Time is so precious as I may not make it to Paris again

Ummm, not trying to burst your bubble but if you don't want to "hear" this please don't read on.

It was reported here in an earlier post that the champagne bar at the tower is very small, it was described as closet sized. Furthermore they don't use glassware it's plastic. I'll try to find the post as it suggested other places.

Look into dropping off your bag at the hotel prior to heading off for the morning.

Enjoy, Paris and HOF is a great tour.

Have a glass (or two) of champagne at your hotel when you check in. It just won't work for the Eiffel Tower. Besides, you will be jet lagged and may fall asleep into your champagne.

Definitely drop your luggage at the hotel before you head out. Are you staying at Hotel l'Empereur? That is where I stayed when I did the Paris and HOF tour. They are very nice and are accustomed to stowing people's bags for them then it is just a short walk over to the Champ du Mars where the Eiffel Tower is located.

I suppose it is too late to suggest you arrive a day early since it sounds like you already have plans in place.

I would just take a taxi from CDG. It will cost you 55Euro. As you come out of the International arrivals hall there is a line up of people holding boards with names on them then you may get asked if you want a taxi. Ignore these touts, and follow the signs to the right to the Taxi stand. It is right outside the door - so get in line and let the manager at the head of the line motion you to a taxi.

It may be difficult to connect with someone on your tour. You'll get a list of names but no email and I have found on the tours I have done that very few tour members even know about the forum. It may also be difficult to coordinate airplane arrival times.

This IS a wonderful, wonderful tour! I really loved it and I am glad you are able to do this for yourself.

Good advice. Have your champagne at your hotel. Or book at one of the restaurants in the tower later in the trip. And no, there is no place to leave a bag. Security is very tight, so don't even count on being allowed into the tower with a suitcase. Drop your bag at your hotel.

You'll want to book that online ticket ASAP, since availability is likely becoming very limited. Look for an early afternoon time slot. You'll likely get to your hotel well before noon and be able to store your luggage. Don't forget to grab a bite to eat! You should be able to have your summit champagne and still be back at the hotel in time for dinner.

I say book your tower tickets ahead and enjoy your glass of champagne. Yes, it is small and yes they are plastic cups but it is still the Eiffel tower:)

There is no where to store your suitcase at the tower.... drop it off at your hotel before heading to the tower

Skip dragging around your luggage. Ditch your bag at the front desk of your hotel - even if it's too early for check-in, they should be able to safely hold your bag for you - I have no idea if the Eiffel has luggage storage these days, but I'm going to venture that with heightened security, probably not and if they do, I'd expect to be stuck for some time in some sort of line as they inspect the contents of your suitcase. Do yourself a favor and get rid of the suitcase at the hotel.

After that, you have a few other options if you can't secure any of the timed entries online. 1) Try one of the "skip the line" tours. You'll pay a premium, but if it's important to you, then do some research on a consolidator like Viator and see what they have available. 2) Go somewhere where you have a great view of the Eiffel Tower because when you are sitting on top of the Tower, you actually lose that iconic view that is what really tells the brain "Hey, I'm in Paris!".

Now you can do Option 2 a number of ways: a) go to a local wine shop or grocery store and get yourself a bottle of champagne - note that public drinking can sometimes be frowned on, so be discrete when pouring said contents into a cup. Personally, I follow the lead of frazzled soccer moms all across the U.S. and decant my alcoholic beverage of choice into a Contigo insulated stainless steel water bottle. Keeps your champagne cold - and you can actually use your Contigo to drink (gasp!) actual water during your trip. After you have decanted your champagne, find yourself a bench with a view of the Eiffel. b) go to the Montparnasse Tower which has an observation deck, restaurant and outdoor terrace. You'll have a view of all of Paris (including the Eiffel) and they don't seem to sell out of tickets like the Eiffel does. They do have an option for an additional fee where you can get a glass of champagne up on the top of the Montparnasse while you enjoy your view of Paris; c) hop in a taxi or take the Metro over to Galeries Lafayette department store which has a rooftop terrace with a view of the Eiffel. Printemps department store used to have a terrace, too, but I believe it recently closed to undergo renovations - but if you want to do some shopping after you enjoy the view then by all means, this is a good neighborhood to do that. And access to the rooftop terrace is free! Printemps used to sell wine on their terrace - no idea if Lafayette does, but you can always resort to discretely decanting a bottle into your insulated water bottle; d) book yourself a lunch reservation at Les Ombres which is a restaurant very close to the Eiffel that has a great view of the Eiffel Tower. In addition to getting your glass of champagne, Les Ombres has some very good food.

I've never been on a Rick Steves Tour. But I would imagine given Rue Cler seems to be the epicenter of all things Rick Steves, lunch at Les Ombres might be your best option so you remain in the neighborhood for your 5PM meet-up which I'm assuming is at a nearby hotel. If you are looking for something to do after lunch to keep you awake and moving until your 5PM meet-up, you could also go to the Musee du Quai Branly as it's right there and it's a very good museum and unlikely it's going to be part of your RS Tour.

Les Ombres is an excellent idea. The food is fantastic and the view is just extraordinary. I went solo and loved it.

There is no champagne bar on the Eiffel Tower if you mean a place to sit down and have a glass of champagne. There is a closet where a guy will pour you a plastic glass of champagne and you can walk around on the top of the tower with it. If this fulfills your dream, then go for it, but the logistics are tricky with trying to connect with a tour.

Lunch at Les Ombres if that fit your schedule would be great -- and you could drink a glass of champagne will gazing at the Eiffel Tour through the roof above you. You would need reservations reasonably well in advance.

Surely an RS tour involves a trip to the Eiffel Tower -- can't you get your glass of champagne then?

Found the other thread. It has a couple of more suggestions towards the bottom.

https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/france/special-celebration

The RS 11 day Paris & Heart of France tour does not include a visit to the Eiffel Tower, at least not going up it. The reservation system is such that all the allotted slots are probably booked (you don't say when you are going). So that leaves getting some "skip the line" ticket through a tour consolidator. You say time is precious, so I take it you won't want to wait in line for one of the non-reserved spots. You could also book a table at the Jules Verne. The 3 course lunch is a mere 105 EUR, but you do get free access to the 2nd level. From there you can buy a ticket to the top for a few EUR at the booth, then wait in line for the elevator. That shouldn't take too long. Then you can get your glass of champagne at the top. It comes in a plastic champagne flute with no stand on the bottom. There are little holes along the railing that will hold your flute if you want to set it down.

You responders are knocking my socks off with good ideas. This is such a cool community. Merci beaucoup!

There's been enhanced security at the Eiffel Tower for awhile, so I doubt that there would be any facilities to store luggage. Also, in order to reach the tower, you may have to get through "the wall" and security checkpoints - http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/europe/paris-eiffel-tower-terrorism-bulletproof-wall-a7573131.html (depending on when your trip is taking place - I'm not sure when it's supposed to be installed).

I agree, have some Champagne or a glass of wine at one of the sidewalk cafes close to your hotel and enjoy the ambiance of the street. If you start to "crash" due to jet lag, you won't have far to go to your room.

I have nothing useful to add to this thread, because you've received some amazing suggestions!

I just wanted to say that I hope you enjoy your holiday & when you return, please let us know how you enjoyed the champagne and the tour? Thanks! :-)

You certainly deserve a "champagne moment".

The 7 day RS "Best of Paris" does not include a trip to the top of the Eiffel Tower. You will however take the evening cruise on the Seine that passes by and under it. RS advises you to buy tickets in advance for a trip to the top of the tower. You can visit it during the free hours or free days you add to the trip on your own. I myself visited the Marmottan Museum during the morning and then walked to the tower for our trip to the top. RS points out several points of interest on that walk but otherwise it's about an hour at brisk pace.....but I enjoy energetic walks! Bonus - plenty of fun dogs were playing in the park outside the Marmottan.

Hi. An earlier poster mentioned the Montparnasse tower. When I did the Paris and Heart of France 2 or 3 years ago, our RS hotel was just around the corner from the Montparnasse tower. I did not go up, having other interests, but supposedly, it is a fantastic view of the Eiffel Tower and Paris. Here is a link. They seem to have a Champagne bar. Click on The Visit tab.

https://www.tourmontparnasse56.com/en/the-visit/panoramic-observation-deck/

Whatever you decide, I hope you have fun!

Debbie

Another vote for the Montparnasse tower. Much less complicated and a wonderful view of the ET.

I can't speak to the logistics portion of your question, but I can recommend the champagne at the top of the tower. Yes, it's small with I think three varieties of overpriced champagne; yes, you walk around with your champagne on the top. Sure, there might be other views that actually contain the Eiffel Tower. BUT, hey! If it's your dream, I guarantee you will enjoy yourself!! It will be a fabulous experience. We enjoyed champagne on the top on our first trip and we loved it. Have a wonderful trip!

If you sit at a cafe anywhere that has a view of street life, you can have a glass of champagne and I promise you'll feel like you have arrived. Don't over romanticize it, the simple things are the best moments (and a trip to the top of the Tower isn't simple). It is good you are arriving early in the A.M., do your best not to go to sleep or nap until as late as you normally would. Drop your bags at your hotel if feasible. If you are up to it.....take an afternoon bike tour of the city so you are active and outdoors, the best ways to combat jetlag. (The bike tour company may even be able to store your bags.) If not the bike tour an organized tour of the city so you won't be tempted to nap.

Hi rliley, online tickets for the Eiffel Tower go on sale 90 days in advance. If they are still available for your date, grab one! If you are unable to get a ticket, check out Get Your Guide tours and sign up online. You don't have time to wait in line. The Eiffel Tower is a "must do" for me and it is not included on any of the RS tours. If having a glass of champagne is your dream, do it. Agree with the others that you should plan to take a taxi from the airport and drop your luggage off at the hotel.

The 11 day tour is wonderful and you will have a great time. Pack light and plan to layer. It is likely to be chilly/windy in Normandy and at Mt. St. Michel so have a sweater or fleece to wear under your waterproof jacket. Hope you have a great trip!

Your hotel will be more than glad to store your luggage.
The champagne bar at the Eiffel Tower is really a closet. If plastic glasses bother you - I know they bother me, I can taste the plastic - don't bother to go.
Les Ombres is a fantastic value for the money, and you get a view of the Eiffel Tower to boot. Have a couple of glasses of champagne here and have a good time.