Best time to visit Eiffel Tower

Best time of day is whatever time is on the ticket that I bought waaay in advance. Otherwise the lines will be long all day.

Buy tickets in advance and choose your time slot. But do it quickly as slots fill up. My favorite time to visit is at sunset. Paris at sunset has a magic glow and you can watch as the sun goes down and lights come on all over the city. It’s very special.

The Eiffel Tower is a very popular place so it’s always busy.

We visited the tower at noon when we were there in the month of June (2016)

Right before we got in line, to go up the elevator, there was a big tour group of 30+ people, so it took a while before our turn to get into the elevator (where they pack you in like sardines!)

Many here will suggest going up before sunset but sometimes there are no tickets available past a certain time.

Make sure you book your Eiffel Tower tickets as soon as they become available. I think you can book them 90 days in advance.

Enjoy your trip!

Edited to add:

The best place to see the illuminated tower twinkle, on the hour after sunset, is from the Trocadéro across the river.

I agree that the best time is at sunset, so you will be able to see the city change from daylight to illuminated by the beautiful city lights. Definitely go on-line and purchase your tickets at their website as soon as your date is available to pre-purchase.

Another beautiful experince to watch the Eiffel Tower twinkling is from a night Seine river cruise boat. Pick a time when the route will be in front of the Eiffel Tower at the top of the hour.

I've been watching the calendar for May so I can get tickets as soon as they become available. Thanks so much for the information.

I visited in late May and booked my ticket for 10 am on a Tuesday and it was not at all crowded, spent a total of 2 hours.

I'd say choose the time of day that works best for you. You will wait in line to access the Eiffel Tower--why not just make it part of the experience and enjoy it? Talk to other tourists in line, play games with your traveling companions (or bring a book if you're solo), enjoy the people watching... You can expect shorter lines first thing in the morning (if you're an early bird) or after dinner (if you're a night owl), but really, the wait can be part of the fun of being there. Also, if you're physically able, choose the stairs--theses tickets can't be prebooked, but you'll end up with much more flexibility in your day and can go when it's convenient--you'll wait in line to get through security, but after, the lines to buy tickets and access the stairs are nearly nonexistent. I take a lot of people to Paris, and we never prebook, but take the stairs--I have no earthy idea why it's not more popular.

I would go twice: once to view the tower in daylight and walk around its impressive base -- then I would walk across the bridge and take photos from the Trocadero.

I would return after dark to enjoy the lights, best viewed from a distance, and again walk across the nearby bridge and check out the goings-on at the Trocadero, along with its incomparable view of the tower.

Both of those activities can be done on a whim and at no extra cost.

What I wouldn't do is bother going up into the tower. There are much better views of Paris with much less hassle.