Bar Le Ciel de Paris Tour Montparnasse, Paris 14e

The highest building in Paris is the Tour Montparnasse which dominates the skyline from almost every angle of the city.  It was strongly opposed by the residents when it was at the drawing board stage, but went ahead anyway, and is now an uninspiring office building with a few equally uninspiring shops on the ground floor, including rather dreary branches of Galeries Lafayette and Habitat. However, the building does have one saving grace – the bar and restaurant on the 56th floor which have the most incredible view over Paris –for my money far superior to that from the Eiffel Tower.  There is in fact a 360 degree viewing platform just above – but I have a secret.  If you go to the viewing platform you have to pay 11 euros for the ride up.  But if you go to the restaurant you don’t pay to go up, though of course you have to eat or drink something when you get there!   A large bar and big leather chairs await to welcome you, as well as the tables arranged along the floor to ceiling windows.  It is still a good deal even if their well-prepared and appetising drinks/snacks cost on an average 15 euros per order,  because with them comes the view. And the Bellini peach cocktail menu is incredible – almost better than Harry’s Bar in Venice! You can choose non-alcoholic fruit cocktails, Irish coffee, ice cream, sandwiches, tea or coffee amongst other things.  And what a view!  It will stay with you forever, especially if you go at sunset and then wait for the lights of Paris to come on – particularly the illuminations from the Tour Eiffel. There is also of course the restaurant itself, which didn’t make much of an impression on me decor-wise, but still might be worth trying if only for the view.