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EIFFEL TOWER

VIDEO: Eiffel Tower becomes haven for thrill-seekers as it turns into 90km/h ride

Adrenalin junkies leapt from Paris's Eiffel Tower on Monday, flying through the air on a zipwire at up to 90 kilometres an hour.

Published: 6 June 2017 09:12 CEST
VIDEO: Eiffel Tower becomes haven for thrill-seekers as it turns into 90km/h ride
Photo: AFP
The free 55-mph rides are being organised by Perrier, the French sparkling water brand, as part of festivities during the last week of the French Open tennis championships, and will continue until Sunday.
 
The minute-long flight aims to give participants a taste of what a smash serve might feel like — where speeds regularly exceed 200 kilometres an hour.
 
 
Riders depart from the second floor of the famous landmark, about 115 metres (380 feet) above the ground, and travel 800 metres down toward the other end of the Champs de Mars park at the foot of the tower.
 
The first participants took to the air under blue skies on Monday.
 
The thrill seekers were selected in an online draw last week, and around 100 rides are planned before the men's final on Sunday at Roland Garros in western Paris.

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TOURISM

Eiffel Tower reopens from its longest closure since World War II

The Eiffel Tower reopened to visitors on Friday for the first time in nine months following its longest closure since World War II.

Published: 16 July 2021 09:25 CEST
Eiffel Tower reopens from its longest closure since World War II
The Eiffel Tower reopens on Friday. Photo: Sameer Al-Doumy/AFP

The lifts of the Dame de fer (Iron Lady) are set to whir back into life, transporting tourists to its 300-metre summit, ending a long period of inactivity caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.

Daily capacity is restricted to 13,000 people, however, about half of the normal level, in order to respect social distancing.

And from Wednesday next week, visitors will need to show either proof of vaccination or a negative test, in line with recent government-imposed requirements on the pass sanitaire (health passport).

READ ALSO How France’s expanded health passport will work this summer

“Obviously it’s an additional operational complication, but it’s manageable,” the head of the operating company, Jean-François Martins, told AFP.

After a final round of safety checks by staff, he announced that the “lady is ready”.

Early reservations for tickets during the summer holiday period underline how the tourism industry in Paris has changed due to travel restrictions.

Martins said there was an “almost total absence” of British ticket holders, while only 15 percent were Americans and very few are from Asia.

READ ALSO Eiffel Tower: 13 things you didn’t know about Paris’ ‘iron lady’

Half of visitors are expected to be French, while Italians and Spanish make up a higher proportion than usual.

The long closure has caused havoc with the finances of the operating company, Sete, which runs the monument on behalf of Paris city authorities.

It is set to seek additional government aid and a fresh €60-million cash injection to stay afloat, having seen its revenues fall by 75 percent to €25 million in 2020.

The masterpiece by architect Gustave Eiffel has also been hit by problems linked to its latest paint job, the 20th time it has been repainted since its construction in 1889.

Work was halted in February because of high levels of lead detected on the site, which poses a health risk to workers.

Tests are still underway and painting is set to resume only in the autumn, meaning a part of the facade is obscured by scaffolding and safety nets.

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