The Eiffel Tower isn't where photographers go at golden hour

The Eiffel Tower is where tourists go. Photographers go to the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, 800 meters south, where two bridge levels and the Seine give you the tower framed at a distance — a subject in a frame rather than the only thing in it. The Champs-Élysées runs northwest–southeast, so the Arc de Triomphe catches direct western light only in summer, roughly between May and July. Montmartre's Sacré-Cœur faces south from 130 meters above the city — the climb from Place du Tertre opens rooftop views that expand as you ascend. Trocadéro faces east toward the Eiffel Tower and works well in morning light, though it's crowded by 7am most of the year. Golden hour at 49°N runs close to 50 minutes in summer.