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of 1889, the centennial of the French Revolution, and was still in good shape to celebrate its own 100th birthday. Such was Eiffel’s engineering wizardry that even in the strongest winds his tower never sways more than 4½ inches. Since its colossal bulk exudes a feeling of mighty permanence, you may have trouble believing that it nearly became 7,000 tons of scrap iron when its concession expired in 1909. At first many Parisians hated the structure, and only its potential use as a radio antenna saved the day (it still bristles with a forest of radio and television transmitters). Now the largest Tinkertoy in the world is the beloved symbol of Paris. If you’re full of energy, stride up the stairs as far as the third deck. If you want to go to the top, you’ll have to take the elevator. Today, the Tour is most breathtaking at night, when every girder is highlighted in a sparkling display originally conceived to celebrate the turn of the millennium. The glittering light show was so popular that the 20,000 lights were reinstalled for permanent use in 2003; the Tour does its electric shimmy for 10 minutes every hour on the hour, from 8 PM until 1 AM in winter and 9 PM until 2 AM in summer (why not take a seat on the grass of the Champs de Mars from 9 to 10 PM and see the lights dance twice?). If you really want to make an occasion of your visit, plan on reserving a table at Jules Verne, the tower’s luxury restaurant, set on the second level. Beat the crushing lines by reserving your tickets online at no extra charge. Go to www.tour-eiffel.fr for details. | Quai Branly, Trocadéro/Tour Eiffel | 75007 | 08–92–70–12–39; outside of France 0033–8–92–70–12–39 [€0.34 per min] | www.tour-eiffel.fr | By elevator: 1st and 2nd levels €8, top €13. By stairs: 1st and 2nd levels only, €4.50 | June–late Aug., daily 9 AM–midnight (11 PM for summit); late Aug.–June, daily 9 AM–11 PM (10:30 for summit). Stairs close at dusk in winter | Station: Bir-Hakeim, Trocadéro, Ecole Militaire; RER: Champ de Mars.

WORTH NOTING FROM THE EIFFEL TOWER TO THE ARC DE TRIOMPHE

Musée d’Art Moderne de la Ville de Paris (Paris Museum of Modern Art).

Although the city’s modern-art museum hasn’t generated a buzz comparable to that of the Centre Georges Pompidou, it can be a more pleasant experience because, like many smaller museums, there are often no crowds. The building reopened after a long renovation in February 2006, and its vast, white-walled galleries make an ideal backdrop for the museum’s temporary exhibitions of 20th-century art. The permanent collection on the lower floor takes over where the Musée d’Orsay leaves off, chronologically speaking: among the earliest works are Fauvist paintings by Maurice Vlaminck and André Derain, followed by Pablo Picasso’s early experiments in Cubism. Other highlights include works by Robert and Sonia Delaunay, Chagall, Matisse, Rothko, and Modigliani. | 11 av. du Président-Wilson, Trocadéro/Tour Eiffel | 75016 | 01–53–67–40–00 | www.mam.paris.fr | Permanent collection free, temporary exhibitions €5–€12, depending on exhibition | Tues.–Sun. 10–6, Thurs. until 10 for temporary exhibits | Station: Alma Marceau or Iéna.

Palais de Tokyo.

This Art Nouveau museum reopened in 2002 after many derelict years as a trendy, stripped-down space for contemporary arts with unorthodox, ambitious programming. There is no permanent collection; instead, dynamic temporary exhibits spread over a large, open area reminiscent of a construction site, with a trailer for a ticket booth. Instead of traditional museum guards, young art students—most of whom speak at least some English—are on hand to help explain the installations. There’s also an offbeat gift shop, a bookstore, and the hippest museum restaurant in town, Tokyo Eat. | 13 av. du Président-Wilson, Trocadéro/Tour Eiffel | 75016 | 01–47–23–54–01 | www.palaisdetokyo.com | €6 | Tues.–Sun. noon–midnight | Station: Iéna.

Musée du Quai Branly.

Paris’s newest museum was built by top architect Jean Nouvel to house the state-owned collection of “non-Western” art, culled from several other museums.