Eiffel Tower Tips and Advice

The only restaurant that is currently open on the Eiffel Tower is the Michelin-starred ($200 (lunch) to $300 (dinner) pe head) one on the second floor. The cheaper one on the first floor is currently closed - not that I would have recommended it anyway.
Also, most of the various eateries around the Tower must be avoided.
Therefore, try to time your visit to avoid lunchtime.
And late afternoon/evening will be the best time anyway: morning can be hazy.

Edit: the snack-bar mentioned by a later poster rings a bell, but I cannot find any info about it.

Thanks Balso. Thats a little pricey for lunch/dinner lol.

The best time to go is on a clear day. Unfortunately you won’t know this 2 months in advance. When we were there in November 2019, the weather was too unpredictable for me to feel confident buying tickets in advance, and there seemed to be plenty available for the next day anytime I checked the website. So I ended up buying tickets a day in advance. Not sure if this applies in COVID times. But you could check the available tickets for a couple of days from now and see how the availability is. If there are plenty of spots open, you could wait and see what the weather is and book your tickets.

Ditto for good weather. Last time I was there was September of 2017. I woke up on a cloudy, rainy day, but I'm kind of a weather junkie. So I looked at my favorite sites, and could predict it would likely clear mid-day. After visiting the Marmotten Museum first thing, I had lunch at a café off of Rue de Passy and walked over to Tour Eiffel. No line (probably due to the weather) other than security, I bought tickets to the top from the second floor at ground level, and by the time I was climbing the stairs to the second level, it was clearing very nicely and I had an amazing view from there and the top. Your methods may vary, but it worked for me.

Hi trblee, I don’t think there’s a “best” time to visit the Eiffel Tower… daytime views are great, sunset is beautiful, and evening when it twinkles is just magical. I’d find out what time the sun sets and get tickets for 60-90 minutes before that. When you’re done, walk down to the end of the Champs de Mars and watch it light up (on the hour for about 5 minutes).

Pre-Covid there was a snack bar on the second level where you could buy a sandwich and drink, not sure what is open now. Two of my favorite restaurants in the area are the Bistro Champ de Mars and Alfio (Italian) on avenue de la Bourdonnais. Love Paris! Have fun!

PS - be aware of pickpockets on the elevators.

While good weather is ideal, we had booked ahead on the ONLY day in October a few years ago when it poured:
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2016/05/16/the-eiffel-tower-in-the-rain/
It was actually good -- and uncrowded though damp and the view through the clouds as you can see rather cool AND the Tower itself in the rain and clouds is spectacular -- the lights bounce off the fog

I do think night is better than day -- we did it during the day decades ago. And of course now the whole process due to new security measure is much more of a hassle than when we last did it.

I would also add, pay attention to what you have in your back back or purse. They do not allow things like Opinel folding knives (used for cheese and bread on your picnic lunch).

Thanks for the tips everyone. We are there in early November and the Tower closes at 6:30PM. If we go in at 4:30, is 2 hours enough time for the second level and the summit?

I think Donna’s timing (60-90 min before sunset) is perfect. I like seeing the view in daylight, later, in the dark, it’s pretty with all the lights but you can’t identify anything except the Arc de Triomphe.

Great, thank you!

We went in the morning and only had to wait in line about 30 minutes before going up and it was clear.

I'll check the weather a few days out before we get to Paris. Think it will be crowded in early November?

No, I don’t think it will be crowded in November.