Eiffel Tower: second floor or the summit, and the rule that catches people out
Almost nobody realises that the level you pick is locked in the moment you pay. You cannot upgrade once you are inside, and the summit sells out separately from everything else. Here is how to choose before you get to the checkout.
Visitor information checked 22 September 2026 · prices and opening times change
Prefer to watch? The video covers the verdict and the viewpoints. This page has the current numbers, which is what changes.
Worth it? Yes — go up once. If the summit is available, take it: the second lift ride up through the ironwork is part of what you came for, and the summit sells out separately from everything else.
If the summit has gone? The second floor is not a consolation prize. At 115 m you can still read the city — individual streets, the bends in the Seine, Les Invalides, Sacré-Cœur, the Arc de Triomphe. From 276 m Paris is bigger but flatter. (That is our view, not the operator's.)
And the tower itself is free to look at. The best views of it cost nothing — Trocadéro, the Champ de Mars, Avenue de Camoens. See the viewpoints below.
Five mistakes people make here
- Buying the second floor and expecting to upgrade Your destination is fixed at the moment you pay. Second-floor tickets are non-changeable and non-refundable, and there is no way to move up once you are inside.
- Leaving the summit until the day It sells out separately from everything else. When capacity is reached the ticket offices simply stop selling it and offer you the second floor instead.
- Booking "summit by stairs" and expecting to climb it There are no stairs to the summit. The stairs stop at the second floor, so that ticket is stairs, then a lift.
- Turning up with a suitcase There are no lockers, no storage and no cloakroom anywhere on or near the site, and there is a sizer at security. Whatever you bring, you carry all day.
- Reading the ticket time as an arrival time It is when you need to be beneath the tower in the queue — after the first of two security checks, which takes 15–20 minutes on its own.
What each ticket covers
Access is sold by destination, chosen at the moment of purchase. There are two you can buy: the second floor, or the summit. The first floor is included on the way up either way.
| Level | Height | What is up there |
|---|---|---|
| 1st floor | 57 m | Included with any ascent. Glass floor, exhibition space, Madame Brasserie, buffet, shop |
| 2nd floor | 115 m | The view where Paris is easiest to read. Le Jules Verne (one Michelin star), the Macaron Bar, buffet |
| Summit | 276 m | Reached by a second lift. Gustave Eiffel's reconstructed office, the Champagne Bar, the widest panorama |
Three things the ticket page does not spell out
Prices
Adult rates, checked 22 September 2026 on the official rates page.
| Destination | By lift | By stairs |
|---|---|---|
| 2nd floor | €23.50 | €14.80 |
| Summit | €36.70 | €28.00 |
Youth (12–24) pay 50% of the adult rate. Children 4–11 pay €3.80–€9.20 depending on access type. Under-4s need a free admission ticket. A disabled visitor and one companion pay the child rate. Bring ID, and a disability card where it applies. The summit-by-stairs price is stairs to the second floor, then the lift. Champagne packages run €35.80–€60.70; Madame Brasserie brunch €59.20–€121.70.
Booking
Opening times
Daily 09:30–23:00, with last ascents at 22:45. The operator notes that times change without notice, and that summit access may be restricted in severe weather or at peak times.
We do not publish a separate summer schedule: none was published on the official page on the date we checked, and the extended summer hours repeated elsewhere could not be confirmed. Check the official page on the day.
Security, bags and the one that catches people out
There are two security checks — one to get into the secured perimeter, at entry 1 (South) or entry 2 (East), and another at the pillar before you go up. Allow 15–20 minutes for the first. At the pillars, green kiosks are for the lifts and blue kiosks for the stairs.
We do not quote bag dimensions: the operator refers to a sizer at security, and its visitor-regulations PDF was not retrievable when we checked. Items judged a safety risk are refused — Swiss army knives count as weapons.
Stairs
The stairs run ground → first floor → second floor only. It is more than 600 steps to the second floor, and you get the structure up close in a way the lift does not give you. From 29 September 2026 you will need to have booked in advance.
The often-quoted 328 and 674 step counts could not be confirmed on the official site, so we state the figure the verified source supports.
Accessibility
The first floor and the lower level of the second floor are wheelchair accessible. The stairs and the summit are not accessible to visitors with reduced mobility or on crutches, which the operator states is exclusively for safety reasons. Make yourself known to reception staff as soon as you arrive. A disabled visitor and one companion pay the child rate; bring a disability card.
Eating up there
Madame Brasserie (first floor) and Le Jules Verne (second floor, one Michelin star) are booked separately from a tower visit. The Champagne Bar at the summit, the Macaron Bar on the second floor and the buffets need no booking.
Where to stand — the photographs that cost nothing
These are from the operator's own list of photo spots. Each link opens the exact place in Google Maps.
- Eiffel Tower — main entranceAv. Gustave Eiffel, 75007 Paris
- ⭐ Trocadéro esplanadeThe symmetrical head-on shot, raised above the river and framed by the Palais de Chaillot wings
- Champ de MarsThe whole tower in frame from the lawn. Free, open 24h
- Avenue de CamoensFramed by Haussmann façades. It is a residential street and there is often a queue for the spot — be quick and be quiet
- Pont de Bir-HakeimThe two-tier bridge, with Métro 6 running over the river above you
- Rue de l'UniversitéThe tower closing a narrow residential street
- Pont d'IénaThe approach shot, walking down from Trocadéro
After dark the tower sparkles for five minutes on the hour, the last one at 11pm, and the lighting goes off completely at 11:45pm. It is free to watch, and the best places to watch it from are nowhere near the ticket queue.
Getting there
- Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel — RER CThe closest station
- Bir-Hakeim — Métro 6The line crosses the river on the Pont de Bir-Hakeim, a viewpoint in its own right
- École Militaire — Métro 8Approach up the Champ de Mars lawn
- Trocadéro — Métro 6 and 9For the viewpoint, not the entrance
What to take
The no-lockers rule is the one that changes what you pack. Whatever you bring, you carry all day and it has to pass a sizer — so a small day bag, a packable rain layer and shoes you can stand in for three hours.
Nearby — walk east, river on your left
Walking times are our estimates from map distances, not official figures.
- Musée du quai Branly – Jacques Chirac~8 min · art from Africa, Asia, Oceania and the Americas, in a Jean Nouvel building with a living wall
- Trocadéro / Palais de Chaillot~12 min across the Pont d'Iéna · the viewpoint and the gardens
- Les Invalides~25 min · the golden dome, the army museum and Napoleon's tomb
- Musée Rodin~30 min, or two stops on Métro 8 from École Militaire · sculptures out in the garden
The natural route is Trocadéro → Pont d'Iéna → the tower → quai Branly → along the Seine to Les Invalides. One flat line, all of it walkable.
Book direct
- Official ticket officeThe only site that sells single tickets for the ascent
- Prices and opening timesCheck on the day — times change without notice
- Planning your visitSecurity, bags and accessibility, from the operator
- Group bookings (10+)
- Restaurants and shops
We link to official booking pages, never resellers.