Here’s your sneak peek into the secret Eiffel Tower apartment!

If there is any monument in the city of Paris that is an everlasting symbol of love, happiness and perseverance, it is the Eiffel Tower. Constructed in 1889 as the entrance arch of the World’s Fair, the iron lattice tower is now a beloved monument attracting thousands of visitors every year. Located in the heart of the city, the Eiffel Tower can be spotted from almost all corners of the City of Lights.

Named after the man behind the colossal monument architect Gustave Eiffel, the iron marvel has two floors and a summit. All three levels of the Eiffel Tower are feature-packed and offer unparalleled vistas of the Parisian skyline.

However, it is relatively unknown that the summit of the monument features a unique detail - a secret Eiffel Tower apartment.

Gustave’s Secret Apartment on Top of the Eiffel Tower

Room on top of the Eiffel Tower with Restricted Access

With the completion of Eiffel Tower in 1889, it was revealed that Gustave Eiffel had added a secret apartment on top of the Eiffel Tower. At that point in time, it was the highest apartment in the world and offered a view of Paris which was almost unimaginable.

Gustave’s apartment gained the envy of the Paris elite and many offered small fortunes to stay in the apartment for a small duration. Gustave was quite selective and did not allow any guests to stay in his apartment. However, a handful of people, like Thomas Alva Edison, were allowed to visit and stay in his apartment.

Eiffel Tower Apartment - Living on top of the world

Unlike the metallic and brazen nature of the monument, the apartment itself has an oddly quaint and homely feeling to it. Wrapped in paisley wallpaper and filled with wood furniture, Gustave wanted it to be his little escape from the city hussle. He also kept oil paintings, gramophones, and a grand piano in his apartment, making it quite a fancy escapade.

He also ensured that there was a fully functioning laboratory in the apartment. Even today, nearly 92 years after Gustave's death, the Eiffel Tower secret apartment is not open to the public to explore. However, visiotrs can take a glance of Gustave's office while exploring the Eiffel Tower Summit.

Scientific endeavors at the Eiffel Tower Apartment

The Eiffel Tower has been renovated many times over the years and now features an array of technological advancements, including radio and telegraph antennas. The building was originally designed to be demolished in 20 years, but the addition of a wireless antenna on the top saved it from demolition.

Aerial wires ran from the cupola to anchors on the Avenue de Suffren and Champ de Mars up until the 1950s. Small bunkers were at the end of these longwave transmitters. An underground radio station was built near the Southern pillar in 1909. The room on top of the Eiffel Tower played a crucial role in the functioning of the transmitters.

Gustave utilized the apartment at the top of the Eiffel Tower to conduct long distance tests for wireless transmissions and even invited scientific minds such as Thomas Edison for visiting the apartment. He further used the apartment to carry out meteorological observations and as a base to study the action of air resistance on falling bodies.

Visiting the Secret Eiffel Tower Apartment

Image Courtesy: Architectural Digest Photo by: Serge Melki

Gustave Eiffel's Apartment now Features Two Wax Figures

The Eiffel Tower secret apartment has been maintained and renovated over the years and still remains in the same condition as Gustave left it. The paisley wallpaper, the furniture, and the grand piano are all in place and have not been altered by anyone. The apartment is maintained and cleaned every now and then.

Even though the apartment is located on the highly popular Eiffel Tower top floor, it’s is off-limits for visitors. However, it is opened every once in a while. The apartment now sports two wax figures of Thomas Edison and Gustav Eiffel and recreates the setting they worked in.

How much does it cost to Visit the Eiffel Tower Apartment?

Once you make your way to Eiffel Tower Summit and are lucky enough to visit the secret apartment Eiffel Tower, there is no charge for admission. Although you cannot live in the apartment even for a few hours, many companies have used a similar loft, an unused conference space, as a makeshift apartment for some lucky visitors.

Eiffel Tower Apartment Tickets

The room at the top of Eiffel Tower has now been renamed as Gustave’s office, where you will find wax figurines of Thomas Edison, Gustave Eiffel, and his daughter. Although you cannot go inside it, you can still view the Eiffel Tower apartment from the outside.

There is no entry fee for this area as it is a part of the general Eiffel Tower summit admission.

Staying at the Apartment on the Eiffel Tower

When it was first discovered that Gustave Eiffel had managed to sneak in an apartment on the top floor of Eiffel Tower, elite Parisians wanted to get a taste of what it was like to live nearly 1000 feet above the ground.

Eiffel Tower, one of the tallest buildings in the world at the time, offered unparalleled views of the Champs de Mars and the City of Lights. It was something even the richest Parisians could only dream of. However, Gustave ensured that no one used his apartment, apart from guests invited by him personally.

Can you rent the Eiffel Tower apartment?

Despite his death nearly a century ago, no one is still allowed to stay in Gustave Eiffel’s apartment. It has now been restored into a museum and looks exactly like how it was in the late 19th century.

Some lucky visitors did get to stay in the Eiffel Tower

In 2016, a rental site “HomeAway” used an unused space at the top of the Eiffel Tower and converted it into a second apartment for a few lucky visitors. A competition was held in the summer and the winners got to spend a night at the world’s most coveted address.

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