Visiting the Eiffel Tower: The Practical Guide

The Eiffel Tower opens at 09:30 and closes at 23:00 in the current season, with last ascents at 22:45. Hours shift seasonally and the summit can close early in bad weather, so confirm the day's times before you set out - the calendar on the monument's site shows them day by day.

Getting to the Eiffel Tower: metro and stations

• Bir-Hakeim (Line 6) - the classic approach over the bridge. Note: the station is closed on selected Sundays through autumn 2026 for Line 6 works - check before you rely on it.
• Trocadero (Lines 6, 9) - the postcard approach: arrive on the esplanade, see the tower across the Seine, then walk down and over Pont d'Iena.
• Champ de Mars - Tour Eiffel (RER C) - closest rail stop, five minutes on foot.
• Ecole Militaire (Line 8) - the walk through the Champ de Mars gardens.

Plan to arrive 20-30 minutes before your slot: security screening sits between the street and the pillars, and the buffer covers the slowest line.

Eiffel Tower security - what you cannot bring

• Airport-style bag screening at the esplanade - everyone, every ticket type.
• No luggage storage anywhere at the monument: no lockers, no cloakroom. Suitcases and large bags are refused outright.
• No pets except guide dogs. Glass bottles and bulky items are screened out.
• Strollers must fold before elevators; the stairs are impractical with one.

Best time to visit the Eiffel Tower - and the evening trick

The quietest windows are first entry at 09:30 and the evening slots after 20:00 - the monument itself recommends evening visits for shorter lines, and after dark the hourly sparkle runs on top. Midday weekends are the worst combination of both queues and crowds.

On the hour after dusk, the tower sparkles for five minutes. Watch it from the summit or - better - from Trocadero or the Champ de Mars after you come down.

Visiting the Eiffel Tower with kids

• Under 4s enter free but need a named free ticket at booking.
• Toilets and baby-changing on the esplanade, 1st and 2nd floors - not at the summit.
• Free educational booklets for children are handed out at the pillars.
• The glass floor on level 1 is the reliable kid-pleaser; the summit wind is the reliable complaint - bring a layer even in summer.

What is on each Eiffel Tower floor

The Eiffel Tower visit, step by step

Here is the shape of the day so nothing surprises you. Arrive 20-30 minutes before your slot at the Champ de Mars side - the esplanade is a free zone, so you can walk under the tower and look up before you commit to a queue. The bag check sits at the cordon entry; once through, follow the signs under the pillars to your ticket's entrance - elevator lines on the east and west pillars, stairs on the south.

Scan the voucher, ride or climb to the 2nd floor (the 1st floor is crossed on the way and worth the stop on the way down for the glass floor), and if you hold summit access, transfer to the second elevator on the 2nd floor. Budget 90 minutes for a 2nd-floor visit, 2-3 hours with the summit - and that is before the time you will lose happily on the Champ de Mars lawns afterwards.

Weather, closures and the days that go wrong

The tower almost never fully closes, but the summit is a different story: high wind, thunderstorms and security alerts can pause the top floor with no notice, and it is always the first section restricted when anything happens. If the summit is the point, put it early in your trip so a weather day leaves room to rebook.

The other disruptions worth knowing: strike days at the monument (rare but real - the site publishes them), metro line 6 works that close Bir-Hakeim on selected dates, and the odd VIP visit that clears the decks for an hour. None of these are reasons to skip the tower; all of them are reasons to check the day before rather than at the esplanade.

Tickets, if you have not booked yet: the tickets page has every option with live availability, and the sold-out page covers what still works when the calendar says no.