Eiffel Tower
Good for: bike tour, amsterdam, paris, eiffel tower, restaurants in france
Not good for: avoiding tourists
- Address
- Transport
- Website
- Phone
- 01 44 11 23 23
- Price
- to 2nd fl adult/child €8.10/4, to 3rd fl €13.10/9, stairs to 2nd fl €4.50/3
- Hours
- lifts & stairs 9am-midnight mid-Jun–Aug, lifts 9.30am-11pm, stairs 9.30am-6pm Sep–mid-June
Lonely Planet review for Eiffel Tower
When it was built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle (World Fair), marking the centenary of the Revolution, the Tour Eiffel faced massive opposition from Paris’ artistic and literary elite. The ‘metal asparagus’, as some Parisians snidely called it, was almost torn down in 1909 but was spared because it proved an ideal platform for the transmitting antennas needed for the new science of radiotelegraphy. Named after its designer, Gustave Eiffel, the tower is 324m high, including the TV antenna at the tip. This figure can vary by as much as 15cm, however, as the tower’s 7300 tonnes of iron, held together by 2.5 million rivets, expand in warm weather and contract when it’s cold.
The three levels are open to the public (entrance to the 1st level is included in all admission tickets), though the top level closes in heavy wind. You can either take the lifts (east, west and north pillars), or, if you’re feeling fit, the stairs in the south pillar up to the 2nd platform. Buy tickets in advance online to avoid monumental queues at the ticket office.
Traveller reviews for Eiffel Tower (34)
-
-
Breathaking
TkmdjVo recommends this,
Paris bike tour was the #1 thing of our europe trip! We had an amazing trip and would like to share it with everyone :) https://gumroad.com/l/FwH
Good for: bike tour, amsterdam, paris, eiffel tower, restaurants in france
-
-
-
-
Say Paris - hear Eiffel Tower
traveleurope_guide recommends this,
Eiffel Tower- this is exactly that place which along with Field of Mars are first associates with Paris. Field of Mars & Eiffel Tower are great place to escape the city's asphalts, because it is a big green area, a bit looks like a park on its sides. A great photos from Field of Mars are guaranted! Find more places worth to visit in Europe at http://travel-europe-eu.blogspot.com/ (active link on my channel)
-
-
-
Simply Amazing!
snapshots_portraits recommends this,
Our hotel was near the Eiffel tower, imagine just 2minutes! You should visit and take photos in the morning and in the evening where lights lit up and everyone cheers! (the best so far). The lines going up were really long, so plan your trip earlier or better join a tour group - NO LINES! :)
-
-
-
-
-
something you'll never forget!
stace244 recommends this,
although the queue looks long, it actually goes pretty quick! and the entrance price to go up it, i found quite fair and value for money. the view of Paris is litterally BREATH-TAKING and I stood stationary for an age just picking out all the incredible detail. don't miss seeing it at night time too as all lit up, it looks so pretty!
-
-
Classic but not cliched
victor_melb recommends this,
Best at night when the city lights up with the epilepsy inducing eiffel tower light show.
Good for: midnight wandering
Not good for: avoiding tourists
-
-
-
Paris...
seanmatthew recommends this,
I have been there last july, and it was one of the best days of my life ! The staff was very nice and professionnal, particulary this young man with blue eyes who was so handsome ! I had good advice from this website www.parislikeaparisian.net
-
Do it, but it's a long way up to a claustrophobic top
kriches21 recommends this,
It's much bigger to look at than you expect and you must go up it - to the top. I recently went up the top of the tower, once at night and once during the afternoon and waited no longer than 5 minutes in queues on the ground. However - if you are scared of heights or at all claustrophobic the top deck is not for you. It's a really, really long way up. I didn't think I was unable to cope with the lofty heights along with a shxx load of others, but crawling slowly around a very small glassed in circular lookout was not a pleasant experience. I'm really glad I did it. It was a perfectly clear and freezing Parisian evening with a gorgeous full moon (that, I swear, we were higher than), but had to keep my cool, trying my hardest not to panic and calmly wait for the lift down.
-
-
Don't go on New Year's Eve
karenski24 does not recommend this,
Agreed, Paris is not Paris without the tower. Do see it, but please, avoid it on New Year's and any other times when it might be really crowded. I went with my friend (both of us females) on New Year's, but there were no fireworks, just a ton of drunk people about. Most of them were guys traveling in packs, probably trying to pick up foreign girls... sick. My friend and I were surrounded by a group of older guys who got in our faces, speaking French (which we both speak) and then English and harrassing us. One of them was forcing himself on my friend, and when I slapped him, his friend punched me in the face, breaking my nose. I had to go to the hospital and get stitches in my forehead and wore bandages for the rest of my vacation. Definitely not worth the "fun" of seeing the tower at midnight on New Year's.
The moral? I hate that this is true, but if you're female travelers, try to travel with a male at night. And avoid large crowded areas on holidays... find a nice quiet restaurant, or a party with close friends, instead. Leave the sightseeing for the daytime.
-
Walk up
naturalrivers recommends this,
The best way to see the Eiffel Tower is to walk up. There is barely any queue (at least not the two times I did it), and in my opinion you get a much better feel for the building.
You actually only walk up to the 2nd level and then take the elevator to the top. Though the stair climb may sound daunting it is actually not tough at all. Almost anyone can do it.
Walking up is also about 30 percent cheaper than taking the elevator all the way.
-
Until I was back....
diancortes recommends this,
After my first visit to Paris and of course the Eiffel Tower, I had been back to the city (which I love) and avoided the Tower. However, this past December I was in Paris with a friend that had never been to the city; suprise surprise: our first stop was the Eiffel Tower. I could not say no. To my surprise I enjoyed the experience very much specially since we were there in the evening (good idea if you want to avoid the queue), there was fog around the Tower which made it seem that it was going on forever, the view of the city was very nice.
Conclusion: one must visit the Tower at least once and if it has been a long time since you decided to visit the cliche sculpture, I say visit it again as Paris is not Paris without it. -
Bigger than you think.
anomolly recommends this,
When I was in Paris and I saw the Eiffel, it was really f'ing cold, so I didn't go to the top. It was so much bigger than I thought underneath it. It's cool, worth seeing, but nothing amazing. I recommend going to Montmartre at sunset...it's very beautiful.
-
choice.
obiit recommends this,
i was most definitely a cynic before i saw it. i could have died never seeing it and not cared. but, climbing out of the metro into the actual city of paris for the fist time in my life and seeing it disrupting the horizon... wow... eventually i found myself at the very top. its quite the view, but even in winter, its incredibly crowded. still, going to the top is something you must do, if only once. but what forever made this statue a part of me was sleeping in front of it and watching the sunrise behind it... i guess what im really saying is the tower is a must see. there is no hype to it.
-
It's ace.
fiona263 recommends this,
The romance of the Eiffel tower will win over even the most unromantic realist. Although underwhelmed by Paris as a whole, I found the Eiffel tower FABULOUS. Visit at about 5pm for the shortest queues. And the walk back down is a must - more great views and fewer people on the platforms. Be sure to take a break in the cinema and get a taste of the history of the tower.
-
hopelessly romantic
djebru recommends this,
ok, i admit, i was half of one of those couples that so annoyed lucillem! not that there was proposing - we were on our honeymoon, so well passed that. we went up the tower at sunset, quite by accident - neither of us had bothered with the tower on previous trips to Paris and we were trying to avoid the hideous lines! as we walked up, the sky changed from late afternoon blue to pink to burnt orange to twilight indigo, and the city of lights started to live up to its name. it was absolutely glorious.
if you can't be bothered with the climb, you can always take artsy photos at the base, or just hang out on the lawns ignoring the flower sellers and waiting for the incredibly kitsch (but fabulous) sparkly light displays.
-
Not bad, but avoid the queue of death...
lwnski recommends this,
You're in Paris, cmaaaan you gotta do the tower! BUT, if it's at all possible, try to avoid the crowds because the queues can sometimes be huge, and who wants to spend a couple of hours squished between Joe & Pam Average and their whale like children from Essex/Cleveland/Düsseldorf, when you could be all chilled out tucked up in a secluded cafe, drinking Café au lait and Red wine out of a glass bigger than your head while sharing croissants with Daft Punk?
-
It's pretty high!
annawelford recommends this,
I've got a bit of vertigo so I only went to the first platform and it was plenty high enough to take in the amazing view. Also, go early and on a weekday if you can cos it really does get chockers, although they herd the queues pretty well.
-
ahh, Paris...
leafage recommends this,
I was all set to be cynical and disappointed in this European cliche. It's like so many other things you've heard about ceaselessly before you can experience them yourself - when you do finally get up close, all of the magic is lost in those previous vicarious encounters.
On this occasion, I'll admit to you, I couldn't help it, and my heart skipped a beat. I was in PARIS!
-
-
Lie back and enjoy
justhojo recommends this,
I love Paris but am always broke when I am there so haven't ever been up the tower. My favourite way to see it is with a fresh baguette, some soft cheese, and some cakes from a near by patisserie, classic, simple, and like something out of a story book. You have to take a look. Make sure the sun's out and relax on the grass.
-
Gotta love it
janeyo recommends this,
I was prepared to be cynical and not love it all that much, but the view from the top really just can't be beat. It's glisteny and the air tingles up there. Plus Duran Duran filmed part of a clip up there so you can run around all flouncy and pretend to be Simon Le Bon - Frenchy name and all.
-
Advertisement
Activities to book
-
Eiffel Tower Dinner and Seine River Cruise by Minivan
from USD$232.06 -
Eiffel Tower, Paris Cabaret Show and Seine River Cruise
from USD$250.63 -
Paris in One Day Sightseeing Tour
from USD$152.50
Nearby things to do and see
-
#9 thing to do in Europe
-
#11 thing to do in Europe
-
#17 thing to do in Europe
-
#22 thing to do in Europe
-
#19 thing to do in Europe
Advertisement
