Eiffel Tower Tickets to the Top : Summit Access

Here’s an interesting fact for you: The Eiffel Tower attracts more visitors than any other paid tourist attraction in the world.  So, needless to say, when you plan to visit Paris, it is incredibly important to be well aware of different Eiffel Tower tips and tricks for visiting the Eiffel Tower and getting Eiffel Tower Tickets to the top.  The Eiffel summit tickets sell out fast!  Standing about 81 stories tall, the Eiffel Tower was originally built as a temporary structure to serve as the entrance to the 1889 World’s Fair.  It has now become one of the most recognizable structures in the world, so it’s understandable why it is such a popular tourist attraction.  Depending on when you visit Paris, Eiffel Tower tickets can be difficult to come by, especially if you are hoping to get an Eiffel Tower ticket with summit access.  Visiting the Eiffel Tower can be a bit overwhelming.  Here are my top Eiffel Tower tips and tricks and info on buying Eiffel Tower tickets to hopefully make your visit to this iconic structure less stressful and more fun!

eiffel tower tips and tricks

Buying Eiffel Tower Tickets to the Top in Advance

Eiffel Tower tickets are available up to three months in advance and they sell out FAST, especially Eiffel summit tickets! Unfortunately, most tickets are snatched up by re-sellers and are hard to come-by online on the official Eiffel Tower ticketing site.  We knew the dates we would be in Paris two months in advance and the tickets were long gone by then.

The lines at the Eiffel Tower can be incredibly long…like hours long, just to buy tickets!  Once you purchase your tickets you then get to go stand in the security line, and then the line for the elevator, which can be another few hours. It can be painful, especially if you are visiting during the popular summer months when temperatures can often reach into the 90’s.  Buying Eiffel Tower tickets in advance is THE best option to make sure you get a chance to climb the tower with a minimal time in line.  By purchasing in advance, you get to skip the ever long ticket line, which is like having a great fast-pass at Disneyland.  The downside to purchasing in advance…you have to select a date and time in advance and you are tied to visiting at that time.  If you are only in Paris for a short time, then it is probably worth committing to a day and time and getting those tickets in advance.  As SOON as you know your dates, book your tickets!  Booking directly through the Eiffel Tower Ticket site is much less expensive than purchasing through a re-seller.  Current 2018 ticket prices are:

Eiffel Tower Ticket with Elevator access to the 2nd Floor

16€ Adult

8€ Youth (age 12-24)

4€ Child (age 4-11)

Under 4 is free

Eiffel Tower Tickets to the Top with Elevator Access

25 € Adult

12,50 € Youth (age 12-24)

6,30 € Child (age 4-11)

Under 4 is free

Eiffel Tower Ticket with Access via Stairs to the Second Floor

10 € Adult

5 € Youth (age 12-24)

2,50 € Child (age 4-11)

Under 4 is free

Eiffel Summit Tickets Taking the Stairs to the 2nd Floor and then Elevator to the Top

19 € Adult

9,50 € Youth (age 12-24)

4,80 € Child (age 4-11)

Under 4 is free

When planning your date/time for visiting, the Eiffel Tower is open every day of the year with the following schedule: (current as of August 2018)

  • from 9 a.m. to 12:45am from June 21 to September 2 (Last entry is 12am, last entry for going to the top is 11pm)
  • from 9:30 a.m. to 11:45 p.m. during the rest of the year. (Last entry 11pm, 10:30 for the top)
  • Stairs 9:30am -6:30pm Sept 3 – June 20 (Last entry 6pm),  9:00am – 12:45am June 21-Sept 2nd (Last entry at Midnight)

eiffel tower tickets

If you can’t purchase online, or don’t want to commit to a date/time there are other options to minimize your time in line and make your visit easier:

Take the Stairs: If you aren’t afraid of climbing the 330 stairs to the first floor of the tower, this is the way to do it.  Tickets for climbing the stairs only are not sold online, but don’t worry.  There is a separate ticket line just for stair tickets and it is usually quite short.  Climbing the stairs is less expensive and there is no long line for tickets, and no 2 hour wait for the lift.  You can continue to climb up to the second level once you are there, another 300 stairs or so, and then, if you are interested in riding to the top of the tower,  you can purchase a supplementary lift ticket on the second floor and ride the lift to the top.  There are usually no lift or ticket lines on the second floor, so you get to cruise right up to the top once you have enjoyed your walk up to the second floor. Awesome!

eiffel tower tickets

eiffel tower tickets

Are Eiffel Tower Skip the Line Tickets with Summit Access available?

There is no such thing as a “skip the line” ticket for the Eiffel Tower. The only way to avoid queuing at the ticket office is to get an Eiffel Tower e-ticket from our online box office. You can buy your e-tickets a long time in advance (up to 60 days before your visit), and enjoy a pre-booked time for access to the lift (to the second floor or to the top). E-tickets save you time with fast-track security checks and no need to queue at the Eiffel Tower ticket offices.

Tickets sold as “skip the line” on other websites do not offer any further benefits. To make sure you queue as little as possible and don’t pay more than the official price, we recommend that you plan ahead and buy your ticket in advance at the Eiffel Tower’s online box office.

eiffel tower tickets

Purchase a Tour Ticket: Tour companies like Viator are the big re-sellers that buy most of the Eiffel Tower tickets.  Yes, the ticket prices are going to be much higher through a tour company (from $65 US dollars per person as of July 2016) as opposed to the price when purchased directly through the Eiffel Tower ticket office. Just make sure that the ticket you purchase is a summit access pass, otherwise it will only allow you to access the second level.  The biggest benefit of these passes that I see, is that you are buying flexibility with the added cost.  When I checked as of writing this post, I could purchase a ticket for any day/time this week that I wanted.  Even during the peak travel season in July.  If you are not sure you want to commit to a day or time so that you can be a bit more flexible with your plans, then this is probably your best bet.

Book a Restaurant Reservation at one of the Tower’s two restaurants:

Le 58 Tour Eiffel offers a more casual, picnic style fare for lunch and a nice dinner option.  It is located on the first floor of the tower and you cannot access the other floors with this reservation. Prices start at about 41 € per person for lunch.  There is a kiosk at the base of the tower strictly for those that have restaurant reservations to pick up their tickets.  You are then escorted to a special spot to ride the elevator up and skip the lines.  These rules change regularly, so be sure to check with the restaurant about procedures at the time you book your reservation.  You can find out more about Le 58 Tour Eiffel here.

If you are ready to spend big for a truly unique Eiffel Tower experience, then book a reservation at Le Jules Verne.  Enjoy contemporary French cuisine overlooking the most spectacular view of the City of Lights, while sampling the chef created 5 course “tasting” menu.  Le Jules Verne reservations for dinner start at 190 € per person.  It is located on the second floor of the tower with no access to the top deck.  Reservations include your ticket up the tower and a special elevator, so you skip the lines. You can find more information about Le Jules Verne here.

eiffel tower tickets

eiffel tower tickets

eiffel tower tickets

A few other Eiffel Tower tips and tricks:

-Go late at night for shorter lines.  Don’t get me wrong, there will still be lines, but most of the tour groups and many travelers arrive early in the day for this experience.  Because of that, the lines are often shorter at night..and as an added bonus, it’s often a little bit cooler than waiting in line with the sun beating down on you.

-Don’t be afraid of the rain.  In our experience, we were too late to get advanced tickets and decided one day while we were there to check it out on a stormy day before we bought expensive tour tickets.  Because the forecast was for rain, there were hardly any people there!  We purchased Eiffel Tower tickets to the top in a matter of minutes and were through security and on a lift in about 20 minutes.  We had the tower and the views practically to ourselves and still had clear views of the city.   It was amazing!  If you are lucky enough to be there when the forecast calls for rain, it might be worth a try to see if you can avoid the crowds.  An added bonus of going on a rainy, crowd-free day is that the usual pick pockets and petty thieves that are well known for preying on unsuspecting tourists in the large crowds both in lines and up on the tower, were no where to be found.

-If you are riding the metro to the tower, get off at the Trocadéro stop.  It’s a little further away from the more commonly used Bir-Hakeim stop, but you will never get a view of the tower quite like the view from this spot.  This is also the BEST place to watch the twinkling lights of the tower at night.

-Even if you don’t want to walk UP the stairs, take the opportunity to walk down one level using the stairs.  It is a fun experience and you get unique views of both the tower and the city.

-Note that even if you buy an Eiffel Summit ticket that allows you to visit the tower’s summit, the summit is not always open due to high winds and other various weather conditions.

eiffel tower tickets

eiffel tower tickets

I hope that you enjoy your trip to the Eiffel Tower and that these Eiffel Tower tips and tricks will make your trip even easier and more fun!  The Eiffel Tower Tickets to the Top offer incredible views of Paris, but if you want to see what I consider to be the most beautiful views of the Parisian skyline that INCLUDE the Eiffel Tower, don’t miss this post! 🙂

Wondering about the Paris Museum Pass and what sites you can access with it?  Read this article all about why you need a Paris Museum pass! 🙂

If you’re heading to other places in Europe, here are some more posts you don’t want to miss!  You can check out our entire Europe Travel Gallery to see all of our posts and helpful info.

Things to See in Europe

Tea at the Orangery | Riding Trains in Europe | Dublin Travel Guide | Paris Museum Pass | Best Family Hotel in Rome

Things to do in Europe

Visiting Bruges | Staying Connected in Europe | Best View in Paris | Amsterdam Canal House | Borough Market

Do you have a favorite travel tip?  I’d love to know about it!  Let me know about it in the comments!   You can join me on Facebook, Instagram and Pinterest for more fun ideas about food, design, travel and entertaining.  Don’t forget to sign up for our newsletter (at the bottom of the post) so you don’t miss a thing!

Happy Travels!
Tammy

Tammy

Creative Director at Pink Peppermint Design
Tammy Mitchell is the founder and creative director of lifestyle blog pinkpeppermintdesign.com. Along with being a homeschooling mom of two kiddos, she is also an in-demand prop and event stylist, photographer, interior and graphic designer. On Pink Peppermint Design, she shares creative DIY projects, easy entertaining and gift ideas, inspiring interiors and events. She lives in Southern California, with her husband and two children.

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