PARIS, Dec 10 (AFP) - A skating rink with a bird's-eye view of Paris was opened 57 metres (188 feet) up the Eiffel Tower on Thursday, offering a free but chilly thrill for visitors to France's most famous monument.

The rink, constructed on the first platform of the 324-metre tall Paris landmark, was inaugurated by French world skating silver medallists Sarah Abitbol and Stephane Bernadis.

It is hoped that the high-rise skating rink will attract more locals to the tower which is overwhelmingly visited by overseas tourists.

Deputy Paris mayor Jean-Bernard Bros, in charge of the body overseeing use of the tower, said the installation was also hoped to boost interest in Paris's candidacy for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoe is also responsible for the capital's summer attraction 'Paris Plage', a man-made beach on the bank of the river Seine.

The winter rink can hold 80 skaters at a time who can enjoy projected lighting effects as well as the birds-eye view.

Visitors to the Eiffel Tower will be able to use the 200-square-meter (2,150-square-foot) rink for free, including skates, every day from 9:30 am to 11:00 pm until January 23.

The Eiffel Tower, which welcomes some six million visitors a year, is 324 meters high.