Eiffel Tower Question

Get the tickets on line the second they go on sale as they can sell out quickly and if they do the only way to get to the top is to wait in a very long line.

We went in the rain; our wait for the elevators to the second floor was zero and our wait for the elevator to the top was about 10 minutes.

https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2016/05/16/the-eiffel-tower-in-the-rain/
On crowded days with good weather, you will get your reserved slot at the bottom quite close to the time you selected. (get there at least half an hour ahead to go through perimeter security and 15 minutes or so ahead for your elevator slot) I would imagine that wait would be in the 20 minute range as people wait for the elevator to cycle (there is just one for the reserved leg just as there is one for each of the other legs that serve restaurant, walkers and those who are buying tickets the day of the ascent.

The wait for the elevator to the top on the second floor can fairly easily take an hour. when we went a couple of years ago there was no perimeter security; that is now a major hassle. You can't know how long it will take but I would assume it would be two hours from arrival at the security line outside to the top and plan accordingly and be happy if you are up faster. It took us about 20 minutes on a rainy day without crowds and without perimeter security.

You will be lining up for elevators back down as well.

Thank you @janettravels44

That was very helpful and insightful. Just a quick follow up. Is that 2 hours also include the time it will take to get back to the bottom from the very top? Do you have to wait as long when coming down? Thanks again for the help.

We went to the Eiffel Tower on June 21 of this year. Our timed ticket for entry was 11:00am. We got there very early because I didn’t know how long it would take for security. So we arrived around 9:30am. Got through security in about two minutes because nobody else was there for the line. Then we sat around until 10:50am when they started to allow the 11:00am timed ticket holders through the second security. In all it probably took 10 minutes to get through that security and up to the 2nd level. We immediately got in line to go to the top. That line took maybe 15 minutes. We got to the top and looked around and then got in line to go back to the 2nd floor. Only maybe a five minute wait and we then caught the elevator to the 2nd level to look around there. We were very happy that we had immediately gone up to the 3rd level when we first got there because by the time we got back down to check out the 2nd level, the line to go up to the top level was way longer than when we first got there. Overall I think we lucked out with really short wait times for all the lines.

@csolinda

Thank you so much. That helps out a lot. I appreciate it.

Hi again. Just want to add, during the time we waited between when we got there at 9:30am and went up for our 11:00am time, it was not very crowded in the whole area there. But, when we left it was getting quite crowded with what looked like much longer lines.

I have a 10am booked for August 12, Sunday. I am hoping my hotel will let us leave our luggage there for a 2-3 hours, as this is our check out day. We are walking distance from there, so our photos from the ground will have been taken a few days before. Glad to here the morning line moves along, and I will take your advice to go right to the top with the group let in at 10.

One thing I read here is to allow another 30-60 minutes to take photos from the ground and across the river. So the entire experience is 2-4 hours depending on security and line wait times, including photos and viewing around the area.

I would not allocate fewer than 4 hours. On a crowded it day it may take close to 2 hours to get to the top -- you will want to spend quite a bid of time on the second floor and take pictures etc and the elevator to the top can take an hour when it gets crowded. Then you are going to want to spend time on the top. You will have to wait for the elevator on 3 and then 2 to go down. It may take less time but you don't want to be anxious and rushed if the lines are long. You might with luck get it all done in 2.5/3 hours if you don't want to spend much time on the Tower, but don't crowd your time. And you will want to wander over to Trocadero to get the best views and pictures.

What might occur in mid-April and what one typically experiences in July or August are vastly different. Weather is not generally a concern in summer, it will be in April. Crowds are ever present in summer, not so much in winter, particularly when it is raining and cold.

I would not prepurchase Eiffel Tower tickets for a mid April visit. You could easily end up with tickets for a zero visibility day. For mid April I would go early, the ET opens at 09h30 in winter, on the first pleasant day of my time in Paris.