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Content accurate at time of publication
01 Nov 2011
ANATOMY OF A BESTSELLER – FRENCH FARE
Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes did it at the Eiffel Tower, as have countless other couples. But marriage proposals aside, France’s Iron Lady is also perfect for Michelin-star wining and dining, along with some of the most stunning panoramas of Paris and the river Seine, raves GREG COOK.
- The Eiffel is named after its architect and engineer, Alexandre Gustave Eiffel, the brains behind the Statue of Liberty’s interior structure.
- There are 1,665 steps to the top. 704 of them are accessible to public.
- 67KM – That's how far you can see from the highest observation deck on a clear day.
- A spectacular sight happens the first five minutes of every hour (from nightfall to 1am) when 20,000 bulbs light up the Tower.
- The best spot to admire the Eiffel in its full glory is from Place du Trocadero.
- The structure contains 9 elevators, 3 observation decks and 2 restaurants, including legendary French chef Alain Ducasse’s Le Jules Verne restaurant.
- La Tour Eiffel would have been scrapped in 1909 had a telecom company not recognised its potential as a radio transmitter mast.
- 1889-1930: The 324m-high tower edged out the Washington Monument to become the world’s tallest man-made structure, an accolade it held for the next 41 years.
- 1889-2011: The Eiffel has had more than 250 million visitors to date, and is widely considered to be the world’s most visited and best-recognised landmark.
PHOTO GETTY IMAGES
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