How to see the Eiffel Tower without going to Paris

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This was published 5 years ago

How to see the Eiffel Tower without going to Paris

By Brian Johnston
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LAS VEGAS, USA

The Eiffel Tower's largest, most look-alike replica (exactly half-size) rises above other scaled-down Parisian landmarks at Paris Las Vegas Hotel. The rivets are fake, however: this version is made of welded steel. An 11th-floor restaurant serves foie gras and filet mignon, of course, and has great outlooks over The Bellagio's dancing fountains. A viewing deck on the 46th floor is best at night for fabulous views over The Strip. See caesars.com/paris-las-vegas

MACAU, CHINA

The Blackpool Tower, opened in 1894, was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It stands at  158 metres.

The Blackpool Tower, opened in 1894, was inspired by the Eiffel Tower in Paris. It stands at 158 metres.Credit: Alamy

Another casino city, another themed hotel, another replica, which beats the Vegas version by standing apart from surrounding buildings and displaying more ornamental features such as lattices, balustrades and cornice scrolls. It too is exactly half-size. It's part of Parisian Macau resort, which has brasseries, bistros and cabaret acts to further remind you that you're 9500 kilometres from Paris. Check out the nightly illuminations, when the tower turns purple and pink. See parisianmacao.com

PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC

This mini-version of the Eiffel Tower was built in 1891 and has a slightly more curvaceous, feminine look. Though only 60 metres tall – a fifth the size of the original – a clamber up its 299 steps takes you to exactly the same height as the top of the real thing, thanks to the tower's location on Petrin Hill above Prague. Some claim you can see mountains 150 kilometres away. See prague.eu

TOKYO, JAPAN

Giant tower and broadcasting antenna Tokyo Tower soars above city skyscrapers and could almost be mistaken for the Eiffel Tower from a distance, despite its slimmer summit and reddish-orange paintwork. Built in 1958, its lattice structure and profile was inspired by the original. At 333 metres, it's the world's tallest self-supported steel tower, often spectacularly illuminated at night. You can see Mount Fuji across a sea of concrete from its observation deck. See tokyotower.co.jp

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BLACKPOOL, UK

This homage to the Eiffel Tower has been a feature of Blackpool's waterfront since 1894, and is part of a complex that includes a ballroom, aquarium, circus and other tourist attractions that remind of a lost Victorian age. The observation platform, known as the Eye, has glass floors to test your head for heights. Some 10,000 lightbulbs adorn Blackpool Tower at night, just part of the town's famous seaside illuminations. See theblackpooltower.com

HANGZHOU, CHINA

Tiandu Cheng, on the outskirts of Hangzhou, isn't any old housing estate but a pastiche of Paris featuring boulevards lined with plane trees, splashing fountains, Parisian-style architecture (well, apart from the Chinese shop signs), a Champs-Elysees and, of course, a 108-metre replica of the Eiffel Tower to top it off. It's a favourite place for city couples to pose for wedding photos. China has a half-dozen other Eiffel Tower replicas. See gotohz.com

GOMEZ PALACIO, MEXICO

French expats clubbed together in 2007 to put up a petite, one-sixth-size Eiffel Tower in a city-centre park in Gomez Palacio in north-central Mexico's Durango state. It's one of several reproductions in Parque Guadiana that also include a Statue of Liberty and Taj Mahal, and is notable for its proportional accuracy: squint and you could almost be in Paris. At times a giant rope swing – often vandalised – is attached underneath. See visitmexico.com

KOTA, INDIA

Apparently, it isn't enough to have wonderful Rajasthani architectural heritage in this town, which added a modern riverside park dotted with seven of the world's wonders, such as the Leaning Tower, Christ the Redeemer statue and Sydney Harbour Bridge. It's Eiffel Tower effort is a little feeble, topping out at 12 metres, just a 25th the size of the original, though it does glow a startling blue at night. See kota.rajasthan.gov.in

PARIS, USA

What else would local welders come up with to decorate the town of Paris, Texas? This is a replica just 1:16 of the original and – ahem – not exactly that accurate in appearance. The tower (only in America) is stopped off by a giant Texan cowboy hat that flashes with coloured lights on festive occasions. The addition of the hat inched it higher than a rival Eiffel Tower in Paris, Tennessee. See paristexas.com

VARNA, BULGARIA

This modest Eiffel Tower, part of the Golden Sands beachside getaway on the Black Sea just outside Varna, is part of the great tradition of peculiar and tacky monuments at seaside resorts and at night is graced with flashing lights. The 32-metre structure is an almost-exact copy of the Eiffel Tower at a scale of 1:10. Built as an observation tower in 2007, it eyeballs a nearby Ferris wheel. See goldensands.bg

See also: Fairy tales and nightmares: The 10 coolest castles in Britain

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