Going up the Eiffel Tower is one of the great travel thrills in Europe. Sure, it鈥檚 crowded and expensive, and other spots in Paris offer (arguably) better views. But once you make the eye-popping ascent, and ear-popping descent, you鈥檒l be in the exclusive society of some 250 million people who have made the Eiffel Tower one of the most visited monuments in the world.
The first visitors ascended in 1889, the year the Paris World鈥檚 Fair opened with the tower as its grand centrepiece. Put together like an 18,000-piece erector set, made of iron beams held together with 2.5 million rivets, the tower was a pure showpiece, with no functional purpose. It was meant to demonstrate to the world that France had the know-how and money to erect the tallest structure in the world.
Remarkably, the original plan was to dismantle the tower after 20 years. But designer Gustave Eiffel, an inveterate tinkerer, added a radio antenna and telegraph transmitters to the top, and the French government decided they made the tower too useful to tear down. (The French ended up using one of the transmitters to jam German radio communications during the First World War.)
To visit this 300-metre-tall ornament today, you鈥檒l battle crowds and pay about $25 Cdn per person (for the elevator to the top) 鈥� but it鈥檚 well worth it. Here are my tips for making it fun, time-efficient, and memorable:
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鈥� Book tickets in advance. Those who just show up with no prebooked ticket are likely to waste lots of time in the initial entry line in summer 鈥� waits of one to two hours are the norm (weekends and holidays can be worse). That鈥檚 a shame, especially when it鈥檚 fast, easy and free to book a reservation online. Be sure to reserve well ahead for peak times, which includes most of the summer; dates open up about three months out, and can sell out within hours.
You鈥檒l need to take a few minutes to create an account (with your 10-digit mobile phone number as your login), and select your ticket according to how high up you鈥檒l go, and how. Ticket options include riding the elevators to the very top (I recommend getting this option; select 鈥淟ift entrance ticket with access to the summit鈥�), riding only as far as the second level, or climbing the stairs to the first or second level (the top can only be reached by elevator). Be sure of your date, as reservations are nonrefundable. After paying with a credit card, you must either print your ticket (following the printing specifications carefully), or have the ticket鈥檚 bar code texted to your smartphone. (Note that a ticket confirmation itself will not get you in; you must show your bar code, whether in print or on your phone, to be scanned when you enter.)
If slots are booked up, don鈥檛 despair. First, try selecting the option for 鈥淟ift entrance ticket with access to 2nd floor鈥� only, as these tickets may still be available when the tickets to the summit have been snapped up. You can still upgrade to a summit ticket once you鈥檙e inside the tower. Failing that, try again online about a week ahead of your visit, as last-minute slots occasionally open up.
You can also buy a reservation time, often available fairly last-minute, for about $55 US by joining one of Fat Tire Tours鈥� 鈥淪kip the Line鈥� Eiffel Tower tours (price includes Eiffel Tower ticket to the second level). And you can bypass some (but not all) entry lines if you鈥檝e booked a table at either of the tower鈥檚 classy view restaurants (58 Tour Eiffel or the even pricier Jules Verne).
Without a reservation at all, try showing up early (about 30 minutes before the tower opens), late (after 7 p.m. May to August, after 5 p.m. in spring and fall, or after 4听p.m. in winter), or in less-than-ideal weather. Lines evaporate in the rain.
鈥� Consider your timing. For the best of all worlds, plan to arrive close to sundown to see the views, then stay as it gets dark to see the lights. At the top of the hour, a five-minute display features thousands of sparkling lights lassoing the tower. However impressive it may be by day, the tower is an awesome thing to behold at twilight, when darkness fully envelops the city, and the tower is resplendent with its spectacular light show.
And expect to be there for a while. In summer, I鈥檇 budget three to four hours for the time it takes to wait in line, get to the top, and enjoy the views and exhibits on your way back down. (The quickest you could get to the top and back, with a reserved ticket, lesser crowds, and minimal sightseeing, would be about 90 minutes.) If you have a reserved entry time, arrive about 10 minutes ahead.
鈥� Keep your valuables out of reach. Street thieves plunder awestruck visitors gawking below the tower, and tourists in crowded elevators are like fish in a barrel for predatory pickpockets. Wear a money belt or some other means of keeping your cash and cards tucked away under your clothes, and be thoughtful about where you keep your phone.
鈥� Sightsee from top to bottom. The tower has three levels with observation platforms, at roughly 60, 120, and 275 metres, all connected by elevators and stairs. But there isn鈥檛 a single elevator straight to the top (le sommet). To get there, you鈥檒l first ride an elevator (or climb 775 steps) to the second level. (Some elevators stop on the first level, but don鈥檛 get off 鈥� it鈥檚 more efficient to see the first level on the way down.) Once on the second level, immediately line up for the next elevator, to the top. (Look for the shortest line; there are several elevators and feeder queues.)
Keep an eye out for the secret apartment! Few people realize that Gustave Eiffel built himself a little hideaway apartment on the top level of the tower. Eiffel used the plush space for quiet reflection and occasional visitors, and resisted all offers to rent it out. (Visitors can peer inside the still-furnished space.)
By all means, go to the top if you have the time (skip it if your schedule鈥檚 tight). But I prefer to linger on the second floor: For me, the best views are from this middle level, high enough to see all of Paris, but low enough to pick out distinguishing landmarks. And don鈥檛 skip the first level: Explore its shops and exhibits, then venture onto its vertigo-inducing glass floor to experience what it鈥檚 like to stand atop an 18-storey building.
Save time by taking the stairs down. The tower is notorious for its elevator lines, both up and down. I鈥檒l tolerate the lines to ride the elevator up, but I prefer to take the stairs down. You鈥檒l need to take the elevator from the top down to the second level, but can use the stairs down from there. It takes about five minutes to walk between each level.
Once back on the ground, you鈥檒l appreciate the tower鈥檚 romance and engineering even more.
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Rick Steves (ricksteves.com) writes European travel guidebooks and hosts travel shows on public television and public radio. Email him at [email protected] and follow his blog on Facebook.