Eiffel Tower: the most important advice for tourists

Imagining Paris without the Eiffel Tower is impossible. You can even see it when you’re landing in Charles de Gaulle airport (usually on your right). In this article we’ll tell you what you need to know about this monumental structure in France’s capital and how to climb this Iron Lady.

Eiffel Tower ticket cost

If you’re reading this article, you’re probably already going to Paris, and planning to visit the Eiffel Tower. So we’ll start with the most important thing: tickets.

Its cost depends on several factors: on the level you want to climb, on the method of climbing and on the age of the visitor. Up to 4 years old a visit to one of the main symbols of the capital is absolutely free. Children’s ticket is required from 4 to 11 years old, from 12 to 24 there is a youth fare.

Tickets are sold with the date and time of your visit, so buying them in advance is a very good idea. You can do it on the official site (plan to buy them at least two months before your trip) or by using this link.

Eiffel Tower lines

• If you bought your ticket in advance, there is nothing to worry about. You will get in at the appointed time.
• You can easily avoid lines at the Eiffel Tower by going to Paris in November or February (but avoid Valentine’s Day). There’re almost no lines at these times and the expected wait is only about 30 minutes. During the summer it can be two to three hours. We’ve described all the methods we know for minimizing the time you spend waiting in lines already in the article “How to get into the Eiffel Tower without lines“.
• All members of organized tours go through without a line. Follow this link for more information about tour options. Or you can order a ticket with priority admission to Level 2 or the top of the tower here. There are usually tickets on tours even when the official website has run out of them.
• A guaranteed way to enter without waiting in lines is ordering a Paris City Pass that also includes a ticket to Louvre and a Seine cruise. Choose a day of your visit below:

By the way, beginning in 2021, there will be no more queues under the tower to admire the openwork metal overhead. The Grand Dame has been surrounded by a fence with turnstiles and one can only enter by ticket. Not to mention the fact that all tickets are now sold with a date and time of attendance (to control occupancy). In general, there are so many nuances that it is extremely rash to hope to buy a ticket on the spot.

If you do have trouble getting in, don’t just stand there and walk around. “Around the Eiffel Tower” is the title of one of our informative audioguides to Paris. Download it here!

Eiffel Tower operating hours

The Eiffel Tower is open for visitors from 9 am to 00:45 am in the summer, and from 9:30 am to 11:45 pm the rest of the year. We recommend going to the tower in the evening when there are fewer tourists. In that case, you’ll only see Paris at night, but that view is quite spectacular.

Many tourists think they’ll head out early and get to the tower right when it opens and no one else will be awake yet. But when everyone thinks this way, it has the opposite effect, and the line in the morning is the longest.

Where is the Eiffel Tower?

Unfortunately, there isn’t a metro station under the tower. But there are stations just a 10-minute walk away:

• Trocadero (lines 6 and 9)
• Bir-Hakeim (line 6)
• Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel (RER C)

Here’s a tip: if you get on line 6 at Trocadero station and head towards Nation, you’ll hear musicians playing the accordion right on the train and see the beautiful tower from the window while crossing the bridge over the Seine.

And we recommend an audioguide for those who are in Paris for the first time, who don’t know it well, or just want to learn a lot of new things while walking around. You can download it on the App Store and Google Play. Find it using this link. Don’t wait!

Lights on the Eiffel Tower

Since 2000, the Eiffel Tower has been lit with golden lights. It’s true that it changes sometimes. For example, in honor of the French chairman of the EU, it shone blue, and as a sign of solidarity with women suffering from breast cancer, it was pink.

The Iron Lady’s lights turn on when it starts getting dark. But every hour (after 9 in the winter and 10 in the summer) additional lights light up. This show lasts for three minutes, with the final show at 1 am.

What awaits you at the Eiffel Tower?

If you are going to the Eiffel Tower for the first time, prepare to be surprised by its size. In the photo it looks elegant, but on closer inspection it is very large. So on each floor of the tower you will have something to see and do, it takes not 15 minutes to look around.

Stores of all kinds of souvenirs in the form or with a picture of the tower and buffets with light snacks are on the square under the tower, on the first and on the second floor.

Floor 1

The first level of the tower has the most space. There is a spacious outdoor terrace with several snack bars. You can buy drinks, ice cream, macaroons, burgers and other snacks, sit down at a table and grab a bite to eat while enjoying the light flying structure of the tower.

There is also a historical exhibit on this floor with photos, diagrams and interactive touch panels that detail the history and specifications of the tower.

There is a large conference room on the 1st floor that shows a panoramic film about the tower. A small fragment of the spiral staircase by which Gustave Eiffel climbed to his office on the third level has also been preserved.

The famous “58” restaurant was also located here. In 2022 it was renamed the Brasserie Madame. Tables in this place should be reserved in advance (you can do it here). A separate elevator takes guests from the square below the tower without any queues.

By the way, we found an interesting offer from our partners with a cruise, dinner on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower and a show at the Moulin Rouge with champagne the same night. Just what you need for a special occasion! Book at this link.

Floor 2

On the second floor there is also a buffet, souvenir stores, spy glasses and the Jules Verne restaurant. This restaurant has earned 3 Michelin stars. This is an additional reason besides the fantastic view of the city, why it is necessary to book a table here in advance.

It is a widely known saying of Guy de Maupassant, who dined on the tower so as not to see it. And you can do the opposite and choose a restaurant with a view of the Eiffel Tower.

Floor 3

At the top of the tower is the office of its chief designer. It has been carefully restored, and instead of the owner himself, his wax twin inhabits it. You can see a 1:50 scale model of the top of the Eiffel Tower in detail.

At the height of 276 meters one can not hear the noise of the city, and the endless panorama creates a romantic mood. For this occasion on the 3rd floor there is a small bar where you can get a glass of champagne to remember this moment forever. The cost of wine starts from 12 euros for a simple sparkling wine, up to 22 euros for a pink champagne in a colored glass (100ml glass). You can drink homemade lemonade.

While enjoying wine, pay attention to the signs of the different sides of the world. You can find your city and look in its direction.

Where to eat near the Eiffel Tower?

After walking through the tower, you can get pretty tired, and if the prices in the buffets seem excessive (and they are not cheap), then you can get hungry. You can relax near the Eiffel Tower right on the Champ de Mars, have pancakes or sandwiches and have a picnic. There aren’t any big restaurants near the Eiffel Tower. There are a few good places on Trocadero square with an excellent view of the tower. More affordable cafes and pizzerias are next to Bir-Hakeim station.

Next to the tower there is a pier, from which the river streetcars depart. This is also a great way to relax and once again admire the sights of Paris. A dinner cruise on the Seine is available for booking at this link. And if you’d like to book a tower ticket and a dinner cruise at once, you're welcome here.

Nearby hotels

Book a hotel near the Eiffel Tower

Living near the Eiffel Tower is not always convenient. There are a few metro stations and you have to walk a lot to all the sights. However, the prominent tower is more or less visible from all parts of the city. Hotels with a view of the main attraction are scattered all over Paris and there are even on the Defence. We recommend reading our article “10 best hotels with a view of the Eiffel Tower“.

But if you still want to stay close to the tower, here’s a list of hotels nearby.

Have a nice trip!