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Montparnasse TowerCheng-en Cheng, CC BY-SA

Montparnasse Tower

The Paris Montparnasse Observatory closed to the public at the end of March for a renovation lasting several years. No reopening date has been set, so no ticket can take you up.

  • Landmark
  • Paris, France

Temporarily closed

In short

  • The observatory is closed to the public for renovations that will last several years.
  • The official FAQ gives no reopening date. The site will be updated when there is news.
  • The whole tower is being vacated for a complete transformation of the building and its surroundings.
  • For a view over Paris, the Arc de Triomphe terrace is open to ticket holders, 284 steps up.
  • 210 mheight of the office tower
  • 56thfloor of the former observatory
  • 1974opening of the observatory
  • 30 millionvisitors before the closure

Don't miss

  1. The Arc de Triomphe terrace

    The ticket includes the terrace, 284 steps up, with a 360° view over Paris.

  2. The Montparnasse quarter

    Historic cafés and local markets, in the quarter the observatory site calls the most artistic neighborhood of Paris.

  3. The tower from the street

    A 59-floor block of offices that still stands as the tallest building in Paris proper.

Closed for several years, with no reopening date

The Paris Montparnasse Observatory, on the 56th floor of the tower, is closed to the public for renovations that will last several years.

Asked when it will reopen, the official FAQ answers that there is no set date yet, and that the website will be updated when there is news.

The closure follows the decision by the tower’s co-owners to completely vacate the building ahead of extensive renovation work. It is part of a wider project covering the Montparnasse Tower and the Maine-Montparnasse real estate complex, with a complete transformation of the building and its surroundings. The whole tower will remain closed for several years.

  • Avoid this mistake

    Ticket offers and opening hours may still appear online, including on pages of the official site, but they do not apply: the observatory is not open, and any ticket claiming to take you to the top cannot be used until it reopens. Check the official FAQ for news before you plan anything around the tower.

What the 56th floor used to offer

The observatory opened in 1974, one year after the tower itself, at the top of the tallest skyscraper in the city. It welcomed more than 30 million visitors and offered a 360-degree view of Paris and its suburbs. Above it, a rooftop terrace on the 59th floor was reached on foot.

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A few details explain why people went up:

  • the deck stood 200 meters above the ground
  • on a clear day, the view reached about 40 kilometers, and aircraft could be seen taking off from Orly Airport
  • Parisians joke that the deck had the best view of the city because it was the only place from which the tower could not be seen
  • from the rooftop terrace, the view took in the Eiffel Tower and the other Parisian monuments.

The floor also hosted more than 3,200 cultural, artistic and institutional events from 1990, including concerts, an ice rink, fashion shows during Fashion Week and, in the 1980s, live broadcasts of the Loto lottery draws.

A 210-meter office tower above a station

The Montparnasse Tower is a 210-meter office skyscraper with 59 floors, built on the site of the old Montparnasse station and on top of the Montparnasse-Bienvenüe metro station.

  • 1969 Construction of the tower starts, despite a major controversy.
  • 1973 The tower is inaugurated.
  • 1974 The observatory opens on the 56th floor.
  • 2011 Tour First in La Défense overtakes it as the tallest skyscraper in France.
  • 2017 Nouvelle AOM wins the competition to redesign the façade.

It was designed by the architects Eugène Beaudouin, Urbain Cassan and Louis de Hoÿm de Marien. Its foundations rest on 56 reinforced concrete pillars sunk 70 meters underground, and a concrete shield protects the metro structures below.

The tower is still the tallest building in Paris proper. Its simple, monolithic look was criticized as out of place in the cityscape, and two years after its completion, buildings over seven stories were banned in the city center.

The company that ran the deck

The observatory and its floors were owned and operated for 53 years by Magnicity. The official website is operated by OPTM SAS.

Magnicity continues to operate other panoramic sites abroad, notably in Warsaw, Berlin, Rotterdam and Chicago. The official site remains the place to watch for a reopening announcement.

Paris from above while the tower is shut

With the observatory closed, the Arc de Triomphe is one place in Paris where a ticket still takes you up for the view. Its ticket covers the whole monument and its terrace, reached by 284 steps, and the terrace gives a 360° view over Paris.

  • Good to know

    Outside the tower, the official observatory site describes Montparnasse as an artistic quarter of historic cafés and local markets. The tower stands at 33 Avenue du Maine, in the 15th arrondissement.

Before you go

  • Check the official FAQ for any reopening news.
  • Ignore ticket offers for the observatory: it is closed to the public.
  • For a view instead, the Arc de Triomphe terrace is reached by 284 steps.

Map and nearby sights

Frequently asked questions

Is the Montparnasse Tower observatory open?

No. The Paris Montparnasse Observatory is closed to the public for renovations that will last several years.

When will the Montparnasse Tower reopen?

There is no set date. The official FAQ says the renovation will take multiple years and that the website will be updated when there is news.

Can I still buy Montparnasse Tower tickets?

Ticket offers may still appear online. No ticket can take you to the observatory while it is closed.

Why did the Montparnasse Tower close?

The co-owners decided to completely vacate the building for extensive renovation work on the tower and the Maine-Montparnasse complex.

Where else can I see Paris from above?

The Arc de Triomphe ticket covers its rooftop terrace, reached by 284 steps, with a 360° view over Paris.

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Sources

  • tourmontparnasse56.com official 3 pages
  • Wikimedia Commons
  • Wikipedia
  • wikidata.org

Facts last checked on 26 October 2026. Prices and opening hours change, often in January: confirm on the official website before you go.