Building a rollercoaster larger than the Eiffel Tower

Real-life rollercoasters are pretty good, I suppose, but can you ride one that starts above the clouds and spirals down through one of the most famous landmarks on Earth? I think not! That’s why I’ve challenged myself to build the ultimate tourist attraction: a rollercoaster bigger than the iconic Eiffel Tower.

First, I need an Eiffel Tower. Since I don’t have the money for a physical replica, nor a permit for covering the original in rail, I simply have to build it in Minecraft instead. There are amazing maps of Paris available on the Minecraft Marketplace, as well as blueprints online that you can follow to build your own. On the Marketplace I opt for Immersion: Paris by Shapescape, a magnificent Paris map with a huge Eiffel Tower, complete with night lighting, detailed restaurants, and great views of the city. 

I want to let my imagination run wild, so I type ‘/gamemode creative’ to activate creative mode. I double-tap jump, fly to the very top of the tower, and then have to take a breath for a moment when I accidentally look down. 

I start my rollercoaster with a couple of powered rails, linked to a switch by redstone dust. Redstone is one of Minecraft’s most miraculous materials. You can use itt to create electrical circuits that control doors, traps, and – in this case – a launchpad for a daring rollercoaster ride down to the very streets of Paris. 

Once I’ve surrounded the launch rails with blocks to secure the minecart in place, I hop in, hit the switch, and promptly sail over the edge and plunge hundreds of feet to the streets below. It works! Sort of. Now I need to place some tracks to make this a proper ride rather than a terrifying death drop. 

Sat on the ground in my fallen minecart, as confused-looking pedestrians pass by, I start to plan the track’s route. First, I use wood blocks to build a plunging descent circling around the peak of the Eiffel Tower. Every rollercoaster needs a good drop at the start, but can I make it even scarier?  

I chip away a few blocks of my track to create a sudden cliff edge, and then build a platform a storey or two beneath. I test the ride again and cross my fingers as the cart soars over the edge of the track, and falls… 

Don’t tell anyone, but I may have chipped away a few blocks of the Eiffel Tower to make room for a burning shroomlight tunnel. I'm sure the Parisian authorities will forgive me when they see how awesome it looks; if not, I’ve used /summon to spawn a donkey I can hop on to make a quick escape. 

Towards the end of the ride, I decide to slow things down to give the passenger a moment to breathe. I create some speed boosts to move the cart along these flat sections. Speed boosts are really easy to build; place a redstone torch next to a couple of powered rails and the rails automatically propel the minecart forwards. I weave the track through two fancy restaurants for the ultimate drive-through dining experience. I’ll take a filet mignon to go, please! 

Now for the finale. I create one last plunging drop to ground level. The ride wouldn’t work at all without redstone, so to honour this amazing material I surround the final descent with rows of redstone torches. But where should the ride end? I look around, and the perfect finishing spot presents itself. I lay down a few final track sections to send the cart straight into the gift shop.