Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is worth going up, and most first-time visitors get the best value from the second floor by elevator. It costs €23.50 for an adult (about $26), and the view from there is closer and clearer than from the top. Pay for the top only if the sky is clear and standing at the summit is the point of your trip.
The tower is 1,083 feet (330 meters) tall and was built for the 1889 World's Fair. You can visit three levels: the first floor at 187 feet (57 meters), the second at 380 feet (116 meters) and the top at 906 feet (276 meters). Stairs go as far as the second floor. Elevators go all the way.
In our experience, the people who enjoy it most aren't the ones who paid the most. They booked a set time the day it opened and showed up for the first slot or after dark. The tower sold 6.74 million tickets in 2025, so your entry time matters more than your ticket type.
Snapshot
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Our pick: second floor by elevator, €23.50 (about $26) per adult
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Location: Champ de Mars, 7th arrondissement, Paris
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Annual visitors: 6.74 million paid visitors in 2025, per the tower's operator, plus about 10 million on the free esplanade
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Busiest times: July and August, school holidays, and weekends all year
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Opening hours: 9:30 AM to 11:00 PM in November 2026, later on summer dates. Last ascents at 10:45 PM.
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Time needed: 2 to 3 hours
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Cheapest ticket: €14.80 (about $17), adult, stairs to the second floor
Prices and hours checked November 7, 2026, on the official Eiffel Tower website. Dollar amounts use the European Central Bank rate of November 6, 2026 (1 euro = 1.1165 dollars), rounded to the nearest dollar.
Why Visit the Eiffel Tower
You can look at the Eiffel Tower for free from half of Paris. Going up gives you something different: the whole city laid out around the Seine, with the streets and rooftops close enough to name.
The three things we wouldn't skip:
1. The top, on a clear day
At 906 feet (276 meters) the city flattens out, and the official site puts the horizon about 37 miles (60 kilometers) away. On a gray or hazy day you pay €13.20 more per adult (about $15) to look at cloud.
2. The view from the second floor
At 380 feet (116 meters) you're high enough to see across Paris and low enough to pick out the Arc de Triomphe, the Seine bridges and Sacré-Cœur on its hill. This is the level we'd choose if you only see one.
3. Watch the tower sparkle at night
After dark the lights sparkle for five minutes at the start of every hour, with the last show at 11:00 PM. You don't need a ticket. The Trocadéro terrace across the river and the Champ de Mars lawn behind the tower both give you the full view.
Also worth your time: the glass floor on the first floor, 187 feet up, and the exhibitions that rotate through that level during the year. The second floor has two levels and a macaron bar. The top has a champagne bar and a reconstruction of Gustave Eiffel's office. The tower routes everyone from the highest level downward, so start at the top of your ticket and work your way down.
Plan Your Visit
Opening Hours
The tower opens every day at 9:30 AM. In November 2026 the official calendar shows closing at 11:00 PM, with last ascents at 10:45 PM. Summer dates run later, up to 12:45 AM on some nights. Paris is six hours ahead of New York, so the 9:30 AM opening is 3:30 AM Eastern. Hours checked November 7, 2026. See full timings.
Duration
Plan two to three hours. The official site says to allow 15 to 20 minutes for security, and forum regulars report about 45 minutes to reach the elevator in summer even with a timed ticket. Add an hour if you're eating at the tower or waiting for the sparkle.
Best Time to Visit
The first entry at 9:30 AM and the evening after 8:00 PM have the shortest waits. For the months, aim for April to June or September to October. July and August are the busiest, along with spring break, Memorial Day week and the Christmas to New Year stretch. Weekdays beat weekends all year. Over the Christmas fortnight the tower stays open to about 12:45 AM, and the late slots are the quiet ones. Best times by month and day.
Tickets & Prices
Buy on the official website, toureiffel.paris. Adult prices run from €14.80 (about $17) for stairs to the second floor to €36.70 (about $41) for the elevator to the top. Children under 4 are free but still need a ticket. Elevator tickets open 90 days ahead and stairs tickets 60 days ahead, and since September 29, 2026, stairs tickets need a reservation too. New fares start January 11, 2027. Compare all four tickets.
Our pick: the second floor by elevator for most families, because the view is as good and there's no second line for the top elevator. For two adults with kids aged 9 and 14, that's €64.80 (about $72). The top by elevator costs the same family €101 (about $113).
How to Reach, Entrances & Accessibility
The closest stops are Bir-Hakeim on Metro line 6, under 10 minutes on foot from Entrance 1, and Champ de
Mars-Tour Eiffel on RER C, about 5 minutes away. Trocadéro on line 9 is the better arrival if you want the
photo: you walk down the terrace and across the Pont d'Iéna with the tower in front of you. École Militaire
on line 8 and buses 30, 42, 69, 82 and 86 all stop within a 10-minute walk.
There are two entrances to the fenced area: Entrance 1 on the south side, on the Allée des Refuzniks, and
Entrance 2 on the east side. Everyone goes through a security check there, so allow 15 to 20 minutes. A
timed ticket doesn't skip it. There's no luggage storage, and bags that don't fit the sizer at the
checkpoint are turned away.
For visitors with reduced mobility, elevators serve the first floor and the lower level of the second
floor. The official site says the top and the stairs aren't accessible to wheelchair or crutch users, for
evacuation reasons. Visitors with a disability card pay the reduced rate, and so does one companion. Only
certified assistance dogs are allowed in.
Tours & Experiences
Most visitors don't need a tour here. The official timed ticket gets you in, the official site says no ticket of any kind skips the security line, and the views don't need a narrator.
A guide makes sense if you want the engineering story told as you go up, or if the official calendar is empty for your date. The tower runs its own guided tours: €53.50 (about $60) per adult to the second floor and €71.70 (about $80) to the top. Resellers such as GetYourGuide sell hosted entry and tours with their own time slots, for more than the official ticket. Read the cancellation terms before you pay.
Skip it if: you already hold an official timed ticket and you're happy reading the panels yourself. A tour costs about twice the price for the same view.
For a meal with a view, Madame Brasserie on the first floor is sold with a top ticket as a brunch bundle for €121.70 (about $136), or you can book a table on its own.
Don't leave this until you land in Paris. Elevator dates open 90 days ahead, the top sells out first, and summer and holiday weeks go fastest. Pick your date and lock in a time today.
We may earn a commission if you book through the links on this page. It doesn't change the price you pay.
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History
Gustave Eiffel's company built the tower for the 1889 World's Fair, which marked 100 years since the French Revolution. Two of his engineers, Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier, drew the first design in 1884. Architect Stephen Sauvestre added the arches at the base.
Work started on January 26, 1887, and finished on March 31, 1889: two years, two months and five days. About 300 workers assembled 18,038 iron parts with 2.5 million rivets. The iron weighs 7,300 tons, and the whole tower about 10,100 tons.
Not everyone liked it. On February 14, 1887, a group of artists and writers, Guy de Maupassant among them, published a protest in the newspaper Le Temps. The public disagreed. The tower opened on May 15, 1889, and 1,953,122 people went up during the fair.
The city had granted Eiffel a 20-year concession, so the tower was due to come down in 1910. Eiffel offered it as a radio mast, and by 1908 its transmissions reached 3,700 miles (6,000 kilometers). A military radio station went in during 1909, and the concession was renewed on January 1, 1910.
The tower was painted red in 1889. It's repainted about every seven years with around 60 tons of paint. The campaign that started in 2019 returned it to the yellow-brown shade chosen in 1907, replacing the "Eiffel Tower brown" used from 1968. One stunt from the archives: in 1923 the journalist Pierre Labric rode a bicycle down the stairs.
Visitor Reviews
We read the recent threads on the Rick Steves travel forum, where American travelers compare notes. Two points come up again and again: the wait, and the sell-outs.
On June 19, 2026, a poster named Penn wrote: "I would definitely plan on 45 min wait time at this time of the year" (Security lines at the Eiffel Tower).
On January 30, 2026, after another poster's cart spun until the summit slots were gone, a regular called Tocard replied: "Unless you are going in the next 7 days, tickets are not really sold out. Keep trying." (Summit tickets availability).
On April 8, 2025, Ellen added the detail that catches people out: "If you purchase tickets for the Summit, you must wait in a second line on the second level for the elevator." (Eiffel Tower Tips).
The fix for all three is the same. Book a timed slot the day your date opens, take the first one or a late one, and treat the second floor as the destination unless the sky is clear. Compare the tickets.
Nearby Attractions
You can fill a whole day without leaving the area.
1. Champ de Mars
The lawn behind the tower, no walk at all. Pick up bread, cheese and fruit on Rue Cler, a market street 10 minutes away, and eat with the tower in front of you. A Christmas market runs at the foot of the tower from December 5, 2026 to January 3, 2027 (dates provisional).
2. Trocadéro Gardens
Across the Pont d'Iéna, about 15 minutes on foot. The terrace gives you the classic full-height photo. Busy at sunset, and worth it.
3. Seine River Cruise
Boats leave from the quay below the tower, a 5-minute walk. An hour on the water covers the main sights without the walking.
4. Sainte-Chapelle
On the Île de la Cité, about 25 minutes away by RER C to Saint-Michel. Go on a sunny day, when the stained glass fills the chapel with color.
5. Notre-Dame Cathedral
A few minutes' walk from Sainte-Chapelle, and open again since December 2024. Entry is free, and the line moves faster early in the day.
The Louvre is a 30-minute Metro ride away. Book a timed entry before you go, for the same reason as here.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need to book Eiffel Tower tickets in advance?
Yes, for a set time on a set day. Elevator tickets open 90 days ahead and often sell out for busy dates, and stairs tickets have needed a reservation since September 29, 2026.
Is the top worth the extra money?
On a clear day, if the summit is the moment you came for, yes. For most first visits the second floor gives the better view of Paris, with no second line for the top elevator.
Can I bring a backpack?
Small bags are fine after the security check. A bag sizer at the checkpoint sets the limit, anything bigger is refused, and the tower has no cloakroom or luggage storage.
Is the tower open on Christmas and New Year's Day?
Yes. It's open every day of the year and runs later over the Christmas fortnight, to about 12:45 AM. December 31 is the exception: it closes around 6:30 PM, and there are no fireworks from the tower that night. Holiday hours.
Are there restrooms inside?
Yes. Free toilets are on the esplanade and on the first, second and top floors. Baby changing is on every level except the top.
Can children climb the stairs?
Yes. There's no minimum age, and the 674 steps to the second floor take about 30 to 45 minutes by the official estimate. Children under 4 need a free ticket.
What happens if it rains or the wind is strong?
The tower stays open in the rain. The top can close in strong wind or extreme heat, while the lower floors usually stay open. Bring a jacket, since it's always windy up there.