Place du Trocadéro
The terrace that frames the Eiffel Tower across the river
- Area 16th arrondissement
- Type Viewpoint
- Time needed 30m
Place du Trocadéro-et-du-11-Novembre sits on the hill in the 16th behind the Palais de Chaillot, and the terrace between the palace's two curved wings is the best-known place to photograph the Eiffel Tower whole, across the Seine. The Palais de Chaillot was built for the 1937 exposition on the site of an earlier Trocadéro palace. The space is open ground: there is no ticket, no gate and no closing time.
Open in the planner →Getting there
Metro 6 and 9 both serve Trocadéro, and the exit puts you on the square itself; from Châtelet it is about fifteen minutes on line 1 to Franklin D. Roosevelt then line 9, or line 6 round from Charles de Gaulle Étoile. Bus 22, 30, 32 and 63 stop at the square. Coming from the tower side, cross the Pont d'Iéna or the Passerelle Debilly and climb through the Jardins du Trocadéro, which takes around ten minutes uphill.
What you see
Walk through the gap between the two wings of the Palais de Chaillot and the view opens suddenly: the gilded figures on the terrace in the foreground, the Jardins du Trocadéro dropping away in terraces, the fountains and water cannon of the Varsovie basin, then the river and the tower rising behind. The terrace itself is wide stone with bronze statues along the parapet. The gardens below are worth the descent for the fountains and for a lower angle on the tower. The square behind holds the Cimetière de Passy and several museums housed in the palace wings.
What to pair it with
The Eiffel Tower is directly across the river, fifteen minutes on foot. The Palais de Tokyo is a ten-minute walk east along avenue du Président Wilson, and the Arc de Triomphe is about twenty minutes up avenue Kleber.
When to go
Sunrise and the half hour before it are genuinely quiet and give the cleanest light on the tower; by mid-morning the terrace is full. Evening is crowded but the tower is lit, and it sparkles for a few minutes on the hour after dark. Winter mornings are the emptiest. The fountains in the gardens run on a seasonal schedule and are off in cold weather.
What is hard about it
Be clear about what the terrace is actually like: it is thick with people photographing the tower, often in organised shifts, and with persistent sellers of miniature towers, drinks and trinkets who will approach repeatedly and do not take a first no. Pickpocketing is a real problem in the crush. There is no shade and no seating to speak of on the terrace itself, the gardens involve a steep set of steps, and at busy hours getting an unobstructed photograph takes patience rather than luck.
Common questions
How long do you need at Trocadéro?
Half an hour covers the terrace and the view. Add another half hour if you walk down through the gardens to the river.
Do you need a ticket?
No. The square, the terrace and the gardens are open public space with no entry charge at any hour.
Is it the best view of the Eiffel Tower?
It is the best place to see the whole tower from base to tip in one frame. For a closer, more dramatic angle, the Champ de Mars side is better.
Nearby
- Bois de BoulogneThe city's western wood, with lakes, gardens and racecourses
- Palais de TokyoRaw concrete halls given over to contemporary art, open late
- Musée Marmottan MonetThe largest Monet collection, including Impression, Sunrise
More of the same kind
Part of these routes
- The Eiffel Tower and the InvalidesThe tower from below and above, the gilded dome, and the terrace that frames it all.
- Paris in three daysThe short list, ordered so each day holds together and nothing is crossed twice.
- Paris in five daysA fuller first visit: the island, the Louvre, the Left Bank, Montmartre and Versailles.
- Paris at lengthEverything the other routes cover, spread over unhurried days with nothing rushed.