The Eiffel Tower is the most popular monument in the most visited city in the world. Experiencing the pulse of Paris is surely something special.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
We planned a 5 day trip and Paris was the last destination where we decided to spend two nights and then either drive home or spontaneously decide where else to go. This meant we had time to spend the rest of the arrival day and the whole next day to explore this gigantic city full of monuments and fantastic places.
Our starting point was the Hotel La Bourdonnais, located at the Avenue de la Bourdonnais, a central place and a short walk to the Eiffel Tower.
For a first time visitor it was very surprising to see hundreds of people in small groups having picknick with drinks and food on the green around Champ de Mars between the Eiffel Tower and the Grand Palais Éphémère.
The Eiffel Tower
The tower itself is highly guarded and surrounded by thick glas and concrete walls so there is no “walk through”. We walked around it admiring the gardens underneath which seem to be quiet and only accessible for paying visitors.
Arriving on the other side of the tower we saw the more touristic part. Thousands of people on the Pont d’Iéna and in front of the Palais du Trocadéro.
Taking a break in front of the Palais we wondered why so many people were gathered there. A while later we could finally see the reason why.
The illumation of the Eiffel Tower started and it became an even more beautiful view when it got darker. Every full hour the tower gets an extra dose of sparkling lights which make this scenery even more special.
The “Oh’s” and “Ah’s” started a couple of minutes later.
Sadly, you cannot hear it in the video I posted below.
Eiffel Tower at night
We took a walk along the Avenue de New York until we arrived at the Palais de Tokyo. From there we went over the bridge “Passerelle Debilly” which gave us another beautiful view of the Eiffel Tower.
On our walk back along the Avenue de la Bourdonnais we experienced the active night life of this city. Restaurants and cafés with streetside seating were filled with guests enjoying their late night meals and drinks.
On our way back to the hotel we stopped at a very small Italian restaurant named “Il Grigio“. We ordered Linguini al Salmone and Pâtes à la carbonara to go. After around 10 minutes our food was ready and we even got an additional fresh ciabatta bread. Both dishes were delicious which is why we highly recommend “Il Grigio” should you be in the area and have a craving for Italian food.
Also read our post about our second day in Paris: Paris – Hôtel des Invalides, Tuileries & more
