17/08/2026
Paris, when the City of Light earns its name!
There are few views that capture Paris quite like this: the Eiffel Tower rising above a sea of zinc rooftops as the sun disappears over the city. But there’s more to this view than a beautiful sunset.
🗼 The Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889 for the Exposition Universelle and was originally intended to stand for just 20 years. More than 135 years later, it remains the unmistakable symbol of Paris. Including its antennas, the tower now reaches approximately 330 metres, making it one of the tallest structures in the French capital.
🏠 And those distinctive grey-blue rooftops? They are part of the classic Parisian streetscape created during the huge transformation of Paris in the 19th century. Zinc became a popular roofing material because it was relatively light, durable and well suited to the steep mansard roofs that still give central Paris so much of its character.
At sunset, the contrast is spectacular: warm orange and gold skies above, cool slate-grey rooftops below, and the Eiffel Tower standing between them.
It is a reminder that some of the best experiences in Paris don't necessarily happen inside an attraction. Sometimes it is simply about finding the right rooftop, bridge, terrace or viewpoint,and watching the city change as daylight disappears.
Top Paris travel tip: If you want photographs like this, plan your viewpoint around 30–45 minutes before sunset. You’ll get the golden-hour colours, the sunset itself and, if you stay a little longer, the beautiful blue hour when Paris slowly begins to light up.
Would you rather see the Eiffel Tower from street level, a rooftop viewpoint, the Seine… or from the tower itself?
