TOUR MONTPARNASSE

Description

Essentials about Tour Montparnasse in brief

If you want to enjoy the most beautiful view of Paris, you have two options: Either the Eiffel Tower or the Tour Montparnasse. At 210 meters high, the Montparnasse skyscraper is the tallest building in the city after the Eiffel Tower and was even the tallest building in France until 2011. From here you can enjoy a magnificent view of the many world-famous sights of Paris, such as Notre-Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, the Hôtel des Invalides and the Panthéon. And last but not least, from Tour Montparnasse you also have a great view of the Eiffel Tower itself.

The architecture of Tour Montparnasse

Tour Montparnasse was built between 1969 and 1973 on the site of the Montparnasse train station, which was demolished in the mid-1960s. Even before construction began, the project of a high-rise building in the middle of Paris was highly controversial. Critics objected to the fact that a second tall building was to rise into the Parisian sky alongside the architectural icon of the Eiffel Tower. The critical voices have not died down to this day, and many locals and tourists alike still regard Tour Montparnasse as the greatest architectural sin in the Paris cityscape. But there is no accounting for taste. What is indisputable is that from the viewing platforms of Tour Montparnasse on the 56th and 59th floors, one has a magnificent view over Paris. On fine weather days, the distant view is up to 40 kilometers.

The view from Tour Montparnasse

In direct competition with the Eiffel Tower, Tour Montparnasse draws the short straw at first glance. The Eiffel Tower is taller, more spectacular and better known. But the Tour Montparnasse has two unbeatable advantages: First, its viewing platforms are nowhere near as crowded as those of the Eiffel Tower. And second, from the Tour Montparnasse you have a great view of the Eiffel Tower, which is about three kilometers away as the crow flies. All the other major and famous sights of Paris, such as Notre-Dame, the Arc de Triomphe, the Hôtel des Invalides and the Panthéon are also easily visible from Tour Montparnasse. A unique experience is to visit the viewing platforms after dark. Then the illuminated Paris offers a very special sight.

Other attractions on Tour Montparnasse

On the 56th floor of the skyscraper, visitors will find a wide range of information with various interactive terminals, audiovisual media and videos, orientation boards, binoculars and photo series. Those who get hungry or thirsty with so much view and information can refresh themselves in the café at the top or have a glass of bubbly at the champagne bar. By the way, since 2017 there is another attraction for winter sports enthusiasts on the Tour Montparnasse. Skaters with a head for heights can skate their laps at a dizzying 210 meters on Paris’ highest ice rink.