When the sun passes behind the Eiffel Tower, seen from Trocadéro

On which mornings is the sun behind the Eiffel Tower?

Every morning from October to February the sun crosses the tower’s bearing, but only from 18 November 2026 to 24 January 2027 is it low enough to sit inside the lattice below the second floor. From 5 December 2026 to 7 January 2027 it is under 6° up, so the light is golden.

Paris time. The sun’s centre crosses the line from the middle of the esplanade to the middle of the tower. At these heights the tower is several degrees wide, so the sun stays behind part of the lattice for a good while either side of the time given; the time is when it is centred.

Why does the time hardly change in December?

Near the winter solstice the sun’s path stays almost the same from day to day. On 20 November 2026 it passes the tower at 09:22, on 1 December 2026 at 09:20, and on 29 December 2026 at 09:29.

The sun rises 45 to 75 minutes before these times, south of east, then climbs slowly toward the south. From the esplanade the tower stands at 134°, so the sun reaches it a little later and only a few degrees higher. In late January the sun rises further east and climbs faster, so it passes higher (8.4° on 20 January 2027) and you see it behind the upper half instead.

Clear mornings in Paris in December are rare, which is why a window of several weeks helps: you can pick the clearest day in it.

How do you plan it in Sunreach?

Drop the pin on the esplanade, open 3D, switch to eye level and aim at the tower. Alignment search then lists the days and minutes the sun lines up with it; tap one to see that minute in 3D.

1. Pick the spot. Search “Trocadéro” or hold the map on the esplanade. Where you stand changes the dates: 10 m to the side moves the tower’s bearing by about 1°.
2. Open 3D and go to eye level. The city view shows the buildings and the tower with their shadows for the minute you choose. Pick a lens to frame it.
3. Search the alignment. Aim at the tower and run alignment search for the sun. It returns windows like “20 Nov – 24 Jan, best 19 Dec 09:24”.
4. Set an alert. One tap adds a reminder for the morning you choose.

Checking today and tomorrow is free. Other dates and alignment search are part of Sunreach Pro.

Where exactly should you stand?

Stand on the centre line of the esplanade between the two wings of the Palais de Chaillot, so the tower is symmetrical in front of you. These times are for that line; from the side terraces or the gardens below, the dates and heights shift.

The gardens below are lower, so the tower looks taller from there and the sun appears lower against it. Moving down the steps toward the Seine puts the sun higher on the tower on the same morning. The Manhattanhenge guide shows the same effect along a street.

What can these times not tell you?

They are clear-sky geometry with a flat horizon. Low cloud, haze and the rooftops behind the tower can hide the sun when it is only a few degrees up.

Before the sun clears the rooftops behind the tower it can be hidden even though it is above the horizon. On the lowest mornings, check in 3D whether the roofs on that bearing are in the way at the minute you plan. Weather forecasts for the morning matter more than any minute here.