Eiffel Tower

Book your tickets directly from the official ET website. The guidebooks will tell you information that was pre-covid so don't go by them. Take a look at the calendar and see if your dates are up yet. If not take a look at how things are filling and then you can get a sense of how far out you might need to book. If you were there this week, you'd not need to book much in advance at all.

https://www.toureiffel.paris/en/rates-opening-times

I love the ET and it’s a must do for me every trip. Wear a money belt. Prime territory for pickpockets.

My advice is that it is ok not to go all the way to the top. If those tickets are sold out don’t feel badly. There is still a great view.

The magical part for us was sitting on the grass in the Champs de Mars afterwards with a bottle of wine at sunset. Seeing that beautiful structure from that vantage point was much more interesting than going up it (but going up must be done regardless), so I strongly recommend building in time to do that.

Is there a favorite time to go to the top of the tower?

It is all good. The ground, the 2nd level, and the top. At the top, there is also a window into Gustave Eiffel's office with mannequins of Eiffel himself and Thomas Edison. Yes, the view from the second level is fine. But I can't imagine going up without going to the top if I had the option. It does get crowded up there though. There is also an opportunity to buy an over-priced glass (plastic) of champagne. Just so you can say you did I guess (or presumably so you can take a selfie). I personally didn't think that was something worthwhile to me. YMMV.
https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/gustave-eiffels-secret-apartment

Can I just say, I love this forum. Thanks, thanks, thanks

I don't know if this still holds true, but your ticket may have a beginning and end time. No one checks tickets after you get to the top so there's no hurry to leave. We stayed a little past our time to watch the sunset and the lights come on around the city. It was magical.

The top level can get very windy up there and depending on what season you are going the temperature can be colder up there than ground level.

Enjoy your trip.

It's been a looong time, but best thing I did was mail myself a postcard from the post office that is there. Same for Vatican.

Get there early to avoid the crowds and walk down one of the legs.

I bought our tickets for May 3rd sunset!

So there's lots of construction - when I went in October, the top was closed (it wasn't windy, it wasn't a bad weather day, we can only presume it was from weather).

Also, even from the 2nd floor to the 1st floor, going down, it's a LOT of stairs.

However, it was still a good time!!

We bought the access to the top tickets for end of April. I wasn’t planning on it, but decided once there that we would really want to go up, so went for it. My husband has never been to Paris, and it’s our bucket list trip — can’t get much more bucket list than going up the Eiffel.

I’m hoping the scaffolding is mostly gone by now, or soon. The tower has recently been repainted (including removal of the last 19 layers of paint) a more golden tone as originally envisioned by Gustavo Eiffel, so expect it to look different than the darker tones we are used to. They are also installing a glass barrier around the the base, as well as improving the garden areas there. A lot of this work has been ongoing since 2019, but it’s not clear when exactly it will be complete. All I can find is a vague, “ 2022”. The Trocadero and it’s fountain/pool are also under construction so be prepared for that.

As a 1st time visitor to Paris going up the tower is a must! However. I think the best view of the tower and the city is from utop the arc du triumph. Especially at night!!! It’s absolutely magical. Have the best time!