Montparnasse Tower

Montparnasse Tower is a 59-story office skyscraper in the center of Paris, whose observation deck is considered the best place to view the central districts of the French capital. Although the tower has stood in the city for over 40 years, it continues to be the only skyscraper within city blocks. Other high-rise towers, and there are over twenty in Paris, are built in the capital’s suburbs.

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Highlights

The Montparnasse Tower rises to a height of 210 meters. For a long time, it was considered the tallest building in the city until the Tour First skyscraper in the Defence district (231 meters) was completed in 2010. In addition to 59 above-ground floors, the tower has 6 underground levels. It rises above several lines of the capital’s metro and has a special design. The skyscraper’s foundation is deepened by 70 meters and consists of 56 reinforced concrete piers. The Montparnasse Tower has a total floor area of 120,000 m² and its facade covers an area of 40,000 m².

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For lighting, 7,200 windows are mounted on the high-rise building. It is noteworthy that the construction of the tower took place before the tendency to install windows in all offices in high-rise architecture, so Montparnasse has windows only in those office spaces located on the perimeter of the building.

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The skyscraper weighs 150,000 tons and is served by 25 passenger elevators and 5 freight elevators. The stairs to get to the top consist of 1,306 steps. The fastest of the elevators reaches speeds of up to 5 m/s and covers the height of 196 m from the first to the 56th floor in just 38 seconds. The last floors of the high-rise structure can only be reached by stairs. In addition to a year-round observation deck at the top of the Montparnasse Tower, a souvenir store and a café are open.

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Notably, Parisians themselves are critical of high-rises. When the Eiffel Tower was built in the city, it received a lot of bad reviews. And after the appearance of the Montparnasse Tower in Paris, a saying appeared that a great view from this skyscraper opens up only because it itself remains out of sight. Today, the attitude to high-rise buildings among Parisians and tourists cannot be called unambiguous. Some believe that they spoil the view of the French capital, and others are convinced that skyscrapers are quite appropriate, as they are symbols of the new Paris.

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History of Montparnasse Tower

Before the Montparnasse Tower, this part of Paris was home to a small train station. Over time, passenger traffic increased so much that the station was no longer able to cope. Radical changes were needed. The city authorities managed to solve the problem by taking it underground, and on the vacated site it was decided to erect a high-rise building.

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The skyscraper began construction in 1969. The construction of the high-rise over the city streets and the extensive subway network was a difficult engineering task and took almost four years.

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Observation deck

The Montparnasse Tower observation deck has two levels. On the 56th floor is an enclosed observation deck and on the 59th floor is an open viewing terrace, which has a glass fence for the safety of tourists. Full circular view allows you to see in detail all the main sights of the central part of Paris – the Eiffel Tower, the Arc de Triomphe, the Louvre, the roofs of ancient buildings and straight green avenues. In clear weather, the skyscraper can be seen from a distance of 40 kilometers.

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On the 56th floor there are interactive screens with touch orientation, with the help of which you can learn a lot of curious information about the monuments of Paris. It is very convenient that information about the sights is available in several languages, including Russian.

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A ticket to the observation deck costs 15 euros and with it you can visit the bar on the 56th floor of the skyscraper for free. Children under the age of 7 are admitted to the Montparnasse Tower for free, and discounted tickets are available for older children, students and people with disabilities.

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The Montparnasse Tower observation deck is open on a schedule. From October through March, it is open Sunday through Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 10:30 p.m., Fridays, Saturdays and pre-holidays from 9:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.. From April through September, any day of the week from 9.30 a.m. to 11.30 p.m.

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If you want to see the city from above, you should take into account that the queue at the Montparnasse Tower ticket office is usually small. You will have to stand for no more than 15 minutes. While waiting in line for the Eiffel Tower can take 2-3 hours.

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What to see near Montparnasse Tower

Not far from the skyscraper, at 3 Boulevard Edgar Quinet, is the famous Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris. Here are the graves of poet Charles Pierre Baudelaire, composer Camille Saint-Saëns, sculptor Osip Tsadkin, film director Jacques Demy, actor and songwriter Serge Gainsbourg, and writers Julio Cortázar, Jean-Paul Sartre, and Simone de Beauvoir. The cemetery grounds are open any day from 8 a.m. on weekdays, 8:30 a.m. on Saturdays and 9 a.m. on Sunday. Depending on the day of the week, the cemetery closes at 5:30 p.m. or 6 p.m.

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Near the Montparnasse tower, between the houses, spreads the territory of the Jardin Atlantique. This interesting place harmoniously combines engineering technology and landscape design. The garden is not visible from below, as it is located on a concrete platform, 18 meters above the streets, right on the roof of the Montparnasse station.

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The quarter around the skyscraper is considered one of the best places for evening strolls in Paris. There are many cozy restaurants and eateries here. Montparnasse has 60 cinema halls and 11 theaters, the most famous of which is Théâtre Montparnasse. And of course, in this part of the French capital there are quite a few museums. Tourists can visit the Museum of the Liberation of Paris, the Montparnasse Museum, the Osip Tzadkin House Museum and the Emile Bourdelle House Museum.

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How to get there

The Montparnasse Tower stands in the 15th arrondissement of the French capital, at Avenue du Maine, 33.

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The skyscraper can be reached by metro – to Montparnasse – Bienvenue station, through which trains of lines 4, 6, 12 and 13 run. If you come to Paris by train, keep in mind that the Montparnasse station and the tower are separated by only 200 meters. In addition, city buses nos. 28, 58, 82, 88, 89, 89, 91, 92, 94, 95 and 96 run to the Montparnasse Tower.

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There is a paid parking lot under the skyscraper.

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