Going up the Eiffel Tower is one of the great travel thrills in Europe. Sure, it's crowded and expensive, and other spots in Paris offer (arguably) better views. But once you make the eye-popping ascent — and ear-popping descent — you'll be in the exclusive society of some 250 million people who have made the Eiffel Tower one of the most visited monuments in the world. The first visitors ascended in 1889, the year the Paris World's Fair opened with the tower as its grand centerpiece. Put together like an 18,000-piece erector set, made of iron beams held together with 2.5 million rivets, the tower was a pure showpiece, with no functional purpose. It was meant to demonstrate to the world that France had the know-how and money to erect the tallest structure in the world. Since entry lines to visit the Eiffel Tower are notoriously long — with normal wait times of one to two hours — purchase an advance ticket as soon as your Paris dates are set #ricksteveseurope #ricksteves #travelparis #eiffeltowerparis #paristravel