Gustave Eiffel was “the object of general envy” among Parisians during his lifetime, and it wasn’t for designing one of the most famous monuments of all time. Rather, it was due to the fact that he had a private apartment at the top of the tower—and almost no one else was allowed access to it.
In his book La Tour Eiffel de Trois Cent Métres (The Eiffel Tower of 300 Meters), author Henri Girard explains that Parisians would offer up “a small fortune” to rent the space for a single night, but Eiffel consistently refused. However, he would occasionally entertain guests of the utmost prestige (Thomas Edison is one notable example).
Unlike the scientific marvel of steel and hard lines it’s housed in, the pied à terre is cozy and romantic—think paisley wallpaper, wood furniture, and oil paintings. All in all, not a shabby place to view Paris from the best vantage point in town.
While Eiffel Tower visitors were previously denied access to the apartment (what Monsieur Eiffel would have wanted, no doubt), vacation rental site HomeAway made a second tower "apartment" (more an unused conference space) available for limited stays in the summer of 2016. At long last, we mere peasants could see what it’s like to live at the world’s most enviable address.
This article was originally published in April 2015; it has been updated with new information.
