What’s the best spot to celebrate New Year’s Eve in Paris? Why, anywhere you can see the Eiffel Tower!
At the top of each hour the Tower sparkles for 5 minutes, lit by more than 20,000 light bulbs. On New Year’s Eve, the marking of midnight is special!
Walking through Paris, we arrived at the Pont de la Concorde just after 11 PM… as the lights from the previous hour diminished.
On the bridge, we had an excellent view of the Eiffel Tower, and the growing crowds at the Place de la Concorde (on the Right Bank) and the Quai d’Orsay (on the Left Bank).
Celebrants arrived by boat, car, bus and like us, on foot. As the midnight hour approached, traffic on the Pont de la Concorde stopped as everyone got out of their cars. It was loud, festive, and fun!
A requirement when you’re on a cold bridge in Paris at midnight!
The crowds, noise, and anticipation grew as the New Year approached. Everyone focused their gaze on the Eiffel Tower waiting for the first glimmer of the hourly sparkling lights.
Finally, the moment we were all waiting for… At the top of the hour, celebrating the New Year, the Eiffel Tower lights up! Cheering crowds and an incredible light display welcomed in 2014.
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