The Paris Hotels Where an Eiffel Tower View Is Actually Worth It

We’ll admit it: Wanting an Eiffel Tower view on a trip to Paris is hardly original. Every guidebook, every postcard, every Instagram feed has already claimed it as the ultimate backdrop in the City of Light. But sometimes clichés earn their place, and this is one of them. The difference is in how you experience it: from the terrace of a Belle Époque palace, the window of a fashion-world favorite, or a design-forward newcomer that makes the monument feel fresh again. For our latest Hotels We Love series on Paris, these seven hotels turn a tourist’s fantasy into an unforgettable experience.

For the full spectrum of top places to stay in the City of Light, don’t miss our Best Hotels in Paris list.

Four Seasons George V

Courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel George V

If you’re looking to stay near the Champs-Elysées—grandest avenue in the world—there is no place as fitting as this legendary art deco hotel. Opened in 1928 with a name that nodded to the British monarchy, the palatial property quickly began attracting the world’s upper crust, from celebrities to royalty. It also earned a reputation for its opulent Louis XV–style interiors and a series of firsts for its time: two bathrooms in each suite, telephones that ring outside numbers, and dumbwaiters for room service.

The 244 spacious guest rooms and suites have chandeliers, marble-clad bathrooms, and soothing powder-blue and neutral hues. For Eiffel Tower views, ask for a suite on an upper-level floor (or spring for the Eiffel Tower Suite for the best panoramas). The George V is the first hotel in Europe to offer three Michelin-ranked restaurants on site, including the three-star Le Cinq, as well as a 50,000-bottle wine cellar 45 feet underground. The spacious, marble-clad spa, which includes a private membership option, features a hair salon, a 55-foot swimming pool, two hammams, and personalized treatments developed with Dr. Burgener Switzerland. Take note of the striking floral arrangements composed by the hotel’s artistic director, Jeff Leatham, and his team of florists, from nearly 15,000 flowers delivered each week from Amsterdam.—Lindsey Tramuta

Hôtel de Crillon, a Rosewood Hotel

Courtesy of Hôtel de Crillon, a Rosewood Hotel

Few hotels in Paris are as historic and beloved as this Louis XV icon and the former residence of the Duke de Crillon, which overlooks the Place de la Concorde and has been a landmark since 1909. Over the years, it’s drawn dignitaries and performers from Roosevelt to Madonna. After undergoing a four-year transformation by the Lebanese architect Aline Asmar d’Amman, who overhauled the Eiffel Tower’s Jules Verne restaurant, Hôtel de Crillon reopened in 2017 as a Rosewood property with preserved landmarked features, including a staircase, mirrors, and heritage salons, all imbued with a warm, residential feel.

Each of the Palace hotel‘s 124 guest rooms comes with butler service, salon-level hair dryers, and custom furnishings. Two Karl Lagerfeld–designed suites, called Les Grands Appartements, have white brocade wingback chairs and marble fireplaces, while a deluxe room honors the designer’s cat, Choupette. Several suites come with glimpses of the Eiffel Tower across the Seine, including Suite Bernstein, Suite Louis XV, the Reader Studio Suite, and the Ateliers d’Artistes suites.

On-site dining and drinking establishments include the first French project for chef Paul Pairet (of the recently shuttered three-Michelin-star destination restaurant Ultraviolet in Shanghai). For a day of pampering, the Sense spa’s offerings include treatments by Sisley and Maison Caulières, a full-service David Lucas hair salon, and rotating monthly workshops and experiences with local experts on everything from meditation to neurofeedback, open to both guests and locals. Don’t miss a dip in the subterranean, gold-accented, skylit pool. —LT

Hôtel Plaza Athénée

Courtesy of Hôtel Plaza Athénée

Part of the Dorchester Collection, this Palace-designated hotel is deeply connected to its setting on the avenue Montaigne, the historic home of haute couture in the Triangle d’Or (Golden Triangle). Just across the street, Christian Dior opened his first shop in 1946, then showed his inaugural collection at the hotel. To this day, the subterranean Dior Spa celebrates the link to the designer.

The 154 guest rooms and 54 suites at Hôtel Plaza Athénée are likewise imbued with a chic couture vibe, whether you choose the classical style or art deco rooms, punctuated with pops of red to echo the facade’s geranium-filled window boxes. In September 2024, the hotel unveiled two floors of renovated rooms, including the Royal Suite. For an Eiffel view, options include the Haute Couture Suite or the Royal Suite (fun fact: Liz Taylor lived in the Royal Suite for six months in 1971). Or ask whether one of the upper-floor Prestige or Deluxe suites with a similar view is available.—Mary Winston Nicklin

Le Meurice

Courtesy of Le Meurice

Part of the Dorchester Collection, Le Meurice commands a privileged location across from the Tuileries Gardens. Its Belle Etoile suite is legendary: The landscaped terrace offers views of 18 monuments and has doubled as a set for Beyoncé and Woody Allen alike. On the sixth floor, rooms like No. 605, with hand-painted de Gournay wallpaper, open onto Juliet balconies with equally cinematic panoramas.

Steeped in history, Le Meurice was Salvador Dalí’s Parisian home for a month each year over three decades—when he paraded pet ocelots through the lobby, splattered paint from his suite, and held court at teatime. Pablo Picasso celebrated his wedding here in the gilded ballroom, now a listed historic monument. Today, art ranges from contemporary lobby installations like Zoulikha Bouabdellah’s The Kiss to grand 18th-century interiors.

Dining and leisure are equally storied: Alain Ducasse oversees the signature restaurant, the Valmont spa offers Swiss precision in pampering, and Bar 228—rich in wood paneling and local lore—is said to pour the city’s best martini.—MWN

The Peninsula Paris

ANTONIO SABA/The Peninsula Paris

For the arrival of the Peninsula in Europe in 2014, many millions of euros were lavished on an Avenue Kléber landmark a cobblestone’s throw from the Arc de Triomphe. Born in the Belle Époque as the Hotel Majestic, the historic property where George Gershwin wrote “An American in Paris” was transformed by the country’s finest artisans—including the company of tassel-makers who decorated the Paris Opéra.

The result is a paean to fine French craftsmanship in the marble-swathed public spaces and 200 guest rooms, including 93 suites kitted out with the high-tech gadgets for which the Peninsula is known. From the glass-walled L’Oiseau Blanc rooftop restaurant, the Paris views unspool in all directions (the rooftop terrace and many suites have Eiffel Tower views). An equally dazzling way to see the city: an after-dark spin in the hotel’s green 1934 Rolls-Royce Phantom II, available to all guests.—MWN

Shangri-La Paris

Photo by VRX Studios/Marcelo Barbosa

For its first hotel in Europe, Shangri-La purchased an extraordinary piece of real estate and invested 180 million euros in its transformation. The former residence of Prince Roland Bonaparte, Napoleon’s grandnephew, opened in 2010 as the 100-room Shangri-La Paris, complete with a spa and sun-dappled pool about 56 feet long.

It’s all crystal chandeliers, ornately carved fireplaces, painted frescoes, and acres of marble at this bijou facing the Eiffel Tower. Many rooms and suites offer a glimpse at the monument, but the terrace of the Suite Chaillot promises an unforgettable tête-à-tête with it. The Eiffel Tower is also visible from the tranquil garden where you can enjoy lobster tortellini at La Bauhinia restaurant.

The hotel’s Shang Palace was the first Michelin-starred Chinese restaurant in France. Chengdu-born chef Tony Xu sources fine French ingredients such as Bresse poultry for creative takes on classics like lo hei.—MWN

SO / Paris

Courtesy of SO / Paris

For years, the easternmost section of the Marais, one of the city’s most beloved districts, was a sleepy, underdeveloped neighborhood. That all changed for the L’Arsenal neighborhood in July 2022 with the arrival of the design-driven SO / Paris, located at La Félicité, a massive urban revitalization site overhauled by British architect David Chipperfield. The hotel occupies one side of the 1960s-era complex, which includes the couture and vintage ready-to-wear boutique Appendix. The design by Paris-based architects RDAI is retro-futuristic, with rounded couches and soaring ceilings, while decorative touches nod to the neighborhood (tiles of the hotel entrance mimic cobblestones).

You’ll find terrazzo floors with marble inserts and amber glass mirrors and soaring pillars, along with contemporary artwork, like a vibrant painting by French-Algerian artist Neïl Beloufa. Staff wear uniforms designed by Guillaume Henry of French fashion company Patou. The 162 guest rooms and suites are decorated in colorful tones and warm woods; details include coffee tables that double as tray tables, a spirits cabinet, and a minibar stocked with local gourmet snacks.

The views are the stars here, especially at Bonnie, the très sceney restaurant-bar-nightclub run by the Paris Society group. Here, the Eiffel Tower is on full display (some rooms face the Eiffel Tower across the river, too). Check out the mirrored art installation by Olafur Eliasson & Studio Other Spaces, The Seeing City. It’s no wonder this spot has quickly become a Paris Fashion Week destination and magnet for celebs such as Dua Lipa and Janet Jackson.—LT