Tour Montparnasse, Paris

I can't really take credit for this tip - it was given to me some years ago by a friend. If you want a great view of Paris without the crowds of the Eiffel Tower I recommend the Montparnasse Tower. It's basically a huge, ugly 59 storey office block but from the top of it the view is incredible - including being able to see the Eiffel Tower itself in context. I've heard people joke that it's also the only place from which you can't see the Montparnasse Tower! The indoor viewing deck is on the 56th floor with lots of information and photos. The lift going up is very fast and you may feel momentarily like you left your stomach somewhere around the 10th floor! You can also walk up from there to the 59th floor which will take you out onto the roof of the building for the full experience. I've been up here a couple of times and have taken others who also enjoyed it. An adult ticket is Eu 10.50. I've never been up the Eiffel Tower (is that a bad thing to admit? I just hate crowds) so I don't know how the cost compares.

If you're in the area on a Sunday there is an art market at the end of Rue du Montparnasse near the Edgar Quinet metro.

At 689 feet it is the tallest building in the city (as of 2007); and it is also criticized as being out-of-place.
It offers the best view of the city - sometimes jokingly stated it's partly because it's the only place where you can't see the darn building itself :)

The observation deck is open daily from 9.30am to 11.30pm in the summer and to 10.30 in other seasons.
Admission costs Euro 9.5 for adults.

If you want to go to the roof please be prepared for the very strong winds ... make sure you're not wearing a hat as it will get blown away :)

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As long as you have to put up with such an (imo) ugly architectural lemon as Tour Montparnasse, make lemonade and take the fast elevator (~40 seconds) up to the top for some pix and an awesome view of Paris.

This last trip I went both day and nightime just for fun. I think the views are worth it.
Check out the website for all the info and some really good fotos.

L'Espace 56 (bar / cafe on the 56th floor) is a good place out of the wind to have a drink with the view or even eat, but honestly for me I just head right up to the roof and look at beautiful Paris. Excellent view of ExGuy's large metal tower of course, but also of Invalides, Champs, etc - the whole city. Most of the time especially in the evening it is very windy. Even with a tripod, the wind will have a tendency to blur any night shots with an inexpensive digital camera
(it did mine, and don't forget the actual building under your feet is swaying a little in the wind, making some low-light digital night-shots tough),

but your God-given / analog-eyes and your memory will be rewarded.

It costs 9 Euros (about $11.50) each time you decide to make the trip
(as opposed to $20 each trip for the Empire State Building, and much less crowded)

Oddly enough, one of the few (imo) benefits you get from Paris Visite metro pass vs Carte Orange is one free trip up to the top of Tour Montparnasse. Only one use though, so I still think you're better off getting Carte Orange and "paying as you go" for separate day and night trips to the top.

Tour Montparnasse opens at 9:30 am and most important for nightime viewing, the last lift / elevator to the top is at 11 p.m. Supposedly they kick you out at 11:30 but they let me hang out until almost midnight.

Tour Montparnasse gets a lot of grief and bad press, but the view both day and night in my opinion is a monster and worth the money.

Towering above Paris some distance to the south of the city centre is the modern Tour Montparnasse. Well it is modern in comparison with the Tour Eiffel, having been built in 1973.

At 209m it is far shorter than the Eiffel Tower but, to me, the Eiffel Tower looked tiny from the top of Montparnasse!!

Well, the beauty of Tour Montparnasse is that you can go up to the 59th floor viewing area. This happens using one of the fastest lifts around, where your stomach reaches the top approximately 30 seconds after the rest of your body ;-)

The views are stunning from the top. The advantage isyou can take a photo of Paris with the Eiffel Tower in the shot. Apparently you are able to see for 40km, though whenever I visit Paris it is a bit mauvais :-(

The Tower has incredibly long opening hours, open each day till at least 11pm!

Current prices are 8.50 € for adults, check the website for their complex pricing scales.

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The Tour Montparnasse is a typical example of 20th century architecture. The tower was designed by the architects Beaudoin, Cassin, De Marien and Saubot in 1973. In total it is 209 meters high.

The 56th and 59th floor are open for tourists. From here you have a very good view over the city. It is the highest point of Paris, even higher then the Eiffel Tower.

In the top there is a restaurant and a exhibition about the construction of the tower with documentation and pictures. When needed there are multiligual guides available to show you around.

At the roof you have a stunning view of Paris, even better then when you are on top of the Eiffeltower, because from here you can see the Eiffeltower as well :) There are signs to point you at all the monuments you can see from here, so you don´t have to be an expert to recognise things.

Le Tour Main Montparnasse

Take the elevator up the 58th. floor at 210 m high.
Because of the low buildings surrounding the tower you have a splendid view all around Paris of course on a clear day.

Opening Hours
in summer from 9.30 am to 11.30 pm
in winter from 9.30 am to 10.30 pm.

Last lift ascent 30mn before closing time.

Entrance fees
Adults € 8,00
Children(-14 yrs) € 5,50

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Here's a view from the top of the Montparnasse Tower, looking northwest towards the competition.

I'm not a big fan of standing in lines, so for aerial views I much prefer paying EUR 8.70 (whoops, it has just gone up another 30 cents to 9.00 Euros) and taking the 38-second elevator up to the 56th floor of the Montparnasse Tower, and then walking up to the 59th, which is the roof. (It's cheaper for students and anyone up to age 20, by the way. No senior discounts, though.)

Second photo: Looking north now, that's the Invalides with the golden dome.

Third photo: Looking down at the nearby streets and buildings to the northeast, with the Boulevard de Montparnasse cutting diagonally through the foreground.

Fourth photo: Tour Montparnasse from the nearby Atlantic Garden. If this building were in Frankfurt am Main it would be # 3 in the Frankfurt Skyline Countdown.

Fifth photo: Tour Montparnasse from you-know-where.

You must go up to the roof of the Montparnasse tower (59 stories) for an incomparable 360 degree view of Paris. The tower itself stands out like a sore thumb, but it's the perfect place to view Paris FROM. I think they charge about 10 euros to take the elevator up. If the weather is bad you can view from inside the 56th floor, but if it's not raining go all the way up to the roof and you'll be glad you did!