France: the Eiffel Tower reopened its doors to tourists

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Tourists wearing protective masks visit the Eiffel Tower in Paris on the day it reopens to the public, June 25, 2020, in Paris. RFI / Pierre René-Worms

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After three and a half months of confinement, the Eiffel Tower, which welcomes nearly seven million visitors each year, reopened its doors this Thursday, June 25. The opportunity for Parisians and tourists to discover or rediscover the most visited Parisian monument in the world.

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It is with an air of batucada that the Eiffel Tower welcomed its first visitors for more than three months. And despite the crisis, it has apparently lost nothing of its power of attraction.

“  It's a bit of a must.  "  It is always impressive.  ","  It's "phew". I hadn't seen the Eiffel Tower up close for 10 years. We don't take the time, actually. "

With her friends, Adelaide made the short trip from Yvelines to Paris to enjoy, among other things, the attire of the Iron Lady, in a much more subdued atmosphere than usual, as confirmed by Belaïd, security officer:

“  It's calm compared to before, it's very very calm. There there are only Ile-de-France residents, there are not yet foreigners, we expected that,   "he said.

The reopening is accompanied by a few rules: signposted route for getting around, wearing a mandatory mask and lifts that are currently inaccessible. Visitors can reach the 2nd floor only by the staircase whose 674 steps are sometimes scary.

"  We hoped to go up, but with the children," explains a visitor. I'm going to climb three shutters of stairs to be able to descend, so we'll come back when the elevators are on the way  ”

The elevators should be available again from next week. The third floor of the Eiffel Tower will be accessible again on July 15.

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