Champ de Mars

The most privileged place to see the Eiffel Tower in Paris is Champ de Mars, the park where the monument is located. From any place in the gardens you can see the huge tower really closely, admiring its details and greatness.

Once in the park, you can walk under the Eiffel Tower, and only by seeing it so closely you will be able to understand its dimensions. The monument was the biggest in the world until 1930 (when Empire State Building in New York broke the record), and it is 324 meters high - bigger than a 100 floors building.

Altough it seems like the park was made for the tower, it was actually the contrary. Champ de Mars existed even before the Eiffel Tower was built, in 1889, and it is as important as the monument.

It is the biggest green area in Paris, with 25 hectares - originally it had 42 hectares of area, but most of this space was taken by buildings.

History

Champ de Mars used to be a military area in the 18th and 19th centuries. It was a training field for the French army, where more than 10 thousand soldiers would get prepared for war.

Since it was such a beautiful place, surrounded by vineyards, it was also used for official events such as parades and celebrations. Only during this episodes the park was open for public.

During the French Revolution, the place was the stage of many protests. In 1791 many people gathered to ask for the king Luis XVI destitution. The national guard repressed the manifestation and more than 50 people were killed. This episode is known as Champ de Mars Massacre.

Only in 1889, the French Revolution centennial, when Tour Eiffel was inaugurated, Champ de Mars became a public park.

Visitations

Champ de Mars is now open for public day or night, and it is a great place for jogging, practising sports, walking dogs, enjoying the open air and, most of all, to visit Eiffel Tower.

Location

It is located near 7th arrondissement region in Paris, on the left side of the Seine river. The neighbourhood is fulled with restaurants, bakeries and cute grocery stores. It is a residencial, but also touristic place, due to the Eiffel Tower. A great place where Parisians and foreigners meet.

You can get there by train or subway. The closest stations are Champ de Mars (RER C train) and École Militaire (line 8).

Also, if you're into walking, you can drop off at Trocadero subway station (lines 6 and 9) and get to know this other attraction - also with a great view of Eiffel Tower, but from the other side of the river.

Or you can walk from Invalides station (RER C, line 8 and 13) and see the Invalides Palace on your way - as well as Parisians residential streets. Maybe grab a croissant at a boulangerie (French word for bakery) and feel like a real local while walking towards the Eiffel Tower.

This post has more information about Paris, as well as their NYE celebrations!