Loading Page...

Is it better to see the Eiffel Tower from the 2nd floor or the top?

The peak experience is halfway down. By all means, go to the top if you have the time (skip it if your schedule's tight). But I prefer to linger on the second floor: For me, the best views are from this middle level — high enough to see all of Paris, but low enough to pick out distinguishing landmarks.



People Also Ask

The 2nd Floor You will enjoy clear views of all of the French capital's monuments: the Louvre, Grand Palais, the bends in the Seine, Montmartre, Invalides, Notre Dame, etc. But the 2nd floor is also a treat for your taste buds with our Michelin-starred restaurant, the Jules Verne.

MORE DETAILS

By all means, go to the top if you have the time (skip it if your schedule's tight). But I prefer to linger on the second floor: For me, the best views are from this middle level — high enough to see all of Paris, but low enough to pick out distinguishing landmarks.

MORE DETAILS

One of the best spots to view the Eiffel Tower is from Rue de l'Université and Rue de Buenos Aires. Both are located next to the tower on opposite sides, these streets offer a stunning view of the tower, and is a great place to take photos.

MORE DETAILS

For people in good health who want a unique experience up the Eiffel Tower, the stairs are a great way to catch beautiful views of Paris while also enjoying a quick workout. Tickets for the stairs are cheaper than the tickets for the lifts, and also have minimal waiting times.

MORE DETAILS

We strongly recommend a visit to the 1st floor where there is a great visitor experience with cultural and entertaining displays to deepen and enhance your experience at the Eiffel Tower. There is also a children's play area, and a terrace where seasonal entertainment is proposed.

MORE DETAILS

Your visiting time will also depend of your choice of way to ascent from the ground to the second floor : by lift or stairs. If you choose the stairs to the second floor : you can count about 10 to 15 minutes per level. For visitors who take the lift, it is only a matter of a couple of minutes!

MORE DETAILS

The Place du Trocadero One of the best places and definitely a popular spot to view the Eiffel Tower is from Trocadero. Located just across the Seine river, the Trocadero offers a stunning panoramic view of the tower, and is especially beautiful at night when the tower is illuminated.

MORE DETAILS

The sparkles: every evening after dusk for 5 minutes at the beginning of each hour. As the lights are switched off at 11.45pm, they will sparkle for the last time at 11pm.

MORE DETAILS

Saturdays and Sundays are the busiest days of the week. When it is not peak season, school vacation or a public holiday, attendance is usually lowest on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The Eiffel Tower is open on Tuesdays, unlike museums in Paris.

MORE DETAILS

How long will it take to reach the Eiffel Tower top using the elevator? A. It will take approximately 10 to 15 minutes to reach the top of the Eiffel Tower from the ground floor, without any crowds. If it's a busy day, it may take up to 2.5 hours in total to reach the top.

MORE DETAILS

The tower's summit can only be reached via elevator, but its first two levels are accessible through a series of winding staircases inside its pillars — 327 steps to the first level and then 347 to the second (that's 674 total if you're counting). It might sound hard, but climbing the tower is easier than you'd think.

MORE DETAILS

There are two restaurants at the Eiffel Tower, for which bookings can be made separately to a visit of the Tower: the legendary Jules Verne, a Michelin-starred restaurant by Frédéric Anton on the second floor, and Madame Brasserie, a new Parisian venue headed by Chef Thierry Marx on the first floor.

MORE DETAILS

There are free toilets on all floors of the Tower (1st, 2nd and the top) as well as on the parvis. There are baby changing facilities on all floors (parvis, 1st, 2nd) apart from the top of the Tower.

MORE DETAILS

A. Yes. You can buy skip the line tickets to get to the first floor of the Eiffel Tower. You can book your tickets here.

MORE DETAILS

The Tower lights and beacon are lit up every evening from dusk until 11.45pm. As soon as it gets dark, the Eiffel Tower's golden lighting switches on automatically within less than 10 minutes, thanks to light-sensitive twilight sensors. Simply check an almanac to find out what time the monument will light up.

MORE DETAILS

The light show takes place from 8 pm to 1 am, it goes up during the first five minutes of every hour, the night closes with the lengthiest display of lights which lasts 10 minutes.

MORE DETAILS

Climbing the Eiffel Tower at night is always recommended and you will have the opportunity to rediscover the city of Paris from a completely different perspective to your daytime visit to see the main monuments and sites of the city illuminated.

MORE DETAILS

You can either take the stairs or the elevator to reach the second floor of the Eiffel Tower.

MORE DETAILS

Yes, you could probably do those all in a day, especially if you don't intend to linger for hours at the Louvre, which it's entirely possible to do. But if you have 9 days in Paris it would make more sense to group things more logically, instead of criss-crossing Paris to get from one thing to another in a single day.

MORE DETAILS