Take Five Towers

Sun Herald

Sunday April 2, 2006

CHRISTINA PFEIFFER

1 Macau Tower

At 338 metres high, Macau Tower not only offers sweeping views of the Pearl River Delta but a range of activities that are not for the faint-hearted. Skywalk X is a handrail-less stroll around the tower's outer rim 233 metres above the ground; the two-hour Mast Climb is a 100-metre climb to the top of the world's 10th tallest free-standing tower, up the mast's vertical ladders. The tower's newest attraction, the Sky Jump, is similar to Auckland's Sky Tower and will have you dropping through the air at a heart-stopping 75 kmh. For more sedate entertainment, there are cafes and restaurants and a shopping mall and the latest movies at Macau's newest cinema - The Theatre. See www.macautower.com.mo.

2 Sydney Tower

At 304 metres, Australia's tallest building has sweeping views from Sydney's harbour through to the Blue Mountains. Its newest activity is the Sydney Skywalk, an adrenaline-pumped 360-degree view walk around the tower's external walkways. The southern hemisphere's largest simulated ride, OzTrek, is included in the tower entry price and is a 30-minute virtual adventure across Australia's landscape. The revolving a la carte restaurant has a great atmosphere on weekends. See www.sydneyskytour.com.au.

3 Auckland's Sky Tower

At 328 metres, the southern hemisphere's tallest tower is the place to test your head for heights. There's the Vertigo Climb, a two-hour guided tour up the inside of the Sky Tower mast or the Sky Jump, where you can leap from a height of 192 metres and plunge to the ground at 75 kmh for a hair-raising 16 seconds. Last year, Sky Tower's prototype elevator was fitted with a glass floor panel that provides head-spinning views of the lift shaft almost 200 metres down. See www.skycity.co.nz.

4 Menara KL

A good way to get your bearings in Kuala Lumpur is to put on the headphones provided by the tower and take a tour of the city from the observation deck. You'll be surprised at how green the city looks from this tower that, at 421 metres, is the fourth-highest telecommunications tower in the world. Menara KL incorporates traditional Islamic designs with contemporary architectural concepts. There are shops, a mini-theatre, an amphitheatre and a fast-food restaurant. See www.menarakl.com.my.

5 Eiffel Tower

There's nothing like a visit to the world's most romantic tower. At 324 metres high, the Eiffel Tower is one of France's most visited icons and the queues for the lift to the top can be daunting. The stairs are open to the public and reach the second floor where you can get a 360-degree view over Paris. For a romantic dinner with some of the best views of Paris there's the Jules Verne Restaurant on the second floor. It has its own private lift access at the south pillar. See www.tour-eiffel.fr/teiffel/uk.

© 2006 Sun Herald

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