While I absolutely love the Eiffel Tower for its h...

While I absolutely love the Eiffel Tower for its history, architectural prowess and it's beauty I wouldn't recommend climbing up. Why? Because similar views can be got from a few other locations without all the drama and waste of time. We went up at a time when it was considered to be quiet. And despite that we had to queue up for around 45 minutes for a security check that only allows you into the Eiffel Tower area. Then we had to queue for another half hour to buy our tickets to the first and second floors of the tower. Another security check and a 10-minute queue got us into an elevator to the second floor. Once there we had to queue for an hour and a half to buy tickets to go to the top. If you fancy being stuck 150m high with screaming, I'll-mannered children everywhere and even more ill-mannered parents (a reflection of our times) this would be your dream come true. On the other hand, the tower can truly be appreciated from the riverside just below, especially when it lights up at about 8pm. Hop onto one of many river boat pubs, grab a glass of wine and soak in the beautiful Parisian atmosphere that movies are made of, while enjoying views of the Eiffel tower. It really is remarkable. At 11pm it breaks out into a show of sparkles for 5 minutes.