Eiffel Tower Summit Visit

The best view of Paris from the Eiffel Tower is not from the top. From the second floor you still see everything, but low enough to pick out the Seine bridges, the dome of the Invalides and the boulevards running away from the Trocadéro. From the summit, at 276 metres, the city flattens into a map. It is an extraordinary map, and on a clear day you see well beyond the ring road, but it is less Paris and more geography.

So why go? Because it is the top of the Eiffel Tower. For many people that is the point, and we understand. Just go knowing what you are paying for: height, the thrill of the glass lift through the iron lattice, and the chance to say you did it.

How the ascent works

The tower has three levels open to visitors. To reach the second floor you choose the lift or the stairs (around 670 steps). The summit is only reached by a second, separate lift from the second floor. There are no public stairs above that point. At the top you find an enclosed lower deck and an open upper deck behind high mesh, a champagne bar, and a small recreation of Gustave Eiffel's office with wax figures.

Lift or stairs?

Lift all the way is the standard summit ticket, sold online. It suits most visitors, anyone with children, and anyone short of time.

Stairs to the second floor, then the summit lift is a combined ticket sold at the tower's ticket offices and, in some periods, online a couple of weeks ahead, subject to space at the top. It is cheaper, the climb shows you the ironwork up close, and it is a useful backup when online summit tickets are gone. You need to be reasonably fit, and you still queue for the top lift.

When the top closes

The summit is more fragile than the rest of the tower. It closes in strong wind, ice or storms while the lower floors stay open, and it shuts for planned maintenance for a few weeks each winter (in 2026 it was closed from early January to early February). It has also closed during heatwaves. If it closes on the day, you will usually still be able to go to the second floor, but check the refund terms of your ticket before you buy.

Who it suits, and who it doesn't

It suits first-time visitors who have always wanted to stand at the top, and clear-sky days in spring and autumn. It does not suit anyone uneasy with heights and small crowded spaces, since the summit deck is narrow and the lifts are packed. On a hazy day the top is a waste; see our best time to visit guide for the clearer months.

Book on the official Eiffel Tower website, which releases lift tickets about two months ahead and stair tickets a little later. Summit slots around sunset and at weekends go first. Tickets are for a fixed time, and you should be at the tower well before it for the airport-style security screening; our Eiffel Tower guide explains the entrances and the check.

Resellers sell guided tours with summit access. They help if official slots have sold out, and a guide can explain the engineering. Before booking, check:

• that the ticket really includes the summit, not "summit if available"
• what happens if the summit closes for wind on your day
• whether the route uses the stairs, which not everyone in your group may manage
• the meeting point, since the pillars are far apart

Children pay reduced rates, and staff may ask for proof of age for youth fares. Large bags and suitcases are not allowed on site.

• Go up in the late afternoon on a clear day, and come down after dark to see the city lights from the second floor.
• Bring a layer. It is noticeably windier and colder at the top, even in summer. Our what to wear guide covers the season.
• Allow for two queues. Even with a timed ticket there is a wait for the summit lift at the second floor.
• Use the lower summit deck first. It is enclosed, with panoramic maps around the windows, and helps you read the view before you go up to the windy open deck.
• Watch your phone. Pickpockets work the queues at the foot of the tower and the crush in the lifts.
• Skip the champagne unless it is a celebration. It is a small glass at a high price, drunk standing in a crowd.