Five Really Tall Things
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I am obsessed with going to the top of things. When visiting a new city I will always find a high point with a city view. Sometimes it’s the top of a mountain like Victoria Peak in Hong Kong and sometimes it’s a famously tall structure like the five listed here.
5. Eiffel Tower
The world-famous Eiffel Tower at the heart of Paris is one of the most iconic and recognizable structures in the world. It’s the only one on this list built prior to the 20th century.
When it was built, it was nearly twice as tall as the previous world’s tallest structure (the Washington Monument in Washington D.C.). It stood as the world’s tallest for forty years until the opening of the Empire State Building.
We first visited the tower on our first European trip together. It’s one of the top stops on our comprehensive four-day Paris itinerary.
Book a Tour of the Eiffel Tower here.
4. Empire State Building
When completed in 1931 the Manhattan skyscraper soared to an impressive 1,250 feet. The building was a tribute to the future. It even originally had a rooftop zeppelin dock.
It stood as the world’s tallest for forty years until the construction of another New York icon, the World Trade Center in 1970.
I visited the Empire State Building during my first solo trip while in college. As a broke 20-something, I could not afford to go to the viewing platform of both the Empire State Building and the World Trade Center. I chose the Empire State Building. Eight weeks later the towers fell on September 11th, 2001.
Book your trip to the top of the iconic tower here.
3. Shanghai Tower
Standing nearly 800 feet taller than the Empire State Building at 2,073 feet is the Shanghai Tower. It is currently the second-tallest building in the world. Despite coming in second place for total height, the location of the observation deck is the highest in the world. The building opened in 2015.
Looking down from the viewing platform onto nearby skyscrapers took my breath away. We took the high-speed elevator to the top during a recent visit.
Get to the top here.
2. CN Tower
Until 2007 Toronto’s CN Tower was the world’s tallest freestanding structure at 1,815.3 feet. Despite being overtaken by the Burj Khalifa in Dubai it remains the tallest freestanding structure in the Western Hemisphere.
The building is a communication tower with a viewing platform. From the top, you can see a 360-degree view of Toronto and Lake Ontario.
I first visited the tower in 1997 on a High School marching band trip to Toronto. Since then we recently returned to Toronto.
1. Tokyo Skytree
At a shocking 2,080 feet tall, the Tokyo Skytree is the official tallest tower on the planet and the second tallest structure in the world. Opened to the public in 2012, it originally served as a broadcast tower transmitting signals above Tokyo’s high skyscrapers.
The tower is part of a larger entertainment destination with a shopping center and other attractions at the base of the tower.
When we visited in 2016 the tower was shrouded in a thick fog.
Read all about the Skytree in our full guide here.
Thanks for checking out our list of tall things. Whether it’s the chance to take a great skyline photo or the sinking feeling in my stomach that comes when the elevator lands, it’s good to be on top!
Check out the time we went inside the Statue of Liberty Crown!
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