When I visited Paris as a young adult I desperately wanted to go to the top of the Eiffel Tower. Unfortunately, it didn’t happen and it was something I regretted for 14 years.
That’s why visiting the Eiffel Tower during our last family vacation to Paris was on the top of my list. I did not want any more regrets and I wanted to finally feel what it’s like to experience Paris on the top of this iconic tower.
Disclosure: This is a sponsored post. All thoughts and opinions are always my own.
My family decided to visit the Eiffel Tower on our first full day in Paris. We thought it would be a great introduction of the city to our kids. We made our way to the Eiffel Tower on our Big Bus Tour. This was an easy way to get there and a great stop on our bus tour.
Arriving at the Eiffel Tower
When you arrive at the Eiffel Tower you’ll see that the grounds are surrounded by a glass wall. You’ll also find two points of entry, an East entrance, and a South entrance. Tickets are not required to go through this security checkpoint. You can visit the beautiful gardens and use the facilities after going through the security checkpoint.
Once you’ve gone through this entrance you can use the tickets you’ve purchased online or purchase tickets at the ticket booth. Keep in mind that the ticket booths do have line-ups. If you haven’t purchased your tickets online you may have to wait in line for some time.
There are several types of tickets available for the tower.
Ticket options include:
- > Lift access to the top of the tower
- > Lift access to the second floor only
- > Stair access to the second floor
- > Stair access to the second floor followed by lift access to the top
We had tickets with lift access to the top of the tower. The process was fast and seamless.
Views at the Top of the Eiffel Tower
Reaching the top deck by lift is a fun experience. The glass-walled lifts allow you to have great views of Paris as you go up 276m. The top deck of the Eiffel Tower is two levels and is quite large. Here you’ll have an incredible 360-degree view of Paris.
As you walk around the top floors you’ll see a historical recreation of Gustave Eiffel’s office, you’ll find many telescopes and even a champagne bar!
Once you’ve had a great look from the top of the Eiffel Tower you can make your way down to the Second Floor. The Second Floor also offers incredible views, a Michelin-stared restaurant, and many shops.
From the Second Floor, you can choose to walk down to the First Floor or take a lift. My family decided to take the stairs and it was a fun experience. Once on the First Floor, we relaxed with some cold treats and sat to take in the city view one last time.
The First Floor also has fun interactive displays explaining all sorts of facts on the Eiffel Tower, including how the size of the tower compares to other tall towers in the world and which movies have been filmed on the Eiffel Tower.
Overall
My family really enjoyed our visit to the Eiffel Tower. Our 8-year-old son said it was the highlight of his trip to Paris. I was happy to finally check off this experience from my bucket list.
I highly recommend making time to visit the Eiffel Tower when you are in Paris. It’s a great experience for the entire family.
Eiffel Tower Suggestions
- > I recommend purchasing your tickets online before visiting. Tickets can be purchased several months in advance. The sooner you reserve your tickets, the more time slot options you’ll have.
- > Bring the kids! There is lots for the kids to see when visiting the Eiffel Tower. The experience is good for all ages.
- > Take the lift but don’t ignore the stairs. Taking the stairs down was a fun way to really experience the architecture of the tower.
- > Give yourself between 1-2 hours to get a good visit in. You could absolutely spend more time but our 2-hour visit did not feel rushed and gave us plenty of time to explore the tower.
To learn more about the Eiffel Tower
- Check out the official Eiffel Tower website
- Follow the Eiffel Tower on Instagram
- Follow the Eiffel Tower on Facebook
Wow! That must have been such an exciting trip!
Excellent info!! I’d love to do this one day, so I will refer back to your post to make sure I’m extra ready when that happens. I am a little nervous about the heights!
That’s really incredible! Not many American families can say they took their children there. I couldn’t do the heights (it’s a huge fear) but I know my husband and teens would go for it!
If I get to Paris again I hope that I’ll be able to go up the Eiffel Tower, it sounds like an amazing experience and I’d book tickets online to avoid the massive waiting lines.
This looks great. My kids would LOVE to go there.
LOVE your photos! My husband and I did a cruise once and we saw the Eiffel Tower…not as close as you did though, but I’m so happy that I did get to see it.
We were in Paris last year and were amazed at the lineups at every location we visited, we ended up getting up very early and joining the lineups before the places opened!
My sister just went this year. Paris was very rainy but incredible to see, especially the Eiffel Tower. Awesome memories!
i opted to skip the Tower owing to the really long lines
My tip is to reserve in advance online. Then you won’t be stuck in any lineups.
What a fun family trip, Paris is really amazing for all ages.
Oh wow that would have been amazing, and I believe the kids had a blast, I’m not to sure about the heights I think I would pass out..lol
I have been to Paris and my son-in-law showed me around however we didn’t go up the Eiffel Tower, in fact we just drove around most places. I was only there for the weekend to meet his parents so other things were more important.
This would be an amazing adventure I would love to visit Paris and see the eiffel
What a wonderful experience. I would love to visit someday.
what Joy this must have been!
What a wonderful experience to share with kids. I’ve never been to the Eiffel Tower, but I’d love to see it in real life some day. Glad you shared some tips to do this awesome adventure with kids.
Oh wow… such a cool experience. I’m glad you finally got to do it! Your photos are beautiful!
Oh wow, this is so cool! I would love to go someday! So cool that you could go as a family!
Amazing! I haven’t been to Paris since I was a teenager. It’s such a beautiful city and these are great tips.