Tour Montparnasse

The city of Paris is renowned for preserving most of its ancient buildings, which are now termed monuments owing to their breathtaking designs that have been lost in time. Most of the places of interest in Paris have a French history, and as such attract huge tourist numbers. But this is not to say that the city shies away from modernity. Paris is an economic hub and this means that it keeps up with the conventional building designs seen in today’s leading cities. An iconic landmark to signify this is the Tour Montparnasse, a skyscraper in the heart of Paris and one of the tallest buildings in the whole of Europe. Stretching to a height of a 210m, the structure is colossal, and one of the more easily recognizable buildings if you get a panoramic view of the city.

The Tour Montparnasse was built over the course of 4 years ending in 1972. For a building that stood tallest in all of Europe at the time, it was not as warmly received as it orientated towards a more futuristic Paris with a taller than expected height. It broke the architectural consistency and it was the last building of its size and stature to be built in the heart of the city. The fact that it is the last far reaching sky-scraper, together with its high altitude that gives a panoramic view of Paris, makes it an important point of interest. While the entire building is dedicated to office space, the top floor is reserved for Parisians and tourists who want an uninterrupted view of Paris from one the highest points of the city. There is a restaurant on the top most floor, and as one can imagine, it provides a fine dining experience as you get a picturesque view of Paris.

One cannot conclusively say if the Tour Montparnasse has stuck to the French architectural design, as it is a modern skyscraper and it is designed that way. So as an attraction by itself, the skyscraper does not offer anything extraordinary. However, the view you get whilst on the 56th floor is breathtaking. It fills with awe, and a sense of calmness, as the view it offers is a rare thing, partially similar to that offered by the Eiffel Tower. The 59th floor has an observatory deck as well for those willing to go to the maximum height. On a clear night, the lit up city of Paris looks modern and the view is magnificent to say the least. Watching a sunset from the tallness of the Tour Montparnasse is beyond words.

It has been argued that the Tour Montparnasse gives you a better view of the French city than the Eiffel. It does have a larger observatory, which has a café bar, telescopes and seating as well. The top-most floor is for the brave and the bold, and doubles as an observatory as well as a helipad. While you might visit the many landmarks and monuments in Paris, your trip is never truly complete when you don’t get the panoramic view of the entire city. And don’t just do it on the Eiffel Tower, do it on the Tour Montparnasse as well.