Montparnasse and the Montparnasse Tower

After visiting the Louvre and walking through Little Tokyo on June 16th, we set out to visit the Montparnasse Tower, the only skyscraper inside Paris.

 Montparnasse Tower (and the Eglise du Dome)

Montparnasse (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Montparnasse) is a section of Paris located in the 14^th Arrondissement on the south side of Paris. Its name is derived from the Greek Mount Parnassus. It was given the name by French students who used to go to the hill there to recite poetry. The hill was leveled in the 18^th Century to build the Boulevard Montparnasse. Many cabarets and dance halls opened there during the French Revolution.

At the beginning of the 20^th Century, it was the heart of intellectual and artistic life in Paris. It was frequented and inhabited by artists and writers like Picasso, Dali, Modigliani, Hemingway, Marc Chagall, Ezra Pound, James Joyce, etc., etc., etc., etc.

I have never explored the Montparnasse area, but would love to do that some day.

The full name of the Tour Montparnasse (Montparnasse Tower) is the Tour Maine-Montparnasse (Maine-Montparnasse Tower (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tour_Montparnasse) and (http://www.tourmontparnasse56.com/index_EN.php#/home). It was completed in 1972 and was the tallest building in France from then until 2011. It has 58 stories and is 689 in height. 

The views from the top are terrific. You can see all the major monuments of Paris (except the tower, of course). The 56^th floor is a viewing floor. It is surrounded by large glass windows. It contains a bar, souvenir shop, and restrooms. There is an open-air viewing terrace and helipad at the very top. The viewing radius is about 25 miles.

It is the only skyscraper within Paris. Its architecture has been criticized as being out of place with the landscape of Paris. The construction of new skyscrapers inside Paris has now been banned.

In 1995, French urban climber, Alain “Spiderman” climbed to the top using only his bare hands and feet, and no safety devices. He nearly fell off on the way up.

The normal admission rates for the 56^th floor and the 59^th floor terrace are:

Adults - €11.50

Youths- 6-20 - €8.50

Children - 7-15 -€4.70

Children under 7 - free.

We paid lower rates because the 59^th floor was closed for maintenance. My ticket cost €10, and my grandchildren’s were €4.20 each.

We walked up to the tower and immediately saw the tourist entrance as described on the Internet. On one side of the building, there is a covered set of steps. On the first cover are the words, “Tout Paris à 360⁰ (All of Paris at 360 degrees).

Tower Entrance

We walked up the stairs and entered the building. Unfortunately, a group of about 40 Chinese tourists arrived just ahead of us. We had to wait until their guide had gone through the mechanics of getting their tickets. After we purchased our tickets, we had to wait until they had gone up the elevator.

The elevator to the top is very fast. According to the tower web site above, it takes 38 seconds to reach the top.

As we got off the elevator at the top, a man working there asked if we wanted our photo taken. When I refused, he made a sarcastic remark. I assume he was trying to sell the photos.

The 56^th floor was large and uncrowded. We walked around, enjoying fantastic views of the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Eglise du Dome, Sacre Coeur, Place de la Concorde, the Basilique Sainte Clotilde, the Latin Quarter, the Louvre, Pont Alexandre III, the Grand Palais, Saint Germain des Pres, Eglise Saint Sulpice, and Notre Dame Cathedral.

Eiffel Tower

Skyscrapers in background are in La Defense, outside Paris. Wooded area between La Defense and Eiffel Tower is the Bois de Boulogne Park. Long park in front of the Eiffel Tower is the Champ de Mars. Building at the front of the Champ de Mars is the Ecole Militaire, officers' school which Napoleon attended.

Eglise du Dome, Site of Napoleon's Tomb

Cathedral of Notre Dame

After enjoying the views, we sat down and had a drink. My granddaughter had a Coke Zero (Coca Zero) 50 cl for €3.80, My grandson had a Fanta Orange 50 cl for the same price, and I had two drinks - a Kir Royal Coupe (crème de cassis and champagne) for €8.50 and Perrier 50 cl for €3.30.

After looking around a bit more, checking out the souvenir shop, and using the rest rooms, we took the elevator back down to the entrance. We left the building about 7:40 pm.

We walked back into the train and Metro station to Line 12. We took Line 12 to Sèvres-Babylone - three stops in the direction of Porte de la Chapelle. We then took Line 10 to Cardinal Lemoine - five stops in the direction of Gare d’Austerlitz.

We walked out of the station and walked a few feet to the Carrefour supermarket, where we purchased a 375 gram box Kellogg’s Frosted Flakes (which are called Kellogg’s Frosties in France) for €2.64 for breakfast for my grandson.

Then we returned to our apartment, where we arrived at about 8:30 pm.