Eiffel Tower & best street/flea markets in Paris.

The Eiffel Tower is a very popular attraction, so it's very crowded especially in nice weather. However, you can buy a ticket in advance for a particular time slot and level you want to ascend to. The advantage is there will be no waiting; show up at the appointed time and get right on the lift. The disadvantage is that if the weather is poor, you're stuck with your ticket.

The alternative is showing up without a ticket and waiting in a 1-hour to 2-hour line.

Night or evening ascents are my favorite, but it's just as great in the daytime.

Another alternative is to ascend the Montparnasse tower. It's a little taller than the ET, there's no waiting, it's cheaper, and you get just as good a view as from the ET - maybe better since the Montparnasse view includes the ET!

There actually is a queue for the elevator to the top of the Tour Montparnasse. December before last we waited about 20 or 25 minutes to reach the elevator. Negligible amount of time compared to the Eiffel Tower, though.

I like the Vanves flea market -- very good for knick knacks, and seems a likely place for your daughter to find something interesting. (runs Saturday and Sunday, so probably your best bet). I haven't been to Saint-Ouen because it is so huge and seems like a daunting task to get out there, but someday I will. If you can't make it to Vanves, you might try the more centrally located Bastille market, or many others going on in Paris on various days. You can find information about all the Paris markets on Trip Advisor.

Since you are going in June, I think there's a good chance that the weather will be nice if you decide to purchase advance tickets for the Eiffel Tower. It's true the Montparnasse tower has a great view of the city, and the Eiffel Tower, but it doesn't replace the experience of being on the E T -- going up the elevators, being out of the platform -- a unique experience to be experienced at least once. Any time is fine. You only need to go to the second level.

Le marche d'Aligre is open mornings daily except Monday, mostly for fruits and vegetables. http://marchedaligre.free.fr/index.htm
The adjoining covered market fuctions on store hours with cheeses, deli etc. However, the valuable foodie site Paris By Mouth says it suffered serious fire damage last year so some or all of it may be under repair. http://parisbymouth.com/
Note the link's item on Le Baron Rouge, as authentic and serious a neighbourhood wine bar as you will find.
The square itself has an open spread of used goods on the weekend. All I know about antiques comes from the Antiques Roadshow but to my inexpert eyes the stuff might rate only as high as junque. You might find a treasure. Several adjacent butcher shops have rotisserie chicken machines sizzling outside their front doors.

Eddie,
thanks for your input!

We will most likely check the view of the city from the Montparnasse Tower, as well as from
the departments stores RS mentions in his France book.

I just edited my post as I'd forgotten to mention that I do plan to purchase our tickets in advance to avoid the long queues.

Thanks Norma!,
Were you there during the holidays?
If there was a wait in December, I'm sure there will be a wait in June!

BG,
I will definitely check TripAdvisor, thanks!

The first time I visited the Eiffel Tower, no one was allowed on the top floor (don't quite remember why), so this time I plan to go all the way to the top!

Southam,
Thanks for the information & the links you've provided!
I'd read about the website, 'Paris by Mouth', but hadn't looked at it till now.
It's such a great website & full of practical information such as; "Bringing chocolate home from France", (yum!); "Paris Restaurants Open on Monday" (good to know) ; "Our Gluten-Free Guide to Paris"; as well as recommended restaurants (near tourist sights) that are not tourist traps! Thanks again!

Priscilla, We enjoyed the Vanves market, arriving by 8 on Saturday morning-great stuff. This is where I found a complete WW2 era French army mess kit for 10 euro, complete with the soldiers' name scratched into the top. We also came across a brocante at the Bois de Boulogne, which happens there from time to time. Better stuff, larger variety, I found a small 50's/60's single burner camp stove with round copper fuel tank. We bought a cheap roller bag to haul our "flea finds" back in.

Here's an interesting site, break out the Google Translate:

https://vide-greniers.org/75-Paris

I like the Porte de Vanves flea market and have gone twice. It's big enough to find a wide variety of things, but it's not overwhelming. Both times I arrived early and spent a few hours there.

How far up the Eiffel Tower you can go can depend on weather. When I was there one year over the winter holidays they were not allowing people higher than the first level. This was due to freezing temperatures. No need to worry about that in June. I suspect high winds would limit how high you can go too.

I think lines are hard to predict.. we went up the Monparnasse Tower this past August.. and literally walked into an empty elevator!!!! I think we went there about noon if that's any help..

The lines are guaranteed at Eiffel Tower.. but how long they will be could range from an hour to three hours..

Our favorite is the Marche Rue d' Aligre, easily walkable from Bastille market. Bastille is open on Thursdays and Saturdays. All of the fire damage at Aligre has been repaired as of last fall. Lots of flea market stuff on weekends plus the best chocolate chip cookies in Europe can be found inside the building adjacent. I found a Limoges piece for 20 Euros a couple years ago at the flea market. Most street markets feature food items but there are trinkets to be found at Bastille market too. Don't miss Le Baron Rouge bistro up the street from Marche rue d'Aligre. More stuff to see and buy on Saturdays at both markets. We never miss either one.

Hi Priscilla. I love the food markets and food streets. I have a book called Markets of Paris; our public library has it too. It describes all types of markets including the flea markets.

http://www.marketsofparis.com/
describes the open air food markets. My favorites are the Grenelle, President Wilson and Saxe-Breteuil marches. Grenelle is right below the overhead metro line, starting at the Motte-Piquet metro stop; that market is great. I purchased a few to go foods and walked to the Seine, a quick walk, sat on a bench and feasted on roasted potatoes and a ham in mustard sauce dish. Absolutely fabulous! The other 2 are more upscale but still have basic fruits, veggies and cheese. Fresh yogurt and cheese from the market are to die for; often cheese tastes are available, which is a great plus. I usually purchase a scarf, have purchased cheap blouses and a faux leather jacket, a lovely wool hat that works in Edmonton winters.

The food streets that I often go to are Rue Cler and Rue Mouffetard. Each has a different feel. If you go visit rue Mouffetard, find the remains of a Roman amphitheatre, Arenes de Lutece is near there, closer to the river. There is not much of a ruin left, but it is a very quiet park like area in the middle of a busy city and a bathroom!

Enjoy the markets.

Wow, it's so great to get so much information, thanks!

Dave, It sounds like you found some treasures at the Vanves flea market!
Thanks for the link! I've started practicing my French, so will try to decipher the information before getting help from google translate;-)

Thanks Andrea! My daughter & I enjoy flea markets, even if we don't end up buying anything!
Hopefully we'll have good weather when we're there... My daughter is looking forward to going to the top.

Thanks Pat! You were so lucky to find an empty elevator at the MT!
Hopefully we won't have to wait too long (for the elevators) at the ET with advance tickets in hand.

George,thanks for letting me know about Marche Rue d' Aligre & Bastille market!
We'll definitely have to try the chocolate chip cookies! Finding little treasures at a great price, is half the fun of browsing through flea markets. I once found a small hand painted Limoges clock (at a tiny second hand store in the US) for $5!
I'm sure the store clerk had no idea what she was selling. The clock didn't work, but all it needed was a new battery.

June, thanks for all the wonderful information about the various street markets!
I will have to check our local library to see if they have the book you mentioned.
We plan to visit as many street markets as time permits (in between visiting the main sites)!

Thanks all of you for contributing to my street/flea market search! :-)

Priscilla

Hello again Paris travelers!

I appreciate all the suggestions I've received regarding the street & flea markets :-)

Now I need help with question #1 (please refer to post)

I will be booking our Eiffel Tower tickets in a few days, so I'm wondering if you have any insight as to the
best time of day to go up the tower.

Thank you!

Priscilla

A lot of people like to time their visit to the Eiffel Tower so they are up there as the sun sets, and you can see the lights of the city come on. I have done this and it is very nice. In the summer sundown is quite late in France, I think it may be around 9pm, but you can look it up. If the weather is clear, the view at night is good also, as well as during the day. In my opinion you can't really go wrong going up at any time. I assume it might be less crowded in the evening, but in June it will be crowded in any case.
Whenever you go, be sure to catch the hourly light show when the sun goes down.