I'm trying to buy Eiffel Tower tickets for our visit to Paris next week and the web site does not show any availability for days in March. Did I goof up by waiting this long? I didn't realize they would sell out like that... Is this normal?
The tickets I'm looking at:
http://ticket.toureiffel.fr/index-css5-sete-pg1-lgen.html
They go on sale like... 90 days out? Or 60? I can't remember. But we got ours right on the dot and they sell out literally under a minute when they open.... Crazy.
Get there early. The line was already really long about 45 min before opening.
Keep checking as sometimes jobbers who buy them for tours return some closer to the date; generally speaking they sell out almost immediately 90 days out.
You can of course line up when you want to go and buy them after a long wait.
Nso,
Yes, tickets sell 90 days in advance & they do sell very quickly!
Try this website & you may be able to book option #3 (Eiffel Tower + Cruise) for next week: http://www.francetourisme.fr
This website was recommended by the hotel staff where we plan to stay in Paris.
Hope this helps.
That's very sad to hear. I had no idea they sold out so early :(
My girlfriend will be devastated. Priscilla, thank you for the link , but they also do not have anything available for March.
If tickets are sold out online, is there still a chance of getting tickets at the Eiffel Tower? Or are we completely out of luck?
If we can get tickets on-site, do you know if the line will be especially long at night vs. during the day?
Thanks.
You can purchase on site. Depending on the time of day you may have a long line to deal with.
I bought a guided "Behind the Scenes Eiffel Tower" tour with Cultival. This is a skip the line tour for $25.00 which gets you to the second floor with no waiting even at the elevator. I do realize the cost is a bit more but when you get to see the non public areas and the engine room as well as skipping the lines it is well work it in my book.
https://www.cultival.fr/en/visites/behind-the-scenes-of-the-eiffel-tower-01092015
Nso,
So sorry you were not able to book any tickets on the link I sent you.
Have you tried contacting the hotel where you plan to stay, as they may have other ideas?
I've read that sometimes you can get tickets 3-4 days in advance, as some people return tickets they've purchased in
advance.
I'd contact the Eiffel Tower offices & ask for other options as well.
Try these links for booking tours that include the ET:
Hope this helps.
EDIT: You can also try this: http://www.fattiretours.com/paris/attractions/eiffel-tower
Don't worry! Those are just skip the line tickets. You will just need to stand in line, and you'll get to go up. Sometimes it's long, or really long, or not long at all. Or you can walk up and have very little line.
Thanks, everyone! We're deciding whether to pay the premium for skip-the-line or just endure the line.
If we brave the line, do you think it would be shorter in the evenings?
Or maybe the mornings?
For a shorter wait in line you can climb the stairs.
You might also check for tickets to the 2nd level, instead of the summit. You can purchase tickets to summit on the 2nd level.
I did a Behind the Scenes tour with Get Your Guide and it worked out well (twice). The tour portion is about an hour and the guide provides some interesting info about the Tower. Then you are able to go below and see the machinery that runs the elevators. The tour ends as they drop you off in front of the elevator and you skip the lines to go up. The tour ticket gets you to the second level where you can purchase another ticket (short line) to the Summit. They have several ticket options, with one being not much more than the regular ticket price.
Or you can always stand in line on the day you want to do it. No "best" time, just walk by and see what the lines look like.
So if the tower website says tickets will be on sale at 830 am on march 20th... is that my time or paris time?
Jason, times' reflected are local to Paris, 0830 CET (Central Europe Time). Currently this is 6 hours ahead of Houston, but on March 27th they switch to CEST (Central Europe Summer Time, their version of daylight savings) which adds an hour to the difference. Depending on which March day you're looking to buy tickets, it'll either be 2:30am (if Mar 26 or before) or 1:30am (Mar 27+) your time. It's worth it to skip the general admission line, you'll see when you get there. :)
