The vision of standing in line under the Eiffel Tower, looking straight up into the underbelly, will never leave me. The Eiffel Tower completely lives up to its hype which is very rare.

I got in line under the tower at about 10pm on a Friday, and everything (standing in line to go up, viewing, and waiting in line to go back down) took about two and a half hours. One thing you should keep in mind is that the highest level (level 3) closes at around 11pm so if you want to go all the way up, make sure you get in line no later than 9pm. The tickets are very cheap (under 10 euros)and the view is amazing. You can see all of Paris and a little passed it. I have no been in the day but I stongly suggest a night time visit. After midnight, the tower lights up with beautiful flashing blue lights that look like glistening stars. The area is still bustling with people into the wee hours of the morning (I was there till 2 am). Make sure you get in the right line though. There are 2 different lines. One is for people who wish to only go up to the first of second level and the other line is for those who wish to go all the way up.

No matter when you go, the vision of this great piece of history will never leave you.

As most people probably do, I came into Paris with one eye looking for the Eiffel Tower. Not only is it something to see from a photographic point of view (I mean, let's face it, you can't come home from Paris with out some shots of the Eiffel Tower), but even for a non-Parisian there is something special about this sight. For me, as a traveller, there was something special about finally getting to see it. But there were also some mishaps involved, so I will write about both the highs and lows of this activity so that it can be enjoyed to the fullest.

There are many places in Paris to see the Eiffel Tower, but for photographs, there is one place in particular it should be seen. On the south side of the tower is the Champs de Mars, a stunning park with the best view of it I could find. It makes a great afternoon to wander the park and see some of the local artists selling drawings of the Eiffel Tower for really good prices.

But Paris gets incredibly crowded in summertime, particularly near the Eiffel Tower. If you plan on going up to the top, you will likely want a sunset view, but so will everyone else. If you do go in the summer, I recommend that you go at another time of day. It is open from 9am to midnight, and though the view at sunset is stunning, it loses something when you cannot stand still a moment without someone pushing past or into you. It was literally so crowded that they were shoving us into the elevator until it could not fit another person. I managed to get separated from my friends, and I HIGHLY recommend that you have a very specific meeting place arranged if you get separated. (Simply meeting at one of the legs isn't sufficient, as they are very hard to tell apart and you can easily get mixed up as to what side you are on coming back down.) But the views are stunning and worth the 10,70 euros to go to the top.

And be sure to see the Eiffel Tower at night. I was completely unaware of how it would look lit up and completely in awe when I saw it. After my fiasco getting down and finding my friends again, I sat down on the boat going down the Seine and looked up to suddenly see the Eiffel Tower looming over me, all lit up and sparkling over Paris. It isn't often that I completely set down my camera to enjoy a scene, but in that moment, my entire trip to Paris became a memorable event I will never forget.