Paris Las Vegas - Half an Eiffel Tower

Paris Las Vegas - Half an Eiffel Tower

Photo: Bernard Spragg. NZ from Christchurch, New Zealand, CC0 (cropped)

A stop on Las Vegas Strip Walk, a free self-guided tour.

Cross the Boulevard and look up. This is a half-scale copy of the Eiffel Tower, about 540 feet tall, and it opened with Paris Las Vegas in September 1999. The architects studied Gustave Eiffel's original blueprints, but they built theirs of welded steel, then added fake rivets so it would look like the 1889 original.

Here's the fun part: only one of the four legs stands outside on the Strip. The other three come down right through the roof into the casino, so if you walk inside you'll find giant iron feet planted among the slot machines.

The rest of the facade keeps up the act, with a two-thirds-scale Arc de Triomphe and a big hot-air balloon sign. An elevator carries paying visitors to an observation deck at 460 feet, with a view straight down onto the Bellagio fountains. It's Paris, minus the jet lag, plus a lot more neon.

Getting here: From Bellagio, use the nearest pedestrian bridge to cross Las Vegas Boulevard to the east side; the tower stands in front of Paris.

Did you know?: The tower's observation deck sits at 460 feet - exactly as high as the tallest jets of the Bellagio fountains across the street.

Photo op: Stand under the outdoor leg and shoot straight up through the ironwork, or frame the whole tower from the Bellagio lake railing.

More on Wikipedia: Paris Las Vegas · Eiffel Tower · Gustave Eiffel

Stops on this tour

  1. Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas Sign - The Photo Everyone Takes
  2. Fountains of Bellagio - A Lake in the Desert
  3. Bellagio Conservatory - A Garden That Changes Its Clothes
  4. Paris Las Vegas - Half an Eiffel Tower
  5. Flamingo - Where the Mob Moved In
  6. High Roller - A Half-Hour Lap Above the Strip
  7. Forum Shops at Caesars - Shopping in Ancient Rome
  8. The Mirage Volcano Site - Where the Megaresorts Began
  9. The Venetian - Gondolas on the Strip
  10. Sphere - The Strip's Giant Glowing Ball
  11. Neon Museum - Where Old Signs Go to Rest
  12. Fremont Street Experience - Where Las Vegas Began