SHARE
COPY LINK

EIFFEL TOWER

Paris: Eiffel Tower announces date for reopening

The Eiffel Tower, one of the most visited sites in Paris, will reopen to the public on June 25th more than three months after closing in France's coronavirus lockdown, its operators said Tuesday.

Paris: Eiffel Tower announces date for reopening
AFP

The landmark will emerge from its longest closure since World War II with limited visitor numbers at first, and face masks mandatory for all over the age of 11, said the Eiffel Tower website.

“At first, only visits by the stairs will be available,” and not by elevator, it said, as a means of ensuring a safe distance between people to limit infection risk.

READ ALSO: 13 things you probably didn't know about the Eiffel Tower

“To ensure that ascending and descending visitors do not meet in the stairs, ascent will take place from the East pillar and descent by the West pillar,” added the website, with a limited number of visitors per floor at a time.

The top level will remain closed for now, “since the lifts taking visitors from second to top floor are small. It might re-open during the summer.”

The statement said ground markings will be put in place to ensure people keep their distance from one another, with “daily cleaning and disinfection of public spaces at the tower.”

 

The monument, completed in 1889, receives about seven million visitors every year, about three-quarters of them from abroad, according to the tower website.

Versailles and Louvre

The Palace of Versailles will open on Saturday whilst the Louvre museum in Paris, home to the Mona Lisa, is to reopen on July 6th after the government allowed French museums and historic sites to reopen their doors following the coronavirus shutdown.

Culture Minister Franck Riester has said that wearing a mask would be obligatory for visiting a museum in France while some will have to impose prior reservation systems to avoid a heavy influx of visitors.

“The implementation of a reservation system as well as new signs will allow us to offer maximum safety to our visitors, in addition to wearing a mask and respecting social distancing,” the Louvre said in a statement.

It added that online reservations for visiting the Louvre when it reopens on July 6th would open on June 15th.

Tickets in advance

The tourism industry of France, one of the world's most visited countries, has taken a hard hit under a lockdown to halt the COVID-19 pandemic, with hotels, restaurants, museums, and theatres closed.

“The re-opening date of our online ticket office will be soon communicated,” said the Eiffel website.

“We strongly encourage our visitors to opt for online ticket purchase, in order to avoid the wait at the Tower's ticket offices.”

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

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.

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.

SHOW COMMENTS