Visiting the Eiffel Tower
The gardens and the esplanade under the Tower are free, and the second floor by elevator takes about 1 hour 30 minutes on the official figure. The official calendar showed the Tower opening at 09:30 on Oct 3, 2026. Check it for your date.
Hours seen on Oct 3
Checked Oct 3, 2026
- OpensPer the calendar
- Last ascentsPer the daily tip
What you can do without a ticket
The gardens and the esplanade beneath the Tower are free to enter. Everyone entering the site passes a security check first. Allow about 20 minutes for it. The ticket page gives the official figures.
There are two main entries: entry 1 on the south side and entry 2 on the east side. Each has separate queues for visitors with tickets and visitors without. Going up a floor takes a ticket.
Entrances and pillars
Checked Oct 3, 2026
- Main entry, south sideEntry 1
- Main entry, east sideEntry 2
- Elevator access, follow the signsWest, East, North
- Stairs, most likely fromSouth pillar
- Information deskWest pillar
How long a visit takes
A visit takes about 1 hour 30 minutes for the second floor by elevator and 2 to 2.5 hours for the top by stairs then elevator, on the official figures. Allow time for the security check before your ticket time as well. The table gives each way of visiting.
Esplanade and gardens
- Floors reached
- Ground level
- Official time guidance
- No official figure
- Good to know
- Free; the security check comes first
Second floor by elevator
- Floors reached
- Second and first floors
- Official time guidance
- About 1 hour 30 minutes, both floors
- Good to know
- Stairs back down: up to 10 minutes
Second floor by stairs
- Floors reached
- Second and first floors
- Official time guidance
- 15 to 20 minutes of climbing per floor
- Good to know
- 674 steps
Top by elevators
- Floors reached
- Top, second and first floors
- Official time guidance
- At least 90 minutes, per the evening guide
- Good to know
- Second ticket check before the top; waits possible
Top by stairs, then elevator
- Floors reached
- Top, second and first floors
- Official time guidance
- 2 to 2.5 hours
- Good to know
- Stairs to the second floor, then elevator
How a visit runs
A visit starts on the highest floor of your ticket and works down. Elevator access is at the West, East and North pillars, and signs on site show which one is open that day. Stair climbers will most likely use the South pillar. Green kiosks mark elevator access and blue kiosks mark stair access. A second security check takes place at the pillar, before the elevator or the stairs.
Because a visit works down from the highest floor, the first floor comes last. It has a transparent glass floor, a museographic path, shops, food and drink outlets and a seasonal terrace.
Best times to go
The official attendance guide rates each month from low to maximum, and says there tend to be fewer visitors from 8 p.m. School holidays can lengthen the lines. The table lists the months.
| Level | Months |
|---|---|
| Maximum | July and August |
| High | June |
| Medium | March, April, May, September and December |
| Low | January, February, October and November |
In the evening there tend to be fewer visitors from 8 p.m., and the last hour before closing is quieter, according to the official evening guide, checked Oct 3, 2026.
After dark the Tower sparkles for five minutes at the start of each hour, until midnight or 1 a.m. depending on the season. The official guide names the second floor as the best place to see the lights and the sparkles, checked Oct 3, 2026.
What can change your visit
Summit restrictions, the annual top closure, school holidays, changed hours and metro line 6 closures can change a visit. The notices beside this text and the table below carry the dates.
Summit access
- Effect
- May be restricted
- When
- Severe weather or peak periods
- Where to check
- Official calendar
Top maintenance
- Effect
- Top closed to the public
- When
- Each year; it ran Jan 5 to Feb 6 in 2026, and the official news page has the next dates
- Where to check
- Official news page
Busy periods
- Effect
- Longer lines
- When
- School holidays
- Where to check
- Official attendance guide
Opening hours
- Effect
- Can change without notice
- When
- Any date
- Where to check
- Official calendar
Dated notices
Checked Oct 3, 2026
- Groups over nine, guide included: online onlyIn effect
- School holidays, longer lines possibleTo Nov 2
- Bir-Hakeim metro: Oct 11, 18, Nov 8, 22Not served
Accessibility at the Tower
- The top level and the stairs are not accessible to visitors with reduced mobility, in wheelchairs or with crutches. The official site gives security in an evacuation as the reason.
- The official site suggests the elevator ticket to the second floor for those visitors. The lower platform of the second floor and the first floor are accessible.
- A visitor with a disability and one companion pay the disabled rate, with a document in the visitor's name. Priority access to the ticket desks and the pillars is provided.
- On arrival, visitors with reduced mobility report to the team at the Visitors with Tickets desk at the West pillar when it is open, or at the entrance of another open pillar.
- A visitor with a disability and normal mobility can reach the top level, and may wait for the elevator between the second floor and the top.
Read the Tower's own wording
The official page for visitors with disabilities carries the full statement. The ticket page shows which tickets suit reduced mobility.
Buying from the right place
Buy from the Tower's own ticket office. The ticket page names its official addresses.
The Tower says only its official site sells a ticket for the ascent on its own, and that it runs no skip-the-line system. The ticket page covers which ticket to buy, when it goes on sale and what a package changes.
Around the Tower
Address5 avenue Anatole France
The Tower stands on the Champ de Mars. Bir-Hakeim station on metro line 6 is under 10 minutes on foot from entry 1. Trocadéro on line 9 and École Militaire on line 8 are about 15 minutes away.
On the Sundays Oct 11, 18, Nov 8, 22, Bir-Hakeim is not served. The official alternatives are Trocadéro, École Militaire, a replacement bus and bus routes 30, 42 and 82, per the official news page, checked Oct 3, 2026.
Visiting the Eiffel Tower: questions
What is the best way to visit the Eiffel Tower?
It depends on what you want. If you only want to see the Tower, the gardens and the esplanade are free. To go up, the official site recommends buying tickets in advance on its online ticket office to avoid waiting in line, and says time-stamped e-tickets save time on site.
Can I just show up at the Eiffel Tower?
You can walk into the gardens and the esplanade after a security check. Going up takes a ticket. The ticket page covers same-day tickets and what to do when a date is sold out.
How much time do you need to see the Eiffel Tower?
The official guidance runs from about 1 hour 30 minutes for the second floor by elevator to 2 to 2.5 hours for the top by stairs then elevator. Add about 20 minutes for the security check at the entry.
Is it worth going to the top of the Eiffel Tower?
That depends on what you want to see. The top is the highest level, at 276 m, with a champagne bar and a reconstruction of Gustave Eiffel's office. The second floor is the level the official site names for watching the evening sparkles. The ticket page compares what each ticket costs and gives up.
Is it free to visit the Eiffel Tower?
The gardens and the esplanade are free. The floors need a ticket.
What time does the Eiffel Tower sparkle?
For five minutes at the start of each hour after dark, until midnight or 1 a.m. depending on the season. Source: the official sparkle guide, checked Oct 3, 2026.
What time does the Eiffel Tower open?
Hours change by date, so check the official calendar for yours. The hours board at the top of this page shows the opening time and last ascents we saw on the day we checked.