up a great urban pattern. From above you can see the twelve avenues that start from the Place de l'Étoile and the Historical Axis from the Louvre to the Great Arch in the center of La Défense. In the same tunnel you have the ticket office to buy the ticket and go up.
It is 50 meters high, 45 meters long and 22 meters high. You can go up to the platform by elevator or climb the 284 steps. You choose. At 6:30 pm the eternal flame is lit, in case you like ceremonies. Here is, at his feet, the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, too. My advice is to go up at night or when the sun goes down. In general all views improve then. Going right at that time of day gives us both landscapes, day and night.
Then we can decide if we want to go back. Another great time to visit the Arc de Triomphe is at Christmas It's great because the Christmas lights in Paris are a great show.
The entrance costs 12 euros.