On line tickets for Eiffel Tower

The official Eiffel Tower website is a creature unto itself, full of mystery and wily charms.

While that sounds fun and exciting, it is FAR from fun and exciting if you don't want to miss out on getting tickets online.

The only option is to check the site multiple times a day. Keep the website saved as a bookmark on your phone and check every so often, because everybody seems to be waiting for that "next month" arrow to appear on the June 2018 calendar and the early bird will get the tickets they want.

Someone else will need to answer the multi-leg ticket question. I've heard both that there IS STILL, and there IS NO LONGER, a ticket booth to pay the extra to get from the 2nd Stage up to the Summit.

If you can't get tickets to the top on line then your only options are to stand in line for tickets the day of or to get walk up tickets the day of and purchase the elevator to the top at that time. There is no longer an option to buy tickets on the second floor. Since scalpers buy up most of the tickets as they become available, something the site could of course stop if they wanted to, you can also pay scalper prices.

Once you buy a ticket to the second floor there is no way to get that elevator ticket to the third floor. Buying a pricey restaurant meal on the tower also affords no option for upgrading to the top. Someone reported dining at Jules Verne recently and then having to go down and stand in line in order to buy tickets to get to the top.

Wow. Thanks for the heads up.

I see there are other options of cruises & dinners that include the Eiffel. Any recommendations?

Hi David, we were in Paris last week and can confirm that there is no longer a booth on the second floor to purchase tickets to the Summit. You need to buy tickets in advance online, contact a tour company (Get Your Guide, Viator, etc.), or take your chances at standing in line (probably for 2 or more hours). I have used Get Your Guide twice in recent years to book a one hour tour and tickets. We were pleased with this company. I hope you are able to work something out. It is a unique experience. Good luck! Have a wonderful trip!

Thanks - good info.

We just returned from Paris. We did purchase Eiffel Tower tickets online prior to going, approximately 3 months ahead of time. We went to the second level only. It was high enough to see the city. We did arrive early and, because we had the pre-purchased tickets, we were allowed to go right in, bypassing the longer line waiting for tickets. As far as we know, you cannot upgrade to the 3rd level if you buy 2nd level tickets. On the second level, there are actually two viewing platforms, one higher than the other. If I remember right, we purchased 3 months ahead of time because it appeared that tickets were being booked fast.

IMHO you don't go on the Tower for the views -- there are easier places in Paris for good views including Montparnasse Tower. You go because you want to BE on the top of the Eiffel Tower. so I wouldn't bother without a ticket to the top -- being on the top is quite cool and worth doing once in your life. Here is our most recent trip up in the rain (the hazard of buying in advance):
https://janettravels.wordpress.com/2016/05/16/the-eiffel-tower-in-the-rain/
We did the tower 25 years ago during the daytime; I think the night view is more fun.

If you do one of those boat tours with Eiffel Tower packages make sure the tickets take you to the top; I think that most of them only go to the second floor.

Thank you so much everyone. Great input. A special thanks to janettravels.