While planning the itinerary for our trip to Paris last May, I made it a point to schedule time for enjoying a specific view at Sunset/Dusk every day (my favorite time of day).

This was the view I was most looking forward to, and it surpassed my expectations.

From the 56th floor of Le Tour Montparnasse, and if you are especially daring and weather permits: the rooftop, you will find what are by far the best views in all of Paris. It was rather windy the night we were there, so we stayed inside, and the views, as you can see, were absolutely stunning.

Because of the 360 degree views of Paris that can be seen from this, the only skyscraper located within the city of Paris, I wanted to arrive early enough to enjoy certain views that could only be appreciated during the daylight hours, such as the Cemetery Montparnasse and Luxembourg Gardens (below), and the Gare Montparnasse (the train station located behind the tower - not shown).

View of Cemetery Montparnasse from Tour Montparnasse

View of Luxembourg Gardens and Notre Dame from Tour Montparnasse

We arrived about an hour before Sunset, which took place just after 9:40 p.m. during the nine days of our visit.

Having purchased the Paris Pass online for Tony and myself, we had two free passes to the tower (Admission is 10EU for Adults), but we still needed to redeem the admission tickets at the ticket window. Fortunately, there was no queue.

A few short minutes later, we were admitted to the the tower and escorted to an elevator. We enjoyed an informative video about the tower and the elevator that we were riding in, while rapidly climbing the 56 floors to Espace 56 and the Montparnasse 360.

There is a cafe, which was more like a snack bar serving wine and beer, as well as sandwiches, salads, pastries and some hot dishes - very casual. We ordered a couple glasses of rose, and perused the perimeter, which was decorated with information about the view the and landmarks, as well as history of the sights before you. Telescopes and modern chairs were provided along the perimeter, for better viewing.

We had just enough time to look around, snap some daylight shots, and read up on everything before the sunset and after dark spectacle commenced. Our main reason coming.

One of the great things about this monument is that very few know about it. I suppose that is due to change, and I am certainly not helping matters with my post, but… my readers deserve to know the hot tips!

Le Tour Montparnasse is definitely the place to be for the best view AND the least crowds.

Take a tip from me and arrive an hour before sunset, and stay after dark.

There are plenty of fun things to do and great dinner options within walking distance of the tower, including Le Coupole (blog post to follow), Creperie Josselin and numerous other creperies, Le Timbre, Monsieur Lapin, Le Dome, and Le Galleries Lafayette.

Visited on Friday, May 23, 2008 at 8:50 p.m.

Tour Montparnasse 56
33, Avenue du Maine
Paris
Open Daily from 9:30 a.m. - 10:30 p.m. (sometimes until 11:30 p.m. - check here for schedule and other details)