Eiffel Tower Travel Hack Only Paris Locals Know

Simply magical.

Eiffel Tower Travel Hack Only Paris Locals Know

Most tourists wander through Paris blissfully unaware they are missing out on one of the city’s coolest attractions. If you’d like the wool to be pulled from your eyes though, and have your optic nerves connected to something slick, we recommend you watch the following video.

All a bit fanciful? Watch the video below and you be the judge.

The video above, which is credited to Instagram account @eliaxsimon (whose profile states they are a Labour & employment law solicitor), was reposted on Parisian Snobiety at the start of this month. The video begins with the phrase, “I bet you didn’t know how the lights switch off at 1am.”

“Look at this.”

The video then shows how the lights turn off, with the bottom section going first, then the top section, and then the whole tower being illuminated by dancing, almost Christmas-esque lights.

“Oh man! I remember seeing this and it was magical!!!” one wrote.

Not everyone was blown away by this free light show, however. One follower of Parisian Snobiety, @dentist_claw, wrote; “If this disco light shines through my window at 1 am at night. I’m moving out of that place.”

Another, Instagram user @_am___mariemb, said: “It starts at 8pm, every hour for 5 min it glitters. Not just at 1am, it actually stops at 1am. Petite note.”

Another user, @laura_ashley1398, then shared a smart Eiffel Tower light show hack. She wrote: “If you’re at jules Verne then you can see it from inside which is so cool!”

Jules Verne is a restaurant in the Eiffel Tower, known for its creative French cuisine and city views. As for its price, one Google Review reads: “My wife and I ate there a few weeks ago and our total bill was $700 for the two of us.”

This hack is also recommended by Culture Trip, who wrote in their Eiffell Tower travel hacks article: “Making a reservation at one of the Eiffel Tower’s two restaurants will also allow you to skip the line as both have a separate entrance.”

“You can either go informal on the 1st floor with 58 Tour Eiffel, where a chic picnic will cost you €42.50; or opt for a fine dining experience on the 2nd level with Le Jules Verne, where you can enjoy a three-course lunch menu for €105 and a five- or six-course dinner menu for €190 or €230.”

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It’s also interesting to note that technically taking videos and photos of the Eiffel tower is illegal due to an old copyright law.

As YouTube video creator Half As Interesting explains, copyright law gives the “original creator of a thing exclusive rights to its sale and distribution for as long as they live, plus a certain amount of time.”

The Eiffel Tower’s copyright expired in 1993, so its likeness, design and structure is in the public domain. This means you’re allowed to take, share, sell, or publish as many photos and videos of the tower as you want – during the day.

But because the tower’s nighttime light show was added in 1985 it’s still protected under France’s copyright law as an artistic work.

Thus, Insider reports, “It’s illegal to share, sell, or publish photos and videos of the night-lit Eiffel Tower without prior permission from the Société d’Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel.”

“That said, the Eiffel Tower’s copyright has never been enforced in court” (Insider).

Something to ponder over your next burnt Cappuccino