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With wait times at the Eiffel Tower guaranteed to exceed an hour and sometimes two in high season (and not a whole lot less at the Arc de Triomphe), you may wish you could spend the time differently. Fortunately, there are lots of other places to observe Paris vistas without long lines, if any. Some are even free!
Galeries Lafayette
The sixth-floor cafeteria of Galeries Lafayette's main store is sleek and modern and sells fresh hot and cold food. But one of the best reasons to come here is for the views over the rooftops of Paris. If you're not hungry for a meal, at least try the delicious hand-scooped ice cream from the cart here, grab a table beside a window, and enjoy!
La Madeleine
See rue Royale, place de la Concorde and the obelisk, and, across the Seine, the dome of Invalides after climbing the 28 steps of La Madeleine church. After taking in the view, pop inside to see Rude's Le Baptême du Christ, which is on the left as you enter.
Panthéon
A spectacular view of the Eiffel Tower and the surrounding neighborhoods is available from the Panthéon's dome. This museum, once a mausoleum that was once a church built in honor of the patron saint of Paris, now boasts Foucault's pendulum hanging from the domed ceiling. The hill on which the Panthéon is built is a terrific place to see fireworks on Bastille Day.
Parc de Belleville
It's off-the-beaten track, sure, but this park in the 20e offers tree-lined promenades (more than 500 trees are here) and magnificent Left Bank views peeping through the spaces between pretty houses. Beds of roses and other seasonal flowers line walks, and views of the city's Left Bank become more pronounced the higher up the terraced pathways you go.
Pont des Arts
This steel-and-wood, seven-arched, pedestrian-only footbridge connects the entrance to the Louvre on one end with the magnificent Acadèmie Français on the other. The walk across offers breathtaking views all across the river, but especially of the tree-lined tip of Ile de la Cité with the spires of Notre-Dame and Sainte-Chapelle, the turrets of the Conciergerie and the fabulous curving, white apartment and judicial buildings.
Restaurant Georges at the Centre Georges Pompidou
It used to be that visitors to the Centre Georges Pompidou could skip the museum entirely and ride the escalators on the outside of the building (enclosed in a plastic tube like a giant gerbil habitat) to the top for breathtaking views of the city. That's no longer permitted; you need to buy a ticket for the museum first. Unless, of course, you have drinks, lunch, or dinner at the trendy Costes brothers restaurant Georges (you need a reservation to gain access to the floor).
Sacré Coeur
You have two choices: you can check out the free panorama from the wall just in front of the church (use the coin-operated viewing machines), or you can pay 5 euro to visit Sacré Coeur's dome. To reach the dome, face the church and walk around to its left side, following signs for the Dome and Crypte. Walk down a set of stairs and follow a walkway about 15m (50 ft.) to an iron gate. The entrance and ticket machine are on your right. The climb from church floor to dome is up a flight of nail-bitingly steep corkscrew steps, but the view is worth it.
Tour Montparnasse
At a height of 207m (689 ft.), the Tour Montparnasse (that looming black skyscraper on the Left Bank), towers above Paris, and from its panoramic roof terrace on the 56th floor, you can see as far as 40km (nearly 25 miles) in nice weather. It's a bit pricey (9 euro for adults, 6.50 euro for students 16–20 years, 4 euro ages 7–15), but the views are exceptional — you've never seen Paris like this!
The Towers at Notre Dame
Climb 387 narrow and winding steps to the top of one of the towers here for Quasimodo's view of the gargoyles and of Paris below. If you plan to visit the tower, go early in the morning! Lines stretch down the square in front of the cathedral during the summer.
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