Built for the 1889 World’s Fair and originally meant to stand for just twenty years, the Eiffel Tower has instead become the single most recognizable symbol of Paris, visible from dozens of vantage points across the city and, for most visitors, the first stop on any Paris itinerary. Gustave Eiffel’s iron lattice structure was controversial in its day, dismissed by some contemporary artists as an eyesore, but it now anchors the Champ de Mars and the city’s skyline as thoroughly as Notre-Dame or the Louvre.
Related: Eiffel Tower Tickets Compared: Stairs vs Elevator vs Summit vs Guided (2026)
Top-Rated Eiffel Tower Tours & Tickets
Best Things to Do at the Eiffel Tower
Ride to the Summit
The top level, reached by a second elevator from the second floor, sits over 300 metres up and offers the tower’s highest public viewpoint, with panoramic views stretching across Paris on a clear day, including a small champagne bar at the top.
Explore the Second Floor Viewing Deck
Lower and less crowded than the summit, the second floor still delivers sweeping views over the Seine and central Paris, along with a glass-floor section on the first floor below it that gives a vertigo-inducing look straight down.
Walk Up the Stairs to the First and Second Floors
For those willing to climb, stair access to the lower two levels is typically cheaper and faster-moving than the elevator lines, and the ascent itself offers close-up views of the tower’s ironwork engineering that the elevator ride skips past.
See the Tower Lit Up at Night
Every evening after dark, the tower sparkles for several minutes at the top of each hour, a lighting display best watched from the Trocadéro esplanade across the river or from a spot along the Champ de Mars lawns.
Picnic on the Champ de Mars
The long park stretching out from the tower’s base is a favorite spot for an evening picnic with a view, and it fills with locals and visitors alike on warm evenings, especially as the light show begins after sunset.
Best Time to Visit
Early morning or late evening visits tend to have shorter lines and softer light for photos, with sunset one of the most popular but also busiest times. Spring and fall offer comfortable temperatures for the outdoor viewing decks without summer’s peak crowds.
How to Get There
The tower is served by its own metro and RER stations, along with several bus lines, making it easily reachable from anywhere in central Paris without a car. It sits close enough to other major sights, including the Seine riverbanks and Trocadéro, to combine easily with a broader day of sightseeing.
Good to Know
Lines for elevator tickets can run long, especially in summer, so booking timed entry in advance is strongly recommended over buying on arrival. Security screening is required before entering the base of the tower, so arrive with some buffer time before a booked slot.
No amount of prior familiarity with its silhouette quite prepares you for standing underneath the tower’s iron legs or looking out from its upper decks — it earns its status as Paris’s defining landmark from up close as much as from a distance.
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