Eiffel Tower
 

As one of the major destinations on her first trip to Europe, our granddaughter chose Paris. The only "skip the line" ticket available during our 5 days there in June is at 11pm, 2nd level. Has anyone experienced a late evening/night visit to the tower? Just can't decide if we should take that or pay quite a few more euros for tickets through a tour company. It's high on her list--she's 12.

It's pretty magical at night and I prefer it to the day honestly. Assuming you don't wear her totally down during that day or early the next, it sounds perfect. Get there early and wander around the bottom, maybe even start at the Trocadero across the river.

Thank you RoamEurope! This is a rather tiny problem I know, but I appreciate your response. Am going to grab those tickets now before they disappear, too.

Making a 12 year old's dream is never a tiny thing-- have fun! If you are up for it, walking back down via the stairs gives a very different perspective too.

Sunset is about 10 p.m. at the time you're there, so you'll be able to see the "sparkles" both from the outside and while in the tower.

Thank you all for your kind replies. We will walk down; our tickets are for June 21!

I don't mean to be a downer here, but yes, I had a late night visit to the Eiffel Tower that was TRULY unpleasant.

For context, it was a Saturday evening in early June 2011. I want to give my reasons with some clarity to help you understand, but I also want to give one and all the chance to stop reading NOW.

OK ... read on at your own discretion. There were WAY too many people there who had had WAY too much to drink -- I was shoved and smashed and jostled. The crowds inside were so packed that I was literally lifted off my feet a few times (and that is a VERY disconcerting and frightening sensation, IMO). I was poked in the eye and knocked over while trying (unsuccessfully) to find the contact lens said poker dislodged, and before I could get up,several people literally stepped on me. And then, after I regained my footing -- I truly am sorry to say -- someone literally threw up on me.

Again, I'm sorry to be so negative, but I would feel remiss if I did not speak to my experience. I hope yours (and others!) are much more positive!

Start at the Trocadero so that you can see the full length of the tower sparkle before you get up close and personal.
Going to the top of the Eiffel Tower was one of my 11 yr old's favourite activities during our recent trip. You'll love it whatever the time of day.

Hi! Taking your granddaughter up the Eiffel Tower will be great. The only thing I would caution you about (but also something that's fun and exciting) is that June 21 will be la Fete de la Musique in Paris. If you don't know much about it, definitely look it up as you get closer to your trip. Basically there are concerts all around the city, big and small. I'm sure at this point they haven't announced where the main stages will be yet, but if one of them happens to be Trocadero or Champs de Mars, you might run into A LOT of people. Things sometimes get pretty rowdy in the streets after 10PM on this night. The big concerts are over and there's lots of DJs and dancing in the streets, not to mention a lot of drinking. So you'll just have to keep a super close eye on your 11 yr old as you navigate that night. On the plus side, earlier in the evening, you'll have so many wonderful live concerts to choose from--all sorts of genres too. It's really an excellent experience to be in Paris for this!

She will have fun day or night. You can always go walk around the based for free in the day too. The construction is very cool up close. You can also just try your luck going earlier without a reservation. We went at 8pm last June and the line was only about half an hour and it was still very light out.