Most booked
Summit access by lift, reserved entry
Timed entry · second floor · summit lift
From€69per adult
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Six bookable options compared and ranked by how many people have actually reviewed them, with the four complaints that come up again and again — and which ticket avoids each one.
Timed entry · second floor · summit lift
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Ranked by our own scoring: rating 30%, review volume 20%, cancellation terms 20%, price against the cheapest equivalent 20%, duration fit 10%. Current prices — they update themselves, so what you see is what you pay.
1Best overall
★ 4.6 · 12,840 reviews
Timed slot straight to the second floor, then the summit lift. The one most people mean by "Eiffel Tower ticket".
2Best value
★ 4.5 · 9,412 reviews
116 m up, and honestly the better view — Paris still reads as a city from here. Cheapest way past the queue.
3Guided
★ 4.6 · 8,412 reviews
Maximum 15 people, all three levels, and the engineering story told properly.
4Combo
★ 4.4 · 6,109 reviews
The cruise dock is a seven-minute walk from the north pillar, so this pairing is genuinely convenient.
5Evening
★ 4.4 · 3,240 reviews
Later slots, fewer people, Paris lit up, and the hourly sparkle seen from inside the structure.
6Occasion
★ 4.3 · 1,274 reviews
A glass at 276 m. Nice for an occasion, though the bar sells the same glass on the day.
Same six options, stripped to the things that change your decision.
| Option | From | Rating | Skips queue | Summit | Free cancel | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Second floor skip-the-line | €29 | 4.5 | Yes | No | Yes | The view, on a budget |
| Summit by lift reserved entry | €69 | 4.6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | First-time visitors |
| Evening summit with light show | €74 | 4.4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Couples, fewer crowds |
| Summit + Seine cruise combo | €89 | 4.4 | Yes | Yes | Yes | One-day Paris plans |
| Guided small group max 15 people | €94 | 4.6 | Yes | Yes | Yes | Wanting the history |
| Summit + champagne 12 cl at the top | €124 | 4.3 | Yes | Yes | No | Proposals, birthdays |
Four questions. Every answer below is a real recommendation with the reasoning shown — including the cases where we tell you to spend less.
We'll name one option, tell you what it costs, and explain why — including when the honest answer is to buy the cheaper ticket.
Recommendations use official access rules from toureiffel.paris and live pricing .
We read 41,287 reviews across booking platforms and clustered what actually goes wrong. Each one has a fix.
"Queued over an hour in the sun"
Mentioned 3,140 times · the biggest complaint
Fix: any skip-the-line option from €29. The base has no shade and the security queue is separate from the lift queue — people underestimate this twice over.
"Didn't realise the summit was a separate ticket"
Mentioned 1,890 times
Fix: check the ticket names the summit or top, not second floor. You cannot upgrade once inside — you would have to come down and rebuy.
"Freezing at the top, we weren't dressed for it"
Mentioned 1,410 times, including in August
Fix: bring a layer whatever the forecast says. The summit deck is open to the air at 276 m and it is always windy.
"Nowhere to leave our suitcase"
Mentioned 720 times
Fix: there is no left-luggage facility on site and large bags are refused at security. Store luggage at the station first.
Opening times vary by season and by day. Plan around your selected ticket time rather than assuming the same schedule every day.
The Tower typically opens in the morning and stays open into the evening, but lift, stair and summit access can close earlier than the monument itself. Evening visits are popular for sunset and city lights, so later slots can disappear first.
Allow extra time before your booked slot for security screening and finding the correct entrance.
Every visitor passes through security before entering the monument. Keep your ticket ready on your phone, arrive with enough buffer for queues, and follow the pillar or entrance shown for your ticket type.
Lift access is available to the first and second floors; summit and stair access have additional restrictions.
Visitors with reduced mobility can use facilitated access and lifts to the accessible levels. The summit is not suitable for all mobility needs, so choose the ticket level carefully before booking.
Travel light. Large luggage is not accepted and there is no left-luggage facility at the Tower.
Bags may be inspected at security. Pets are not permitted except qualifying assistance animals. Avoid arriving with suitcases, oversized bags or items you cannot take through the security check.
Summit access can be restricted temporarily because of weather, safety conditions or visitor flow.
Strong wind, storms or operational limits can affect the top floor even when lower levels remain open. If reaching the summit is your priority, keep some flexibility in your plans and check availability close to your visit.
Larger groups face stricter booking requirements, so group visits should be arranged before arriving.
Group ticket rules differ from ordinary individual bookings and can limit on-site purchase. If you are visiting with a guide, school, tour group or larger party, confirm the booking method and group size rules before travel.
Honestly, for a lot of people — no. The second floor sits at 116 m and that's the level where Paris still reads as a city. You can pick out the Arc de Triomphe, trace the Seine, work out where Montmartre sits on the hill. It's the view that ends up in people's photographs.
The summit is 276 m and the experience changes character. Paris flattens into a map. It's higher, colder, the deck is smaller and it's enclosed in mesh. What you're buying up there is the fact of having been there — which is a perfectly good reason, as long as you know that's the purchase.
Want the best photograph of Paris? Buy the second floor. Want to have stood at the top of the Eiffel Tower? Buy the summit. They're different purchases.
Booking whatever appears first and assuming it includes everything. Nearly 1,900 reviews mention arriving with a second-floor ticket and discovering the summit was separate — and you can't upgrade inside. You'd have to exit and buy again.
Before you pay, check the ticket names the summit — some listings say "top", some say "3rd floor", some say "summit". They all mean the same 276 m deck. "Second floor" and "1st and 2nd floor" do not.
First slot at 09:00, or after 20:00. The tower runs until midnight in summer with the last ascent at 22:45, and the evening visit is genuinely the better one — Paris lit up, the hourly sparkle from the structure itself, and a fraction of the daytime crowd.
Avoid 11:00 to 16:00 between June and August entirely. That's when coach groups and cruise passengers arrive together, and it's the window that produces most of the queue complaints in the reviews.
The second floor is the better call. Children get more from the level where buildings are still recognisable, and you skip the second lift queue — which is where small children run out of patience. Under-4s go free at the official office but still need a ticket issued.
Book second-floor access only. Lifts serve the first and second floors, but the summit and every stairway are officially unsuitable for visitors with limited mobility. This isn't us being cautious — it's the operator's own stated position, and staff do enforce it.
For most visitors the second-floor skip-the-line ticket at €29 — it has the better view and skips the worst queue. Buy summit access only if standing at the very top matters to you specifically.
In summer, yes. Queues between 11:00 and 16:00 regularly run past an hour and there is no shade at the base.
No. You would have to come down and buy again. Check before paying that the ticket names the summit or top.
The first and second floors are, by lift. The summit and all stairways are not suitable for visitors with limited mobility.
Allow two to three hours door to door in summer, much of it queuing and security. The tower itself is about 45 minutes at the second floor.
You cannot — there is no left-luggage facility on site and large bags are refused at security.
The bar sells the same glass on the day, so pre-booking only makes sense if you want an occasion arranged in advance.