We'll be in Paris the last week in September, so Eiffel Tower tickets will be available online soon.
We'd like to be in the ET on a Tuesday, including as the sun sets around 7:30. Noticed they don't pre-sell tickets for between 5:30 and 8 pm, so if we prebook we'd purchase 5:30 tickets. If we don't, would we be able to show up a little later?
Any thoughts on likely crowds at that time? Thanks!
Have never been so not a good person to take advise from BUT
everything I have ever read says every day of the year if you don't prepay tickets or in some sort of tour arrangement, there will be a multi-hour line unless inclimate weather.
I would not expect Sept to be a slow time and I also will be there in Sept. same week so we may see each other there!
Tickets as I understand it go on sale 90 days in advance exactly and sell out quickly.
I would prefer if I am incorrect.
I am on the fence to buy the tickets in advance taking the chance on the weather being bad that one day/time vs. a long line.
I did not realize they don't presell tickets between 5:30 - 8 PM, I was planning on looking in a couple of weeks when my 90 days comes up.
Not sure about showing up late but I would expect a crowd and if wouldn't want to be more than 15 minutes late personally.
Think you can spend a couple of hours on the 2nd level and no have a problem being still on the tower at sunset if you get there for 5:30 PM ticket time.
September is the most popular month for travel to Paris and hotels there are at their most unavailable and expensive. There are major conventions scheduled then and people who have the choice tend to choose the month for its great weather and cultural availability. So yeah -- the Eiffel Tower on a nice day will be mobbed. We had tickets in advance and our day had pouring rain:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com
So I can attest to the fact that a hazard of booking ahead is you get what you get with weather, but also if you want to stand in line, a day with pouring rain will mean pretty much no lines.
Thank you both - that settles it!
I went to the site to look if tickets were for sale for our dates out of curiosity and the 90 day exactly rule does apply so if booking for last week of Sept you do need to wait until 90 days prior so a couple of weeks still.
Also, it does not seem there is any need to worry about buying exactly on this 90th day.
You seem to have a couple of week window at least after they go on sale before they sell out.
I checked dates in July and July is almost fully booked however most every day in August there are tickets still available.
The 8 PM time slot is definitely the most popular and sells out first so if you want that one I would not wait.
It is odd they don't sell tickets between the 5 or 5:30 and then 8 PM. Unfortunate as I would have preferred a 7 PM timeslot as well.
they often sell out entirely in about 5 minutes; sometimes a few are still around for a week or two. I often buy tickets for the Paris Opera -- same deal. I am on the computer at exactly 2 am my time when the tickets go on sale and usually can get mid-range tickets. This year, the tickets I wanted were already sold out at 2:05 and I had to go to another level of ticket. Same thing with Eiffel Tower. They often sell out immediately; sometimes a few more trickle onto the market a week or so before the date and sometimes a few are available for a couple of weeks after they are available. I wouldn't risk it; I'd be on the site the moment they come on sale.
They go on sale at 2:30 am EST (8:30 am Paris time) - I'll try to get up and buy them on the day they become available. I've read that if tickets to the summit sell out before you get them, to try tickets to the second level. If you get those, lines for tickets to the summit from there are shorter.
Hoping we get them, but if we don't, waiting on line in Paris isn't the worst thing in the world!
You always have to get off on 2 and use a different elevator to the top and you can buy tickets to the top on level 2. We were glad to have tickets all the way to the top but it would not have been a big deal to buy them once there if we had only had them to level 2.
We just bought our tickets to the Eiffel tower on the 9th of this month for September 7th. Tickets to the top were readily available. Tickets to the 2nd floor were probably sold out. There are still tickets for 5:30 and 8:00pm available even now. We figure we don't have to go to the top if we decide not to. So maybe the tickets to the top are a little more expensive but we weren't up at 1:30CDT to buy them. We looked for two weeks ahead of time and we were pretty sure we could get 5:30 tickets. We plan to stay till the sun sets. Hope they won't run us off. I just couldn't see myself getting up at 1:00 and waiting for the tickets to go on sale, we are happy with our tickets.
We visited late September and had minimal lines. But that was in 2010 and we only did the walk up to the second level, not the lift to the top. Two lines - first the ticket line, then the line to access the stairs. The stairs lines were shorter than the lift line. The lift access line was run in a serpentine manner because it was too long to be a straight line. The stairs access lines was unmemorable short. My guess is that even including the walk up, we arrived quicker than those standing in line for the lift.
Don't get up at 2:30 am to buy your tickets
As I mentioned I went to the site this week and looked up every day in August you can still get a ticket today to the top floor on the site ; a handful of days the 8 pm spot is sold out but that is about it
Any days available in sept for sale are wide open
If you waited till normal hour here like 8 am they will still be there
Maybe in past years ticket brokers grabbed them or something but no longer seems to be the case
You still must book in advance, I am not saying to not buy well in advance, just no longer seems needed to kill yourself getting up a 2 AM to do so.
I'll be in Paris the first week in sept and I just bought tickets for sept 5! All the research I've done supports buying early. I just printed out the tickets and am ready to go! I was able to buy the 2000 slot (the last ticket time).
Catherine
Hi Karen, as others posters have noted, September is a busy month in Paris. If the ET is on your "must do" list, buy tickets in advance at the official website. Why waste your valuable travel time standing in line? The ET is amazing, I love it, and I always purchase tickets in advance. Hope you have a great trip!
Hi Karen - I'll offer another suggestion ... If you are even just somewhat fit, I highly suggest you walk up. The line is much shorter, you are in control as to when you get in line, and it boosts the "adventure" factor a great deal. Even years ago before I lost 100+ lbs., I always made it to 2nd floor without too much huffing and puffing. The stairs are wide enough that you can stop when you need. And you can take the elevators down (no extra charge). I don't remember exactly for September but they stop new climbers at 6 or 6:30.
