Eiffel Tower

Barbara, the stairs do require a ticket , but its cheaper then the elevator ticket. The line for the stairs in on the south foot, labelled "Sud Pilar" don't worry you will see it, if facing the Tower from the river side its the foot on the righthand side closest to park. The line for the stairs is never as long as the elevator stairs, we waited about 15-20 minutes once for the stairs when the line for the elevators was over 1.5 hrs long.. so its the way to go for sure. I also thought it was interesting going up the stairs, the view is unique. When you get to second level you can line up if you wish to get ticket to top on elevator, but frankly I wouldn't bother, the views are great from the second anyways.
You can take the elevator down , which I recommend as going down the stairs is harder then going up !

We took the stairs up and down last year; I was dreading it, but my husband had never been up, it was May 1 (Labor Day with crowds galore, presidential election rallies in addition to usual holiday activities etc) and lines for elevators were very long, so.....up we went! I was pleasantly surprised by how easy it was; you have a landing for a "knee break" after a reasonable set of steps. I would definitely recommend the stairs. Turned out to be a highlight of our month-long trip.

My family loved climbing the stairs. There are lots of interesting things to look at along the way and numbers on the stairs that show you how far you've gone. So much better than being stuck in an elevator. You can find sandwiches on that second level and tables hiding behind the bushes. I would go all the way to to top if it's your first time, but honestly the view is best from the second level.

Thanks for the feedback. Looks like we are taking the stairs!!