Vertigo?

Is it true if you suffer from occasional vertigo that you shouldn%26#39;t go up to the top of the eiffel tower?

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Is it true that someone who may be uncomfortable with heights should not go up a tall man-made structure, with open girders, in order to look down and enjoy the view ???? Hmm let%26#39;s see ;-)

Bear in mind that the wait at the foot of the tower, watching the lifts go up and down can also lead to increased anxiety levels in some people. If you suspect that you or a member of your group may be uncomfortable don%26#39;t take them up - it would be a shame to spoil the experience of the others.

A %26#39;safer%26#39; alternatiive would be the Montparnasse tower where you still get the veiws but are not exposed to the elements / constantly reminded how far down it is by glancing through gaps in the structure. (Oh and really avoid the Notre Dame towers, you%26#39;re not so high but the nearness of the ground almost makes it worse.)

I don%26#39;t have vertigo but think that %26#39;going up %26#39; buildings is overrated anyway. (Surely the point of the Statue of Liberty is what it represents and the view of it from the water not queueing to climb up her insides ?) I love the Eiffel Tower, it lifts my spirits when I catch unexpected glimpses but, well I went up once as a kid but feel no need to repeat the experience. I%26#39;ve been in Paris now over three years and go to the tower a couple of times a year but just to sit near the bottom or as part of an afternoon stroll, you don%26#39;t need to go up to be impressed.

If you want a view %26#39;over%26#39; Paris then the steps in front of the Sacre Coeur or Parc Belleville fit the bill. (Although I know of some people with bad vertigo who find the steep steps on certain Montmartre streets a bit worrying.)

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I dislike %26#39;heights%26#39; and particularly loathe spiral staircases!

I had no wish whatsoever to go up the Eiffel Tower or Notre Dame, but enjoyed the Tour Montparnasse. The 56th floor is fully enclosed and is quite a large area, with a cafe, video room, loos etc; also because you go up in a lift there is no long descent of stairs afterwards. You may prefer not to go up the optional extra stairway to the open 59th floor, but some others in your party may enjoy going up.

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Where exactly is Tour Montparnasse?

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Montparnasse is in the 15e arrondissement. If you look on a map of Paris, find the 15e (it%26#39;s towards the south west) you will see Boulevard Montparnasse. Follow that along and you should see the Tour just to the south of it, between the Gare Montparnasse and the Boulevard, off a small street called Rue du Depart.

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ML - I suffer from vertigo - sometimes quite severely. However, I dodn%26#39;t have any problems going to up the second floor. I did chicken out at going up to the top, though. ( I%26#39;m going to try to be MUCH braver next time and go to the top.)

The lift actually goes up on an agle, which is a bit wierd - and if you look inwards, instead of outwards, I found it quite ok. I was fine when I got out of the lift and walked around.

Have a go - you%26#39;ll be fine...

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My hubby found going up in the last lift very unsettling but was fine once he was up, My daughter was very uncomfortable on the upper level, but has never bothered with heights before.

My advice would be not to waste your money or time queuing if there is any hint that you don%26#39;t like heights.

I agree that Tour Parnesse (spelling?) is s great alternative if you still want views and the braver ones can still go to the roof for and out door view while you can get a 360 from indoors.

The best veiw of the Effiel Tower is at night from across the river when the lights twinkle. Stunning and magical.

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I can%26#39;t believe that there was once nothing I wouldn%26#39;t climb. The Eiffel Tower, the 700+ foot tall spire of the Dom Cathedral in Cologne, to the top of St. Paul%26#39;s in London and base jumping from Angel Falls in Venezuela. But ever since my %26quot;accident%26quot; in 1997, I suffer from severe vertigo. Last year on a trip to Germany, I almost lost it on the bridge where autobahn 61 crosses the Moselle River close to 1000 feet above the river. I had driven over that bridge a hundred times in the past, with no problem. The bridge is about a kilometer long and has a sharp curve in it. On the way back to Cologne I took a 50 mile detour just to avoid that bridge.

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Anybody ever ride the elevator to the top of the 740 foot tall Gateway Arch in St. Louis? The elevators are round in shape, like an aspirin and you sit down in them. They are round to account for the curve in the arch and about every 100 feet are so, they automatically rotate to stay level. I didn%26#39;t know that and the first time it rotated, I thought we were falling and let out a shriek like a banshee, scaring the heck out of every body on the elevator who then shrieked themselves. My buddy made fun of the the rest of the way up. When we got the the observation deck at the top, he totally froze and I had to lead him to the down elevator. Needless to say, I kidded my the entire way down.

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It%26#39;s simple buhryn, Tour Montparnasse is the big ugly black square sticking up in the south of the city - best view of Paris is from there because you can%26#39;t see it spoiling the skyline ;)

Take the metro to Gare Montparnasse (half a dozen lines pass through) and it%26#39;s just outside the main entrance.