The Best Views of Paris from the Tour Saint-Jacques

Editorial update, August 2022: Guided tours of the Saint-Jacques Tower are now offered by the agency MagmaCultura. Reservations can only be made online. Ticketing link: www.toursaintjacques.fr. Full price is 12 euros and reduced price is 10 euros. The tower is open to visitors every Friday, Saturday, and Sunday until 13th November, from 10am to 6pm.

Good news for travellers to Paris this summer. The city has decided to open la Tour Saint-Jacques, the soaring Gothic tower in the 4th arrondissement, to visitors. Built under François I in the 16th century, the monument was once a starting point for pilgrims on the Chemin de Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle. At the foot of the tower is a statue of Blaise Pascal, to mark the spot where he repeated the barometric experiments he undertook on the Puy-de-Dôme in his native Auvergne.

Following a beautiful restoration in 2006-2009, the tower was opened to the public last summer for a trial period. Accompanied by a guide, visitors could climb to the top and be treated to some of the most marvelous 360-degree vistas of Paris. Not only that, but the 300-step climb afforded an opportunity to marvel, up close, at the rich architectural details and original statues.

It was such a popular success—with all time slots booked far in advance—that the tower has been reopened again this year from July 4- September 28, 2014.