In a nutshell
- The Eiffel Tower ticket options feeling overwhelming? We’ve got you. We’ll walk you through every purchasing option and the most important things to know before you go.
- We’ll also share our personal favorite from firsthand experience — the Access to 2nd Floor ticket — and explain exactly why we love it.
- Plus, we’ll give you practical tips for what to expect on-site — from security and wait times to what you can actually do at each level.
What Do You Need to Know About Eiffel Tower Tickets in Advance?
Before we get into how to reach the Eiffel Tower and what to see while you’re there, let’s start with tickets — because this is where most people get confused.
There are so many options that it’s easy to lose track.
Where Is the Best Place to Buy Your Eiffel Tower Ticket?
Your best bet is to buy your Paris Eiffel Tower tickets in advance online through the official Eiffel Tower website.
If tickets are sold out there for your desired date, you have two more options.
Either you buy through a reseller — for example on GetYourGuide — or in person at the ticket counter right at the tower.
Just be prepared for long wait times if you go on-site.
Your best move is to get in line early in the morning to still snag a ticket. The ticket counters open at 9:30 AM — that’s when you should be there.
What Types of Eiffel Tower Tickets Are There and What Do They Cost?
Eiffel Tower Tickets from the Official Provider
| What? | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Ticket to 2nd Floor (Stairs) | from 14.50 EUR | Buy here |
| Ticket to 2nd Floor (Elevator) | from 23 EUR | |
| Ticket to the Top (Elevator) | from 36 EUR | |
| Ticket to the Top (Stairs + Elevator) | from 27.50 EUR | |
| Ticket to 2nd Floor (Stairs + Champagne) | from 35.50 EUR | |
| Ticket to 2nd Floor (Elevator + Champagne) | from 44 EUR | |
| Ticket to the Top (Elevator + Champagne) | from 60 EUR | |
| Ticket to the Top (Elevator + Brunch) | from 116 EUR | |
| Guided Tour | from 53 EUR |
Eiffel Tower Tickets from Third-Party Providers
| What? | Price | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Ticket up to 2nd Floor | from 78 EUR | Buy on GetYourGuide |
| from 50 EUR | Buy on GetYourGuide | |
| Ticket to the Top | from 110 EUR | Buy on GetYourGuide |
| from 89 EUR | Buy on Tiqets | |
| Combo: Eiffel Tower + Boat Tour | from 57 EUR | Buy on GetYourGuide |
| from 56 EUR | Buy on Tiqets |
For children and young adults, the ticket always costs about 10 euros less.
Important: You need to decide in advance whether you want to go up to the second floor or all the way to the top. It’s not possible to upgrade to a summit ticket once you’re already there.
When Are Which Eiffel Tower Tickets Available?
Summit tickets are especially popular and often sell out far in advance. If you want to go all the way to the top, book at least 2 months before your trip.
Our favorite option, the second floor tickets (2nd Floor), are often available on shorter notice — either online or at the ticket counter right at the tower.
Can You Visit the Eiffel Tower on a Whim?
A spontaneous visit is doable — but only to a limited extent and with a long wait time.
Limited means that not all ticket options will be available if you show up without a reservation.
Often, though, you can still buy stair-access tickets to the second floor on the spot. During peak season, the wait can stretch to 2.5 hours.
We still recommend booking online in advance early enough. That way you’re guaranteed to get in and won’t waste your vacation time standing in line.
Which Eiffel Tower Tickets Let You Skip the Line?
Let’s be straight with you: there’s no way to avoid lines entirely at the Eiffel Tower. That said, booking your ticket online in advance does bypass most of the wait.
Even so, at the security check and at the elevators, you’ll still encounter wait times of 5 to 30 minutes during peak season — no matter which ticket you’ve purchased.
The bottleneck is the elevators: they can only carry a certain number of people per hour, and that’s just the reality of visiting one of the world’s most popular landmarks.
Eiffel Tower Sold Out: What to Do?
If Eiffel Tower tickets for your dates are sold out on the official website, you have two options:
Either you spend a bit more and grab your ticket through GetYourGuide, or you head to the tower anyway and try your luck at the on-site ticket counter.
Your best bet is to be there when the counters open at 9:30 AM.
One more tip: try asking at your hotel. Some hotels in Paris can get Eiffel Tower tickets or know a way to source them.
Are There Combination Tickets for the Eiffel Tower?
Combination tickets are only available through providers like GetYourGuide or Tiqets.
There you’ll find options to pair the Eiffel Tower with a Seine river cruise or a guided tour of the surrounding area. We’ve done this ourselves.
We’ll cover these in more detail further down.
Is the Eiffel Tower Included in a Paris City Pass?
Yes, the Eiffel Tower is included in the following 4 Paris city passes:
- Paris Explorer Pass (up to the 2nd floor)
- Paris All-Inclusive Pass
- Paris City Pass (optional add-on)
- Paris Passlib’ (in the more expensive category)
Find out more about Paris passes here:
Our Ticket Recommendation for the Eiffel Tower: Access to 2nd Floor
In our experience, the best Eiffel Tower ticket is the Access to 2nd Floor ticket.
It costs just under 20 euros per person with elevator access, or just under 12 euros if you take the stairs.
Climbing the roughly 700 steps to the second floor takes about 15 minutes — so it’s definitely worth thinking about whether you want to save some money and get a little workout in the process.
The best place to buy it is in advance through the official Eiffel Tower website. Prices are fair, and you get a clear, real-time overview of available time slots.
With this ticket, you’ll have access up to the second floor. The ride to the summit isn’t included.
But honestly? The second floor is more than enough! From up here you get an absolutely stunning panorama over all of Paris and plenty of space to take photos without being crammed in.
Personally, we found the summit too cramped — and the view there really isn’t more impressive. The Eiffel Tower is one of the most famous landmarks in the world, and it shows up there. Neither the higher ticket price nor the extra wait at the summit elevator is worth it in our opinion.
Advantages of the Access to 2nd Floor ticket at a glance:
- Excellent value for money
- Choice between elevator and stair access
- Large, spacious platform
- Best view of Paris
- Stair access tickets often available on short notice too
Book Access to 2nd Floor Eiffel Tower tickets online
More Ticket Options for the Eiffel Tower
Our top pick doesn’t quite work for you, or the official website is sold out? Here are your alternatives:
Access to Summit Ticket
If you want to go all the way up to the Eiffel Tower summit, you’ll need the Access to Summit ticket.
In our experience, though, it’s not a better experience than the second floor.
Taking the elevator to the very top costs more money and takes significantly more time — and once you’re up there, the view honestly isn’t more impressive than from lower down.
If you still want to go all the way up and see for yourself, book the Summit ticket about 2 months in advance online.
Alternative Eiffel Tower Ticket through GetYourGuide
GetYourGuide is one of our favorite travel platforms for booking activities and tickets on the go — online or via app.
Eiffel Tower tickets on GetYourGuide are reseller tickets. That means other providers have bought up a block of tickets and are reselling them in line with EU regulations.
This is super handy when the official website shows no availability for your dates.
Just know that reseller tickets are in most cases significantly more expensive.
Book Eiffel Tower ticket through GetYourGuide online
Combination Ticket Eiffel Tower & Seine Cruise
Through resellers you can also book combination tickets — knocking out two Paris activities in one go.
For example: visiting the Eiffel Tower and taking a boat ride along the Seine.
What we really love is that you can choose whether to take your Seine cruise during the day or after dark.
Book combination ticket Eiffel Tower & Seine cruise online
Combination Ticket Eiffel Tower & Guided Tour
In addition to the Seine cruise, you can also combine your visit with a guided tour of the surrounding area.
Along the way, you’ll learn about the famous Trocadéro and the Champ de Mars.
This combination ticket is available through Tiqets — a travel platform similar to GetYourGuide.
Book combination ticket Eiffel Tower & guided tour online
The Best Way to Get to the Eiffel Tower
The easiest way to reach the Eiffel Tower is by Metro. The official stop on Metro maps is Bir-Hakeim station.
That said, we actually recommend getting off at Trocadéro station instead. From there, you walk straight toward the tower and experience that classic postcard view with your own eyes. Seriously worth it!
How a Visit to the Eiffel Tower Works
Wait Times at the Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower has two entrances: the East entrance and the South entrance.
The East entrance is for visitors taking the elevator up. If you’ve booked your ticket in advance, you join the line marked with the green flag. The wait is approximately 5 to 15 minutes.
The South entrance, marked with a blue flag, is for visitors with stair tickets. Wait times here are the shortest — usually just 5 to 10 minutes even during peak season.
If you don’t have a ticket yet, you’ll need to join the line at the East entrance under the yellow flag in front of the ticket window. The wait there is genuinely long — anywhere from 30 minutes to 2.5 hours depending on the season.
Security at the Eiffel Tower
At the entrances, there are personal and bag checks just like at an airport — two rounds of them, in fact.
The first check takes place before entry, in the forecourt. The second happens right before the stairs or elevator.
You’ll walk through metal detectors and your bag will be scanned. Prohibited items will be confiscated.
What Are You Not Allowed to Bring to the Eiffel Tower?
Security is strict — but it’s for your own safety. Make sure you don’t bring any of the following:
- Glass items (e.g. glass bottles)
- Sharp objects (e.g. pocket knives and nail scissors)
- Explosive or flammable items (e.g. aerosol deodorant and lighters)
- Propaganda materials of any kind (e.g. stickers and flyers)
- Bulky luggage
- Non-foldable strollers, scooters, or bicycles
- Animals (except service dogs)
- Weapons and ammunition
Food and drinks are allowed in small quantities and in security-compliant packaging. A water bottle or snacks for kids are totally fine. Small handbags and backpacks are no problem either.
Also important: There’s no luggage storage at the Eiffel Tower. Leave large bags at your hotel before you head over.
How Long Can You Stay at the Eiffel Tower?
There’s no time limit on your visit. Take all the time you want and soak in the views.
On average, visitors spend about two hours at the tower.
What Can You Do at the Eiffel Tower?
The Eiffel Tower is divided into three levels, each with its own highlights.
First Floor (57 meters)
- Accessible by stairs and elevator
- Restaurant Madame Brasserie
- Play area for children
- Museum exhibits and rotating exhibitions
- Souvenir shops
- Immersive cinema projection Cineiffel in the evenings
Second Floor (115 meters)
- Accessible by stairs and elevator
- Huge observation deck with the best view of Paris — you can see the Seine, the Champs-Élysées, Notre-Dame de Paris, the Louvre, and Sacré-Cœur
- Telescopes on the platform
- Restaurant Le Jules Verne
- 1 souvenir shop
Third Floor / Summit (276 meters)
- Accessible by elevator only
- Glass elevator
- Indoor and outdoor areas
- Restored office of Gustave Eiffel
- Champagne bar
9 Cool Facts About the Eiffel Tower
Feel like a quick lesson? Here are nine cool facts about the Eiffel Tower:
- Including the antenna, the Eiffel Tower is 324 meters tall.
- In 2012, the value of the Eiffel Tower was estimated at 435 billion euros.
- The foundation goes 14 meters deep into the ground.
- The Eiffel Tower shrinks by up to 8 cm in winter.
- In summer, it grows by up to 15 cm.
- Nothing and no one in the world is photographed as often as the Eiffel Tower.
- 20,000 light bulbs illuminate the tower at night.
- Nearly 8 million people visit every year — an average of 20,000 per day.
- The Tokyo Tower in Japan’s capital is modeled on the Eiffel Tower, though it stands 8 meters taller.
Frequently Asked Questions About the Eiffel Tower Paris
When is the Eiffel Tower least crowded?
Studies have shown that the Eiffel Tower is least visited on Thursdays after 6 PM. Honestly, we’re not sure why either — but there you go.
If Thursday doesn’t work for you, we simply recommend going early in the morning or in the evening. The crowds are noticeably smaller than during the middle of the day.
Can you visit the Eiffel Tower with kids?
Absolutely! Visiting the Eiffel Tower was the highlight for our kids. We’d recommend taking the elevator to the 2nd floor.
There is another platform at the very top, but we wouldn’t suggest it with children — you’ll have to wait in yet another line on the 2nd floor to get there, and honestly, the view from the 2nd floor is better anyway. There’s also more room for kids to move around.
Be sure to also read our tips and experiences for Paris with kids.
When is the best time to visit the Eiffel Tower?
The best time to go up is at sunset.
It’s less crowded than during the day, and the view is even more beautiful when Paris is bathed in that orange-pink light. So romantic!
Can you visit the Eiffel Tower after dark?
The Eiffel Tower is open daily until 11:45 PM. So if you visit late in the evening during the right months, you can absolutely see the tower after dark.
That said, the most magical time is during sunset. Watching the sun go down over Paris is an experience you’ll never forget.
When does the Eiffel Tower light up?
The Eiffel Tower light show runs every day from sunset until 1:00 AM, on the hour, every hour — and the lights sparkle for a full 5 minutes!
There truly isn’t a single day when the tower doesn’t light up. If nothing else, it has to be illuminated in the dark for safety reasons.
One more thing: the light show is protected by copyright and may only be photographed for personal use. Seriously!
Are there restrooms at the Eiffel Tower?
Before the bag check, next to the east pillar, you’ll find public restrooms — but they’re not free.
Once you’re past security, there are no more restrooms at ground level. On all three floors of the tower, however, you’ll find them.
Which restaurants are at the Eiffel Tower?
The Eiffel Tower has two restaurants.
On the first floor is Madame Brasserie, with affordable prices for brunch and dinner.
On the second floor you’ll find Jules Verne — a luxury restaurant with lunch menus starting at 100 euros.
Both require a reservation. Restaurant guests have a separate entrance at the bag check and a dedicated elevator, so the wait is minimal.
How long does it take to walk up to the 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower?
The staircase from the bottom to the second level has around 700 steps. The climb takes about 15 minutes.
The Eiffel Tower has a total of 1,665 steps all the way to the top, by the way — but climbing to the very summit isn’t possible for visitors. You’ll need to take the elevator for that.
