Overview of Eiffel Tower Neighborhood

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This photograph shows the area surrounding the Eiffel Tower, in order to give you an idea of how it is situated.

You are looking roughly northwest in this photo—the Eiffel Tower itself is aligned to the points of the compass, so the side of the tower opposite the camera in this photo faces exactly northwest. The photo was taken a little before noon from the top of the Montparnasse Tower, slightly over two kilometres away. This day was a bit smoggy.

The Y-shaped building in the lower left corner of the picture is the headquarters of UNESCO, the United Nations Scientific and Cultural Organization. Just behind it, and extending across the bottom of the photo, you can see the École Militaire, one of the grandes écoles, the French equivalent of an Ivy League university. Beyond that is the parc du Champ de Mars, a large greenbelt extending from the military school to the Eiffel Tower itself; it is about 900 metres in length, and the near end of this greenbelt is the spot from which my photo of the southeast side of the tower was taken. Beyond that is the tower itself, and behind the tower is the Seine River and the Iéna Bridge, although both are obscured by trees here. Further on are the Trocadéro Gardens, enclosed by the half-circle formed by the two wings of the Palais de Chaillot; my main photo of the Eiffel Tower was taken from a spot between the two wings of this palace.

Behind the Palais de Chaillot, you can see a large chunk of the sixteenth arrondissement or district, one of the nicest parts of residential Paris, here partially shaded by clouds, and beyond that, the vast forested area of the huge Bois de Boulogne city park (by far the largest park in Paris). Finally, behind the Bois, you can see the skyscrapers of the La Défense business district just outside Paris; the Grande Arche is barely visible directly behind the tower (the Grande Arche, Eiffel Tower, and Montparnasse Tower all happen to be aligned with each other).

Photographed on June 12, 2001.