Compare Eiffel Tower tickets and tours for 2026. Choose second-floor or summit access, climb the stairs, add a Seine cruise or book lunch inside the Tower, then check live availability for your date.
Choose second-floor or summit access when booking, then confirm the level, time slot and meeting details before you pay.
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Compare six bookable options: Tower access, a stairs climb, a Tower-and-cruise combo, an evening Seine cruise and lunch inside the Tower. They are listed in order of review count. Check the selected level, format and live price before you book.
1
Most reviewed
★★★★☆ 4.4 · 17,519 reviews
The most-reviewed option here. Choose between the second floor (116 m) and the summit (276 m), and check that your selected option matches the level you want.
2
Stairs option
★★★★☆ 4.2 · 9,934 reviews
The lowest-priced way up in this list. You climb about 670 steps to the second floor, with the option to take the lift from there to the summit. Best for fit, active visitors.
3
Tower & cruise
★★★★★ 4.6 · 7,729 reviews
The only option here that pairs Eiffel Tower lift access with a Seine cruise. The boats leave near the foot of the Tower, so both fit easily into one half-day.
4
Reserved access
★★★★★ 4.7 · 7,557 reviews
The highest-rated option in this list. Reserved access with a clear choice of second floor or summit. Confirm your level and time slot in the booking details.
5
Evening option
★★★★☆ 4.3 · 5,425 reviews
The lowest starting price here, but it is a river cruise, not Tower access. It is a good evening plan after a daytime visit, with views of the monuments lit up along the Seine.
6
Lunch option
★★★★☆ 4.4 · 2,463 reviews
A three-course lunch at Madame Brasserie on the first floor (57 m), with a 12:00 seating. Choose it when dining is the main event, and check what sightseeing access is included.
Compare access level, format, traveller rating and starting price. Four options take you up the Tower, one adds a Seine cruise, one is an evening river cruise only, and one is a lunch booking.
| Option | From | Rating | Reviews | Format | Includes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summit or Second Floor AccessChoose between the summit (276 m) and the second floor (116 m). | €52 | 4.4 | 17,519 | Tower access | Lift to the second floor or summit | First-time visitors comparing the two main viewing levels. |
| Stairs Climb to Level 2Climb to the second floor, with a summit lift option. | €32 | 4.2 | 9,934 | Stairs climb | About 670 steps to level 2; summit option | Active visitors and budget-conscious travellers. |
| Elevator Access & Seine CruiseEiffel Tower lift access plus a Seine River cruise. | €67 | 4.6 | 7,729 | Tower + cruise | Lift access and Seine cruise | Travellers who want two classic Paris experiences in one booking. |
| Summit or 2nd Floor Reserved AccessReserved access with a choice of summit or second floor. | €52 | 4.7 | 7,557 | Reserved access | Second-floor or summit access | Visitors who want the highest-rated Tower-access option. |
| Evening Lights CruiseAn evening Seine cruise past illuminated monuments. | €17 | 4.3 | 5,425 | Evening cruise | Seine River evening cruise (no Tower entry) | A low-cost evening activity after a daytime Tower visit. |
| Madame Brasserie 3-Course LunchA 12:00 three-course lunch on the Tower’s first floor. | €71 | 4.4 | 2,463 | Lunch experience | Three-course lunch at 12:00 | Visitors making a meal in the Tower the main plan. |
These six options differ by Tower level, stairs or lift, river plans and dining. Answer four quick questions to find your closest match.
Choose your preferred Tower experience, timing, format and priority.
The lowest starting price may not include the Tower level, river cruise or meal you want.
Tickets can look alike while offering different routes, levels and rules. Check these details before paying, so your choice suits your group and you know what can change on the day.
A second-floor ticket does not include the summit
The summit needs its own access option. If you book the second floor, you may not be able to add the top on the day, especially at busy times when summit tickets sell out.
Fix: Check the selected option line before payment, not only the listing title. If reaching the top matters, choose summit access from the start and confirm your booking says “summit”.
A stairs ticket may not suit everyone in your group
Stairs tickets mean climbing about 670 steps to the second floor. The stairs and the summit are not suitable for visitors with reduced mobility.
Fix: Check whether your option says stairs, lift, or stairs plus summit lift. For reduced mobility, choose a lift ticket to the second floor.
A timed ticket does not skip security
A timed ticket lets you go to the lifts or stairs at your booked time, but every visitor still passes two security checks: one at the site entrance and another before entering the pillar.
Fix: Arrive at the entrance 15–20 minutes before your slot, even earlier in summer. After security, follow the queue for ticket holders, not the on-site sales line.
Summit access can close for weather or crowds
The top level can be restricted in high winds, storms or at peak times. A summit booking can then become a second-floor visit on the day.
Fix: If the summit is essential, book an earlier slot on a clear day and read your listing’s terms for what happens if summit access is closed.
Tickets are released in advance and sell out
Timed lift tickets for popular dates, especially summit slots in spring and summer, can sell out weeks ahead. Last-minute visitors often end up in long on-site queues.
Fix: Book as soon as your dates are fixed. If official slots are gone, a tour or reserved-access option with its own allocation can still get you in.
A cruise or restaurant booking is not a Tower ticket
Seine cruises leave near the Tower but do not include going up it. Le Jules Verne has its own private lift, and standard sightseeing is not included.
Fix: Read what is included. If you want the viewing floors, make sure the booking explicitly says Tower access, summit or second floor.
Plan your visit once you have chosen a ticket: opening times, official prices, visit length, entrances and transport, bag rules, accessibility, family facilities and what to do around the Tower.
The Tower is open every day of the year, usually from 09:30 to 23:00, with longer hours in peak summer.
Last ascents are shortly before closing, and earlier for the summit, because it requires a second lift from the second floor.
Hours can change without notice for weather, maintenance, crowds or security. The summit can close in high winds even when the rest of the Tower is open.
Check the time slot on your ticket, and aim to arrive 15–20 minutes before it to pass security.
Standard adult tickets for 2026 are €23.50 by lift to the second floor and €36.70 by lift to the summit.
Stairs to the second floor cost €14.80, and stairs plus the summit lift cost €28.00.
Young people aged 12–24 pay about half the adult price, and children aged 4–11 pay about a quarter. Children under 4 go free but still need a ticket. Reduced rates for visitors with disabilities require valid documentation.
Tours and reserved-access options cost more because they include extra services such as guiding, reserved allocations or cruises.
Allow at least 1.5 hours for the first and second floors, or about 2.5 hours if you visit the summit.
Summit visits take longer because you change lifts at the second floor, and there can be a queue for the final ascent and again on the way down.
Climbing the stairs to the second floor takes most people 20–30 minutes, plus time to stop on the first floor.
A late slot leaves less time for the lower floors before closing, but sunset and evening views can be worth it.
Enter through Entry 1 (South) or Entry 2 (East). Both lead through security to the esplanade under the Tower.
Each entrance has separate queues for ticket holders and on-site sales. Entry 2 East is often less crowded.
The nearest stations are Champ de Mars–Tour Eiffel (RER C), about a five-minute walk, and Bir-Hakeim (Metro line 6), under ten minutes. Trocadéro (lines 6 and 9) offers the classic view from across the river, and École Militaire (line 8) is at the far end of the Champ de Mars.
Buses 42 and 82 stop nearby, and the Batobus river shuttle has a “Tour Eiffel” stop.
Small bags are fine, but suitcases and large bags are not allowed, and there are no lockers or cloakrooms in or near the Tower.
A luggage sizer is used at security, and staff can refuse bulky items. Knives (including Swiss army knives), glass bottles, cans and other dangerous objects are prohibited.
Security cannot store refused items, and items left in the disposal container are not returned.
Leave suitcases at your hotel or a luggage-storage service at a railway station before you come.
The first floor and second floor are reachable by lift. The stairs and the summit are not suitable for visitors with reduced mobility.
A lift ticket to the second floor is the right choice for wheelchair users. The accessible areas include viewing platforms, toilets, shops and food outlets.
The summit is closed to wheelchair users for evacuation-safety reasons.
Visitors with disabilities get priority access, and reduced rates apply to the visitor and one companion with valid documentation.
Free toilets are available on the esplanade and the Tower’s floors, and there is food from the esplanade up to the summit.
Options include snack buffets, Madame Brasserie on the first floor, the Michelin-starred Le Jules Verne on the second floor (with its own private lift), macarons on the second floor and a Champagne bar at the summit.
Restaurant reservations are separate from standard sightseeing tickets.
Free Wi-Fi is available across the site, which is useful if you have no mobile data.
Children under 4 go free with a ticket. Folding strollers are allowed inside.
Non-folding strollers and children’s scooters can be left in the stroller parking area on the esplanade. It is not supervised luggage storage, so do not leave valuables there.
Young children must be accompanied by an adult throughout the visit.
The first-floor glass floor is a favourite with children. Baby-changing facilities are on the lower levels, not at the summit.
After dark, the Tower sparkles for five minutes every hour, on the hour, with thousands of flashing lights.
The best views are from Trocadéro, the Champ de Mars, the bridges or a Seine cruise.
You are welcome to take night photos for personal use and share them on social media. Commercial use of images of the illuminated Tower requires permission.
A daytime ascent followed by an evening cruise is a popular way to see the Tower both ways.
No. Each ticket allows one entry only, and leaving ends your visit.
Use the toilets, food outlets and viewing areas before you leave. You cannot step out for lunch and return on the same ticket.
The esplanade under the Tower is free to enter after security, and you can stay there after coming down.
Keep your ticket handy throughout, especially if your route includes the summit lift from the second floor.
The esplanade under the Tower is free after security. The Champ de Mars, Trocadéro and the riverbanks are all free to explore.
Trocadéro, across the Pont d’Iéna, gives the classic full view of the Tower. The Champ de Mars is best for picnics and photos from the park.
Seine cruises leave from the quays near the Tower, making an easy add-on.
A Tower ticket is only needed to go up to the viewing levels.
Early morning and late evening are usually quietest. Weekdays outside school holidays are easier than weekends.
Midday in summer brings the longest security and lift queues. A first slot of the day or an evening slot can save time.
Clear, dry days give the best visibility from the summit. On hazy or stormy days, the second floor often gives better views.
Sunset slots are popular and sell out fast in spring and summer.
The Eiffel Tower is often treated as a single lookout point. It makes more sense as a piece of exposed engineering that reshaped the Paris skyline. Its changing views reveal both the Tower’s structure and the planned landscape of the Champ de Mars, the Seine and Trocadéro.
The Tower is not a solid monument: its open frame is the main idea.
The Tower was built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle, a world’s fair that marked the centenary of the French Revolution. Construction began on 28 January 1887 and finished on 31 March 1889, taking 2 years, 2 months and 5 days.
Gustave Eiffel’s company developed the project from an idea by engineers Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier. Architect Stephen Sauvestre shaped its appearance, adding the great arches at the base. It was meant to stand for only 20 years, but its value for scientific experiments and early radio transmissions saved it.
Look closely at the legs before looking out over Paris. The Tower is made of 18,038 wrought-iron parts held together by 2.5 million rivets, yet its lattice leaves most of the sky visible.
That openness was practical as well as visual. The tapering legs and dense cross-bracing let the wind pass through, so the 7,300-tonne iron frame could safely rise to 300 metres. Antennas now bring the total height to about 330 metres.
The first floor, at 57 metres, puts you close to the structure, with a glass floor looking straight down. The second floor, at 116 metres, is the best level for reading the city: the river’s bends, bridges and neighbourhoods remain distinct rather than merging into the horizon.
From the second floor, the Champ de Mars reads as a long green axis leading away from the Tower. Across the Seine, Trocadéro forms its counterpart, turning the river crossing into part of one large urban composition.
At 276 metres, individual streets matter less than the shape of Paris as a whole. The Seine becomes a route through the city, and the rooftops show how far Paris spreads beyond the historic centre.
The summit also holds a reconstruction of Gustave Eiffel’s private office, with wax figures of Eiffel, his daughter Claire and the inventor Thomas Edison, who visited in 1889. You view it through windows rather than entering.
The Tower is repainted by hand roughly every seven years, using about 60 tonnes of paint to protect the iron from rust. Today it welcomes almost 7 million visitors a year, and nearly 300 million people have visited since 1889.
Start with the legs, the rivets and the open spaces between the beams. Then follow the lines outward to the Champ de Mars, the Seine and Trocadéro. Once you see those links, the Eiffel Tower becomes both a machine of iron and a frame for understanding Paris.
Advance booking is strongly recommended for popular dates and summit visits. Official elevator e-tickets normally go on sale up to 90 days before a visit, while stairs availability follows a shorter booking window.
If your chosen date is sold out online, some tickets may still be sold for immediate visits at the Tower. Availability and waiting times are not guaranteed; check the official ticket office before travelling.
A second-floor ticket takes you to the second viewing level, while a summit ticket also includes the top. The summit ticket permits visits to the lower public floors as well.
Choose the summit option before paying if reaching the top matters to you. You cannot simply add a summit upgrade at the Tower to a second-floor-only ticket.
No. All visitors must pass the required security checks. A timed e-ticket generally lets you avoid the ticket-purchase queue, but does not remove security screening or all lift waits.
Check whether a third-party listing includes only an entry ticket, a hosted meeting point or a guided visit. The words “priority” or “reserved” do not guarantee immediate entry.
Stairs tickets involve climbing 674 steps to the second floor. Elevator tickets are easier for visitors who prefer not to climb, particularly with children or limited stamina.
Stairs-to-summit tickets involve the staircase to the second floor and a separate elevator to the top. Read the selected ticket option carefully; the routes and prices are different.
No. The Eiffel Tower does not sell an on-the-spot supplement that turns a second-floor ticket into summit access.
If the summit is sold out, consider a second-floor visit only if you would still enjoy that experience. Do not assume you can change levels once inside.
The Eiffel Tower advises arriving around 30 minutes before the time on your ticket to allow for security checks and finding the appropriate pillar.
Guided experiences may have an earlier or different meeting time. Follow the exact location and arrival instructions on your voucher rather than going directly to a lift queue.
The Eiffel Tower is in the Champ de Mars area of Paris. Useful public transport stops include Bir-Hakeim (Metro 6), Trocadéro (Metro 9), École Militaire (Metro 8) and Champ de Mars–Tour Eiffel (RER C).
Allow walking time from the station to the security entrances. If you have a hosted or guided ticket, use the meeting point on your confirmation; it may be outside the monument.
The operator recommends allowing about 1½ hours for a visit to the first and second floors, or about 2½ hours for a visit including the summit. Your visit is not generally subject to a fixed time limit.
Queues at the second-floor lift to the summit can increase total time. Leave a buffer before restaurant reservations, train departures or a Seine cruise.
Summit access can be restricted during severe weather or busy periods even when the lower floors remain open.
If you booked summit access, check the ticket seller’s specific rules for partial closures and any applicable refund. A clear-weather forecast alone cannot guarantee summit opening.
Yes. Children under four are admitted free, but still need a free ticket. Reduced official rates are available for children aged 4–11 and young people aged 12–24.
Bring proof of age where required. For small children, an elevator visit can be more practical than the long stair climb.
Visitors with reduced mobility can reach the first and second floors using the elevators. The summit and stairways are not suitable for visitors with reduced mobility under the Tower’s safety rules.
If accessibility matters, choose the correct elevator ticket and check the official assistance and reduced-fare guidance. Do not book a stairs-based product assuming an elevator substitution is available.
The Eiffel Tower has no luggage-storage facility. Oversized luggage and bulky items may be refused; non-folding pushchairs are not permitted.
Bring a small day bag and arrange luggage storage elsewhere before arrival. If travelling with a stroller, check that it folds and follow security staff instructions.
No, regular Eiffel Tower admission does not automatically include a Seine boat cruise or a restaurant meal. Some third-party packages combine two activities or dining with selected access.
Read the inclusions and redemption instructions separately for the Tower, cruise and restaurant. A Seine cruise ticket alone does not grant Tower entry.
Official Eiffel Tower timed tickets cannot normally be changed, exchanged or refunded after purchase. They are valid for the date, time and floor selected.
Third-party guided tours or combinations can have different cancellation rules. Read the policy shown for your exact product before paying.
The Eiffel Tower says tickets may still be available at its on-site ticket offices for an immediate visit, even when online allocations are sold out. This is subject to conditions and capacity.
Expect possible queues, and do not rely on obtaining a particular time or summit access. Verify official availability and use the proper staffed ticket office, not an unofficial street seller.
Each attraction has its own visitor guide, covering opening hours, ticket options and practical route advice. From the top, most of this list is in view — the Louvre and the islands downriver, the gold dome of the Invalides nearby, the Arc de Triomphe up the Champs-Élysées. The tower is also the least flexible booking in Paris, so fix the lift slot first and arrange the rest around it.
Each guide is maintained by our Independent guides, with factual details checked against official sources where available. We do not sell tickets directly. Bookings are handled by third-party booking partners, and we may earn a commission at no additional cost to you.
