What Is the Eiffel Tower?

The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 Exposition Universelle (World's Fair), designed by engineers in Gustave Eiffel's firm and erected in just over two years using roughly 18,000 iron pieces and 2.5 million rivets. At 330 meters including its broadcast antennas, it was the tallest man-made structure in the world for four decades, and it was only ever meant to stand for 20 years before demolition — it survived because it proved useful for early radio experiments.

Today it's one of the most-visited paid monuments on earth, split across three public levels: the first and second floors (elevator or stairs) and the summit (elevator only, from the second floor). It sits on the Champ de Mars in the 7th arrondissement, facing the Trocadéro gardens across the Seine — itself one of the best free photo spots in Paris, since it's the one place you can frame the whole tower in a single shot.

Is the Eiffel Tower Worth It?

Yes, with a caveat most guides skip: the summit isn't automatically the better ticket. Going all the way up costs more (€36.70 vs €23.50 for the second floor by elevator), usually means a longer wait, and — ironically — is the one vantage point where you can't see the tower in your photos, since you're standing on top of it. Many repeat visitors argue the second floor delivers most of the view for a lot less money and hassle.

Where the visit does deliver is the experience itself — the ironwork up close, the Belle Époque elevators, and the view over the Seine at golden hour or after dark, when the tower's hourly light show runs every evening. The honest baseline option is free: standing in the Champ de Mars or Trocadéro gardens at night to watch the tower lit up costs nothing and is, for a lot of visitors, the best photo of the trip. The paid ticket is worth it if you specifically want the view from inside — not simply to see the tower.

Tickets & Prices 2026 (Including What to Do If They're Sold Out)

As of mid-2026, the official ticket office lists four adult (25+) options: elevator to the top at €36.70, stairs to the second floor plus elevator to the top at €28.00, elevator to the second floor at €23.50, and stairs to the second floor only at €14.80. Youth aged 12–24 pay roughly half the adult rate, children 4–11 pay the same reduced rate, and under-4s enter free. Every ticket is a compulsory timed-entry slot, not transferable.

Book directly on the official Eiffel Tower website — resellers near the entrance routinely mark tickets up or sell invalid ones. Worth knowing: starting September 29, 2026, the stairs ticket also requires advance online reservation, closing a loophole that let same-day stair climbers skip the elevator queue system.

If your dates show sold out, the elevator and stairs tickets have separate release allocations, so a sold-out summit slot doesn't necessarily mean the second-floor ticket is gone — check both. Evening slots after 20:00 tend to have more last-minute availability, and licensed guided-tour operators hold a separate allocation, a legitimate paid fallback. Weighing a multi-attraction pass instead? Our breakdown of whether the Paris Pass is worth it covers the math.

Opening Hours & Best Time to Go

The Eiffel Tower runs on two seasonal schedules. From mid-June through August 31, it's open 09:00 to 00:45. From September 1 through mid-June, hours shrink slightly to 09:15–23:45. In both seasons, the last elevator to the top departs around 22:30, and last entry overall is roughly 45 minutes before closing.

The tower is closed to the public on July 13, 2026 (swapped from its usual July 14 closure for Bastille Day logistics) — a reminder the schedule shifts around French holidays, so double-check the official site before locking in a date. Hours are also revised without much notice around weather; the site is explicit that access to the top "may be prohibited during harsh weather," with wind and storms closing the summit first.

For crowds, the first hour after opening and the hour or two before the last elevator are consistently the quietest. Midday, especially weekends and school holidays, is when queues stretch longest. Sunset and the half hour after — when the lights come on against a darkening sky — looks best but is also one of the busiest windows, so book that slot in advance rather than hoping to walk up.

How Long to Plan

Budget around 1.5 hours for a second-floor-only visit by elevator: security, the ride up, time on the deck, and the ride down. A full summit visit — second floor first, then transferring to the smaller upper elevator — typically takes 2.5 to 3 hours once you factor in the second queue at the top. The stairs option to the second floor (roughly 700 steps) adds 20–30 minutes of climbing versus the elevator, though the stairs line usually moves faster through security.

If the Eiffel Tower is one stop on a broader day, our 2-day Paris itinerary shows how to pair it with the rest of the must-see sights without over-scheduling.

How to Get There

The closest stations are Bir-Hakeim (Métro line 6) and the RER C stop Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel, both a 5–10 minute walk from the entrance. Trocadéro (Métro lines 6 and 9), across the Seine, is a slightly longer walk but doubles as the best free viewpoint for photographing the whole tower before you go in. Several bus routes also serve the area.

Driving is not worth it — parking near the Champ de Mars is scarce and expensive, and surrounding streets are heavily restricted at peak hours. From central Paris, the Métro or a short walk along the Seine beats a taxi in daytime traffic.

Visit Tips: Queues, Booking & Common Mistakes

Book your timed-entry ticket online before you travel. Walking up without a reservation means joining the general ticket-office queue, which on busy days can run well over an hour — and popular summit slots can sell out days or weeks ahead in high season. With a pre-booked slot, you skip straight to airport-style security, typically 10–20 minutes.

The most common mistake is booking the stairs ticket without realizing it only covers the ~700-step climb to the second floor — reaching the summit still requires the paid elevator transfer. Pack light: large bags aren't permitted through security, and there's no reliable on-site storage. Wear comfortable shoes and bring a layer — it's noticeably windier and cooler at height than at ground level, even in summer.

Nearby Attractions

The Trocadéro gardens, across the Pont d'Iéna, are the best free viewpoint in the city for photographing the tower in full — worth the 10-minute walk even if you're not going up. From there, it's a short Métro ride or taxi to the Arc de Triomphe, a natural pairing for the same half-day.

Heading east along the Seine, the Louvre Museum and Notre-Dame Cathedral are both roughly 20–25 minutes away, and both pair naturally with an Eiffel Tower morning on a single loop through central Paris.

Frequently Asked Questions