There are few landmarks in the world that evoke the same sense of awe, wonder, and romance as the Eiffel Tower. For many travelers, a trip to Paris would feel incomplete without seeing it, and it easily ranks among the best things to do in Paris.
But visiting the Eiffel Tower takes more planning than you might expect. Tickets can sell out, lines can be long, and you’ll need to decide whether to take the stairs or elevator, how high to go, and whether a guided tour is worth it. In this guide, we cover everything you need to know to plan your visit, including how to get tickets, how to avoid the longest waits, the best time to visit, where to dine with a view, and whether it is worth going all the way to the summit.
Our Eiffel Tower Experiences
We’ve visited the Eiffel Tower four times over nearly two decades. In 2008, Tim and I climbed the stairs to the first and second floors on our first trip to Paris. We returned in 2012 with our kids and both of our moms, combining the stairs and elevator.
Most recently, in 2023, we visited twice within a few days. Our first visit was a guided tour timed for sunset, which gave us the chance to learn more about the tower from a guide who visits year-round. After sunset, we walked to the Trocadéro to see the Eiffel Tower illuminated at night.
A few days later, Tim and I returned for lunch at Madame Brasserie and we finally made it to the summit. It took us four visits to reach the top, and while we think it is worth doing once, the second floor remains our favorite level for the views.
Between these visits, we’ve experienced the Eiffel Tower by stairs and elevator, with kids and without, on a guided tour and independently, in the morning, at midday, and at sunset. All of the photos in this guide are our own.
The Eiffel Tower: At a Glance
BEST LEVEL | 2nd floor
IS THE SUMMIT WORTH IT? | Nice to do, but not essential
STAIRS OR ELEVATOR? | Stairs if you’re reasonably fit; elevator for ease
BEST TIME TO VISIT | About one hour before sunset
CHEAPEST TICKET | Stairs to 2nd floor, from €14.80
HOW LONG DO YOU NEED? | 2–3 hours (add 2 more hours for Madame Brasserie or Jules Verne)
NEAREST METRO | Bir-Hakeim (line 6) or Trocadéro (line 9)
ON-SITE DINING | Madame Brasserie (1st floor), Jules Verne (2nd floor), the Macaron Bar (2nd floor), the Champagne Bar (summit), buffets on all 3 levels
BOOK TICKETS | Up to 60 days ahead on the official site
OUR FAVORITE EXPERIENCE | Second floor around sunset
September 2026 Update: Expanded the intro with more detail on our own visits to the tower, added new tours, and added internal links to our Paris guides. All prices and links were checked and are current.
5 Tips for Visiting the Eiffel Tower
Before we get into the history of the Eiffel Tower, things to do, ticket types, etc., here is a quick glance at the most important things to know when planning your visit.
1. For the best experience, book your tickets online in advance on the official website. This is the cheapest way to visit the Eiffel Tower and avoid a wait in line. Tickets go on sale 60 days in advance.
2. If tickets are sold out on the official website, consider booking a tour. Tours costs a little more but they save you a wait in the ticket line, which can be very long, especially in the summer. We took this tour, which is basically a guided tour to the second level, one of the cheapest, quickest tours we found of the Eiffel Tower.
3. If you only have time for one level, the second level is the best. It’s the quickest to get to by elevator and the view is amazing.
4. If you want to add on a dining experience, Madame Brasserie is an upscale restaurant on the first level with a view of the Trocadero and Jules Verne is a Michelin-starred fine dining restaurant on the second level. Make your reservations in advance.
5. The Paris Museum Pass is not accepted at the Eiffel Tower.
We took this sunset photo of the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadero
Things to Do at the Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower has three levels to visit, as well as a Michelin-starred restaurant (Jules Verne), an upscale restaurant (Madame Brasserie), plus a long list of cafes and souvenir shops.
You can visit all three levels, or just one or two, traveling up and down the Eiffel Tower either by elevator or by taking the stairs.
The Esplanade
The Esplanade is the area that sits under the Eiffel Tower. This is where you will board the elevator or climb the stairs, purchase your tickets (if you did not do so in advance), or get a snack or drink at one of the cafes.
The south pillar on the Esplanade
First Floor
Getting Here: Steps up from the Esplanade or elevator or steps down from the second floor.
The first level is the largest level of the Eiffel Tower. On this level is a large outdoor terrace with a cocktail bar and café, Madame Brasserie (an upscale restaurant with a view of the Trocadéro), boutique souvenir shops, and a glass bottom floor.
We had lunch at Madame Brasserie and recommend it if you want to spend some extra time on the Eiffel Tower. If you make a reservation in advance, request a window seat, where you get a great view of the Seine River and the Trocadéro.
How Much Does Lunch at Madame Brasserie Cost? Lunch menus start at €70.60 (Cœur Brasserie) and go up to €135.60 for a window table with Trocadéro views. For dinner, the “Gustave Menu” starts at €129.60, while the premium “Grande Dame” tasting menu is €186.60 (€261.60 for a window seat).
View from the first floor (photo taken near sunset).
Another view from the first floor
Tim at our table at Madame Brasserie
Lunch at Madame Brasserie
A lot of people skip this level. I do agree that the second level has the best view, but the view from the first level is also very nice. Since this level is so large, and gets less visitors, it also doesn’t feel as if it is packed with visitors.
Second Floor
Getting Here: Steps or elevator from the Esplanade
The second floor of the Eiffel Tower is where (in our opinion) you get the best view from the Eiffel Tower. You are just high enough to gaze across Paris, but not so high that feel like you are floating above the city. This level is just large enough that visitors can spread out.
The second floor
View from the second floor
Second floor of the Eiffel Tower
Jules Verne, a Michelin-starred restaurant, is located on this level. This is the Eiffel Tower’s best dining experience, but you will need to make a reservation at least a few months in advance. Lunch menus start at €180, and dinner 5-course tasting menus start at €295.
You can also shop in the souvenir shops or grab a bite to eat at The Buffet or the macaron shop.
Eiffel Tower gift shop
PRO TRAVEL TIP: If you plan to take the elevator (rather than climbing the steps), from the Esplanade you will ride the elevator to the second level, bypassing the first level. Once your visit to the second level is finished, you can either ride the elevator to the 3rd or 1st levels.
Third Floor
Getting Here: Elevator from the second floor (there are no steps to the third floor)
The very top of the Eiffel Tower is the smallest, most crowded level. Visiting the third level requires an additional fee, or add-on to the standard Eiffel Tower ticket (more on this later).
To get here, you will ride the elevator from the second level. There is usually a line for this, as the number of people on the third level is limited. Be prepared to wait in line for anywhere from a few minutes to an hour.
The third level can periodically close due to weather conditions or elevator malfunctions (it closed during one of our visits). If this occurs, and you already paid for a ticket, your extra fee for the 3rd level will be refunded.
On this top level, there are two sections. The lower level is enclosed in glass. Take the steps to the upper, outdoor level, so you can take better photos. You can also see Gustav Eiffel’s office and have a glass of champagne.
This level, since it is so small, is very crowded. If you don’t want to spend the extra time or money, I don’t think it is worth going all of the way to the third level.
View from the top floor
The Arc de Triomphe from the summit of the Eiffel Tower
The third floor
The Gardens and Champs de Mars
Surrounding the base of the Eiffel Tower are the Gardens, a nice place to go for a stroll and take a photo looking up at the Eiffel Tower.
Champ de Mars is the park that sits beside the Eiffel Tower. It’s definitely worth the stroll as you get one of the best views of the Eiffel Tower from here.
How to Get to the Eiffel Tower
By Metro: Bir-Hakeim, line 6, 11-minute walk; Ecole Militaire, line 8, 16-minute walk; Trocadero, line 9, 16-minute walk
You can also get here by bus (line 82 and 42), by taxi or ride share app (like Uber), line C on the RER, or by boat.
Entrances into the Eiffel Tower
There are two entrances into the Esplanade of the Eiffel Tower. Entrance 1 is on the south corner and Entrance 2 is on the east corner. Entrance 2 tends to be a little less crowded, according to the official website. We entered through the east entrance and on both visits in early September, there was no line, both in the morning and evening.
This entrance is a security entrance, not a ticketed entrance. You will go through airport style security. Once through the security check, you will enter the Esplanade. From here, you can get in line for the stairs or elevator (if you already purchased your ticket online in advance) or get in the ticket line.
How Much Does It Cost to Visit the Eiffel Tower?
There are four ticket types for the Eiffel Tower. Which one you choose depends on how many levels you want to visit and whether you want to take the stairs or elevator. Taking the stairs is cheaper and almost always has a shorter line.
| Ticket Type | Adults (25+) | Youth (12-24) | Children (4-11) & Disabled |
| Elevator to Second Floor | €23.50 | €11.80 | €6.00 |
| Stairs to Second Floor | €14.80 | €17.40 | €3.80 |
| Stairs to Second Floor + Elevator to Summit | €28.00 | €14.00 | €7.00 |
| Elevator to All 3 Levels (including the Summit) | €36.70 | €18.40 | €9.20 |
Second Floor Access via the Stairs: This is the cheapest option. You will take the stairs to the first and second floors only. There are 327 steps to the first level and 347 steps to the second level.
Stairs to the Second Floor + Elevator to the Summit: Take the stairs to the first and second floors and ride the elevator to the third floor.
Note: The Paris Museum Pass is not accepted at the Eiffel Tower.
When Should You Book Your Eiffel Tower Tickets?
Tickets for the lift go on sale 60 days in advance and tickets for the stairs go on sale 30 days in advance. If you will be visiting Paris in June, July, August, and early September, plan on purchasing your tickets as soon as they become available.
We were unable to get tickets online in advance (we attempted this 30 days before our visit in September), and since they were sold out, we took this tour to avoid the ticket line.
However, once in Paris, lines were relatively light at the Eiffel Tower. We visited the Eiffel Tower at two different times of the day during the second week of September and there was less than a 10-minute wait in the ticket line.
We have been getting a lot of comments that tickets are selling out as soon as they become available. For the best shot of getting a ticket from the official website, be ready to purchase your tickets the moment they become available, which is at midnight in Paris 60 days in advance. The Paris time zone is UTC/GMT + 2 hours.
Summer is the busiest time to visit the Eiffel Tower (especially July and August), followed by holidays such as Easter and Christmas. I highly recommend purchasing your tickets online in advance as soon as they become available for these time periods. In the shoulder and off season, if online tickets are sold out, you can take your chances that the line will be short, or join a tour, just to play it safe.
CONSIDER DINING AT MADAME BRASSERIE: If you couldn’t purchase your tickets online in advance and have no desire to take a tour, then book a reservation at Madame Brasserie. Your meal includes a ride on the lift to the restaurant, so you’ll bypass the ticket line. But it is important to know that with a ticket to Madame Brasserie, you are only permitted to visit the first floor of the Eiffel Tower (you will need to purchase a separate ticket to visit the 2nd or 3rd floor).
Is It Worth Booking a Guided Tour of the Eiffel Tower?
It depends. We’ve visited the Eiffel Tower four times: twice on a guided tour and twice independently. In general, we think the best way to visit is to book your ticket in advance on the official Eiffel Tower website and explore on your own. However, a guided tour can be very useful in certain situations.
We booked the tours because the sunset time slots were sold out or the summit ticket was sold out during our visit. For both tours, our small group met the guide near the base of the tower, where we heard a brief history of the Eiffel Tower and a few interesting facts before being escorted through the entry process and up the elevators to the second floor. The guided portion of the tour ended there, and we were free to spend as much time as we wanted exploring the first and second floors.
For us, the tours were worth the extra cost because it gave us access to the Eiffel Tower at sunset, which was exactly the experience we wanted. They added roughly 30 minutes to our visit for meeting the guide and the introductory commentary, but otherwise the experiences were very similar to visiting independently.
That said, we didn’t feel that the guided portion itself added a tremendous amount to the experience. The history and commentary were interesting, but not essential. Where the guide was especially helpful was answering practical questions we had about visiting the tower, and some of that information has made its way into this guide.
Our recommendation: Book directly through the official Eiffel Tower website if tickets are available for the time you want. Consider a guided tour if official tickets are sold out, you don’t want to navigate the ticketing, elevators, or stairs on your own, or you simply enjoy having a guide provide context and history during your visit.
One of the cheapest options is to purchase an entrance ticket via a third-party provider. This tour, which includes your entrance ticket and the option to add on the third level, is one of the tours that we took.
This is one of the highest reviewed tours of the Eiffel Tower. Visit the second level and/or summit with a guide on this 2-to-3-hour tour.
This tour includes a visit to the Eiffel Tower summit (third floor) and a Seine River Cruise.
If you want to have dinner at Madame Brasserie but aren’t able to get a reservation, it’s possible to make a booking through GetYourGuide.
Eiffel Tower Tours
Eiffel Tower Itinerary
Here is a basic timeline for a visit to the Eiffel Tower, from entering the Esplanade to visiting its multiple levels.
1. Security Check
The first thing you will do is to go through airport style security at the south or east entrances into the Esplanade.
There are two lines here, one for visitors with tickets (green flag) and one for visitors without tickets. If you have a ticket, get here 15 minutes early (get here at 10:45 am for an 11:00 am ticket). If you don’t have a ticket, your wait could be as little as a few minutes to much longer during peak season.
2. Purchase Your Ticket (optional)
If you do not have a ticket for the Eiffel Tower, get in line to make your purchase. Again, your wait could be as little as a few minutes to as much as 2 hours during peak season.
3. Take the Lift or the Stairs
If you have a ticket for the lift, get into line at the east or west pillars. If you will be taking the stairs, these are located on the south pillar.
We’ve done both, the stairs and the lift. If you have the energy, the stairs tend to be a little bit faster, since there usually is no line.
If you have a lift ticket, the lift skips the first level and goes directly to the second level. If you have a ticket to visit the third level, I recommend getting in line for this as soon as you reach the second level. Lines can be long and with the possibility of closure, it’s best to visit the 3rd level first (our tour guide also recommended this same plan of attack).
4. Time on the Eiffel Tower
The amount of time you will spend on the Eiffel Tower can range quite a bit, depending on how many levels you visit, queues, and whether or not you plan to add on Madame Brasserie or Jules Verne.
Most visits last 1 to 2 hours, which includes all 3 levels if lines are short (2 to 3 hours during peak season, especially if you plan to visit the third floor). Lunch or dinner at Madame Brasserie or Jules Verne adds another 2 hours.
5. Exiting the Eiffel Tower
Take the lift or the stairs to the Esplanade. The exits are located on the west and north corners of the gardens.
6. After Your Visit
Once you are finished, here are a few things to do nearby:
- Trocadéro: Walk across Pont d’léna to the Trocadero for an iconic view of the Eiffel Tower.
- Carrousel: Ride the carrousel located next to the Eiffel Tower (it is located between the Eiffel Tower and the Seine River).
- Champ de Mars: Take a stroll through Champ de Mars, the large green space next to the Eiffel Tower.
- Frame Restaurant & Bar: It’s a short walk to Frame Restaurant & Bar, a restaurant with a view of the Eiffel Tower that serves great food and drinks. We had lunch here before one of our Eiffel Tower visits and had a nice experience.
- Rue Cler: Walk to Rue Cler and put together a picnic lunch or dinner of bread, cheese, fruit, and charcuterie. Find an empty park bench on Champ de Mars and enjoy your cheap but delicious French meal with a view of the Eiffel Tower. We’ve done this twice so far and it’s one of my favorite overall experiences in the city. A French picnic with a view of the Eiffel Tower…it’s easy to do and budget-friendly.
We took this photo of the Eiffel Tower from the Trocadéro at sunset
Best Time to Visit the Eiffel Tower
Visiting the Eiffel Tower is a wonderful experience from the time it opens in the morning until midnight.
The best time to visit the Eiffel Tower is about one hour before sunset, so you can gaze out over Paris both as it is illuminated by the sun, but also get to see the lights twinkle on as the sun lowers across the sky. If you stay past sunset, you’ll be on the Eiffel Tower when its lights sparkle.
We also like being on the Eiffel Tower midday, which is a great time to photograph the city from the tower.
Interesting Facts about the Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower stands in Champs de Mars and is named after Gustav Eiffel, the engineer in charge of the project. It was constructed for the 1889 World’s Fair, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution.
When it was completed, the Eiffel Tower was the tallest man-made structure in the world. It held this title until 1930, with the completion of the Chrysler Building in New York City.
The Eiffel Tower was only intended to stand for 20 years. However, it became such an important tourist site, and a valuable radiotelegraph station, that it was never dismantled.
Now, the Eiffel Tower is one of the most visited monuments in the world and one of the most popular tourist attractions in Europe. In 2022, 5.9 million people visited the Eiffel Tower. In 1991, it was named as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site “Paris, Banks of the Seine.”
The Eiffel Tower is repainted by hand every 7 years. Its color has changed over the years, and it was originally painted a reddish-brown color, then to a golden yellow in 1892, and then back to red in the mid-1900’s. It is being repainted again in preparation for the summer 2024 Olympics.
Each night, the Eiffel Tower sparkles, with the twinkling of thousands of lights. The light show lasts for five minutes at each hour, starting at sunset.
Frequently Asked Questions
How long does a visit to the Eiffel Tower last?
Most visits to the Eiffel Tower take 2 to 3 hours, which includes the time it takes to get through security. However, if you did not purchase a ticket online in advance, it’s possible that you could spend an additional 2 to 3 hours in line for tickets, especially during the summer, weekends, and holidays.
Is there luggage storage at the Eiffel Tower?
There is no luggage storage at the Eiffel Tower. If you have a suitcase, you will not be permitted to enter the security check to enter the Esplanade.
Is the Eiffel Tower worth it?
Yes. If this is your first trip to Paris, we think going up the Eiffel Tower is absolutely worth it. The experience is more than just the view: walking beneath the tower, climbing through its iron framework, and looking out over Paris from the second floor is one of those quintessential Paris experiences. But if it is your second or third visit to Paris, and you’ve already visited the Eiffel Tower, we think your time is better spent experiencing another part of Paris.
Plan Your Trip to Paris
- Deciding where to stay → Our Where to Stay in Paris guide covers the best neighborhoods for first-timers.
- Building your full itinerary → Our 2 Days in Paris itinerary and 3 Days in Paris itinerary show you how to visit the highlights of Paris in just a few days.
- Visiting the Louvre next? → Our Louvre guide covers how to see the masterpieces, and go deeper into the Louvre (with optional eBook).
- Day-tripping outside the city? → Our Versailles guide covers tickets, what to do, and how to avoid the crowds
- Wondering where else to get a great view of Paris? → our Best Views of Paris guide covers the top photography locations in the city.
If you have any questions about how to visit the Eiffel Tower, let us know in the comment section below.
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