Eiffel Tower Summit Tickets

I managed to purchase our summit tickets 60 days in advance for 30 August, which meant being online as soon as the tickets became available, but it was a hassle. Keep checking the site every day, because more tickets became available for that date on the 1st August (for the summit) People have said that more tickets are released a week before the date as well and are available on the day (but you have to queue). Good luck

From the vlogs I've been watching lately, the tippy top is not considered the best viewing platform on the tower.

Do some searching on this site for Eiffel Tower. Here's one that discusses ticketing and timing.

Eiffel Tower Tips

If for some reason you can't get tickets, please don't kick yourself. IMO, the views from the top of the Eiffel Tower are not the best views of Paris. Climb to the Panorama level of the Pantheon or take the elevator up into the observation deck of the Montparnasse Tower. There are more places . And best thing is the Eiffel Tower will be part of your beautiful view.

the biggest drop of tickets is 7 days out at precisely 1 pm Paris time. You will almost certainly get tickets to the summit if you look then. Few tickets are available 60 days out and many are the extortionate 'Champagne tickets' which panic people into buying these expensive tickets fearing they will miss out.

7 days out you will have the choice of many time slots.

I don't think the view is the point but it is true that the view at the second level is arguably as good or better than the top -- BUT being on top the EIffel Tower is a thrill. There are always tickets that can be purchased by standing in line the day you want to go up.

Here was our trip in the rain many years ago before the Tower was walled off with ugly security fences. We did it in the rain which was great because it wasn't crowded.
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2016/05/16/the-eiffel-tower-in-the-rain/
We took a grandchild up on a sunny afternoon a couple of years ago and with timed tickets waited over an hour to get on the elevator. It was beautiful and the views were lovely.

Janet is very correct about the ticket release 7 days beforehand. When I bought my tickets 60/7 prior, the times I wanted went very quickly, but when I logged in a month later, a slew of times had opened up. I bought ordinary summit tickets, the ones with the champers were already booked out (not that I wanted those)

I was in Paris this June and had a ticket to go to the top of the Tower at 9:45 pm. I was walking by the Tower at 5:15 pm and there was no nobody in the reservation line. I walked up to the person who was checking the tickets and asked if it was possible to go up in the tower at 5:15 instead of 9:45. He said sure. It might have been because no one was in line. I then asked him if they would let me go up to the top earlier than 9:45 and he said they would. He even walked me over to the elevator. I was really tired from walking over 10 miles that day so I just decided to explore the tower and get a bite to eat and then find a chair on the first level which was empty of people and relax and watch the lights come on in Paris. I left the tower at 10:45 pm totally relaxed and rested. This was my 4th trip to Paris and 4th time on the Tower. I highly recommend to people that don’t have a reservation, to go up the Tower at 5:30 pm. Each time I did that, it was not crowded. The food prices were not unreasonably high and you could get a sandwich and drink for under 17 Euros and have a table with a view or take it outside the cafe and find a chair and eat it there.

This is all very reassuring, thank you all! For background, I've already been on the 2nd level, and my mom's never been to Paris, so this is an opportunity to add an extra special experience that's new for both of us!

Am I correct in thinking that we can still stop at the 2nd floor on the way back down?

This is less for the view and more for the experience! I would love another great view that includes the tower, but climbing tons of stairs is not an option for my mom as she has a knee that gets cranky at times. We will be going to the Galeries Lafayette rooftop as well as behind Sacre Coeur, so I'm hopeful those views will be nice.
I believe there's an elevator for Arc de Triomphe, but not sure if I could join her or if it's only for the person unable to do the stairs? She wouldn't feel comfortable being separated.

Thanks again everyone

PQ

Regarding use of the lift at the Arc de Triomphe, there is a thread (from a year ago) on the Trip Advisor Paris forum. People with bad knees/back etc, said they had no problem using the lift and would be surprised if they separated you from your mother. The main complaint was the unreliability of the lift. Check out the forum and good luck.

You have to stop at the second floor on the way down as the elevator to the top is from the second floor. In fact the line for that can be horrendous since the elevators are small. You get off on the second floor (or first if you want) going up and then on the second floor you line up for the elevator to the top. When you get back to the second floor you can take all the time you want.

I think if there is no line they don't care as long as you have a ticket -- the time we went in the rain we also went up earlier than our tickets (we literally had advance tickets for the ONLY day that month that it poured rain -- and we were diappointed but it actually worked out great.

Ok, sounds like once we get to the second floor we'll get right in line for the elevator to the top and then on the way back we'll spend some time actually seeing the second floor.

Can we also stop at the first floor via elevator after visiting the second floor? Is first or second preferred over the other?

When purchasing summit tickets 7 days ahead, can anyone confirm if they release at midnight or 1pm Paris time? I'm seeing both online. Do I probably need to be ready right on the dot?

Do a dry run a day or two before so you know how it works right up to paying. It is 1 pm Paris time but things change so if you try it a couple of days ahead you should see how it works and what is available then so you are set to go. And yet you should be dialed in ready to hit that last number when 1 pm Paris time tolls. You will probably be in a queue but if not, you keep trying until you are.

Yes, there is a lift at the Arc. My husband has a defibrillator and couldn’t go through the machine. They then asked us if we wanted to use the elevator and we couldn’t have said yes fast enough. We both used it. And for coming down too. Just be aware there is one short staircase to get to the roof after you leave the elevator.