The Eiffel Tower is the tallest structure in Paris and the city's most visited paid attraction, drawing nearly seven million visitors a year. Almost everyone who comes to Paris wants to go up it. This guide covers current ticket prices, opening hours, and the fastest way to the top.
History
The Eiffel Tower went up for the 1889 World's Fair, held to mark the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Engineer Gustave Eiffel won the competition to design the fair's centerpiece and built the tower with his own construction firm.
Construction ran from January 1887 to March 1889 and used more than 18,000 individual iron parts, cut and pre-drilled at Eiffel's factory in Levallois-Perret, then riveted together on site at the Champ de Mars. Around 300 workers assembled the structure in just over two years, a fast build for a project of this scale in the 19th century.
Many Parisians opposed the tower before it opened. A group of artists and writers, including Guy de Maupassant, signed a public protest against it, calling it a "useless and monstrous" addition to the city. The original building permit ran for only 20 years, meaning the tower was due to be dismantled in 1909. Gustave Eiffel saved it by turning it into a radio antenna: he funded the installation of transmission equipment, and by 1908 the tower was relaying wireless signals over a distance of roughly 6,000 km, making it too valuable to the French military to tear down. Eiffel's concession over the tower was extended by 70 years starting in 1910.
The tower went on to serve as a radio and telegraph relay through both World Wars. In March 2022, a new broadcasting antenna raised its total height from 324 to 330 meters. Today it belongs to the City of Paris and is operated by the Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (SETE).
Opening Hours & Wait Times
The Eiffel Tower opens every day of the year, including public holidays. Current hours run from 9:00 AM to midnight, with the last ascent to the summit at 10:45 PM. Hours shift by season, so always check the time printed on your ticket.
| Date | Entrance - Lift | Stairs |
|---|---|---|
| October 14 – October 16, 2026 | 9:30am – 11pm (Tower closes at 11:45pm) |
9:30am – 5:30pm |
| October 17 – November 1, 2026 | 9:30am – 11pm (Tower closes at 11:45pm) |
9:30am – 10:45pm |
| November 2 – November 6, 2026 | 9:30am – 11pm (Tower closes at 11:45pm) |
9:30am – 5:30pm |
| November 7, 2026 | 9:30am – 11pm (Tower closes at 11:45pm) |
9:30am – 10:45pm |
| November 8 – November 9, 2026 | 9:30am – 11pm (Tower closes at 11:45pm) |
9:30am – 5:30pm |
| November 10 – November 11, 2026 | 9:30am – 11pm (Tower closes at 11:45pm) |
9:30am – 10:45pm |
| November 12 – November 13, 2026 | 9:30am – 11pm (Tower closes at 11:45pm) |
9:30am – 5:30pm |
| November 14, 2026 | 9:30am – 11pm (Tower closes at 11:45pm) |
9:30am – 10:45pm |
| November 15 – November 20, 2026 | 9:30am – 11pm (Tower closes at 11:45pm) |
9:30am – 5:30pm |
| November 21, 2026 | 9:30am – 11pm (Tower closes at 11:45pm) |
9:30am – 10:45pm |
| November 22 – November 27, 2026 | 9:30am – 11pm (Tower closes at 11:45pm) |
9:30am – 5:30pm |
| November 28, 2026 | 9:30am – 11pm (Tower closes at 11:45pm) |
9:30am – 10:45pm |
| November 29 – November 30, 2026 | 9:30am – 11pm (Tower closes at 11:45pm) |
9:30am – 5:30pm |
Up to 20,000 people visit the tower on a busy day, and waits build up at three separate points: the security check at the entrance, the ticket counters, and the elevators themselves. On summer weekends and during school holidays, visitors without a pre-booked ticket regularly wait two to three hours just to reach the ticket counter. A ticket bought in advance comes with its own security line and skips the ticket counter entirely, cutting the whole process down to under 30 minutes in most cases.
Waits are shortest in the late morning before the tour buses arrive, and again after 8:00 PM, once day-trip visitors have mostly left and the tower is lit up for the night.
Tickets & Prices
Every ticket includes the first floor (57 m) and second floor (116 m). Reaching the summit at 276 m always requires a separate summit ticket and a second elevator ride from the second floor. Stairs only go as far as the second floor.
| 2nd floor, stairs | from 14.80 € (youth 7.40 €, child 3.80 €) |
| 2nd floor, elevator | from 23.50 € (youth 11.80 €, child 6.00 €) |
| Summit, stairs to 2nd floor + elevator | from 28.00 € (youth 14.00 €, child 7.00 €) |
| Summit, elevator | from 36.70 € (youth 18.40 €, child 9.20 €) |
Youth rates apply from age 12 to 24, child rates from age 4 to 11, and visitors with a disability card pay the child rate together with one companion. Children under 4 enter free but still need a ticket showing their age.
Tickets are released 60 days ahead of the visit date on the official Eiffel Tower website and sell out quickly for popular time slots in summer. Booking online also gets you a fixed time slot and a separate entrance, so you skip the ticket counter and the general security line. Tickets bought on-site at the tower cost the same as online, but the wait to reach the counter can run into hours.
Buy tickets online
Direct booking, flexible cancellation up to 24 hours before your visit.
Guided Tours
The Eiffel Tower's own guides run several themed tours, including a behind-the-scenes look at the tower's engineering and tours focused on its role in Belle Époque Paris. A guide adds context you would not get from the information panels alone, and most of these tours include fast-track access.
Third-party guided tours usually bundle a summit ticket, a guide, and skip-the-line access. They run throughout the day and are the most reliable way to get a same-day slot once the official ticket office is sold out.
Getting There
No metro station sits directly at the Eiffel Tower. The closest stops are around 400 meters away, an easy 5-minute walk.
| Metro | 6 | Bir-Hakeim |
| Metro | 6, 9 | Trocadéro |
| RER | C | Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel |
| Bus | 30, 82 | Tour Eiffel |
Address: Champ de Mars, 5 Avenue Anatole France, 75007 Paris, France
Highlights of the Eiffel Tower
The Summit at 276 m
The highest public platform in Paris, reached only by a second elevator from the second floor. On a clear day visibility reaches up to 70 km.
Glass floor on the first floor
A section of the first-floor deck has a transparent glass panel set into it, giving a straight-down view to the esplanade 57 meters below.
Gustave Eiffel's office
A recreation of the private office Eiffel kept at the summit, with wax figures of Eiffel and Thomas Edison, who visited the tower in 1889.
Champagne bar at the summit
A small bar on the top platform serves champagne by the glass, a quick way to take in the view without booking a full restaurant seating.
Nightly light show
Every evening after dark, 20,000 bulbs make the tower sparkle for five minutes on the hour until 1:00 AM, visible from across the city.
Madame Brasserie
A restaurant on the first floor serving lunch and dinner with tower and city views, open with or without a separate ticket to the upper floors.
Good to Know
Pets are not allowed inside the tower, aside from guide dogs and other assistance animals. There is no lost-luggage or coat check, and large suitcases and bags over cabin-baggage size are turned away at the security checkpoint, so leave big bags at your hotel.
After dark until 1:00 AM, the tower sparkles for five minutes on the hour with 20,000 flashing lights, on top of its regular golden nighttime lighting. It's a free show visible from anywhere with a clear line of sight, not just from the tower itself.
Wind picks up noticeably on the summit platform even on a warm day, so bring a jacket if you're heading all the way up. Up to 5,000 visitors are allowed on the tower at once: roughly 3,000 on the first floor, 1,600 on the second, and 400 at the summit. It rarely feels uncomfortably crowded outside of the security line itself.
Photo Gallery
Frequently Asked Questions
Tickets start at 14.80 € for the stairs to the second floor and go up to 36.70 € for the elevator all the way to the summit. Youth (12–24) and child (4–11) rates are lower, and children under 4 enter free.
Booking online is strongly recommended. Tickets are released 60 days ahead and sell out for popular time slots in summer, and a pre-booked ticket comes with its own security line instead of the general queue.
The summit is only reachable by elevator, always with a change at the second floor. There is no staircase to the top; the stairs only reach the second floor at 116 meters.
Late morning on weekdays before the tour buses arrive, or after 8:00 PM once day-trip visitors have left, are consistently the quietest windows.
Only guide dogs and other assistance animals are allowed inside. Regular pets are not permitted.
330 meters including the broadcasting antenna added in 2022, or 300 meters for the iron structure itself.
