Eiffel Tower Sold Out
 

We are going to be in Paris the first week of June and I just went online to purchase 4 tickets to go to the top of the Eiffel tower and it is fully sold out on our dates. I know we can buy tickets that day, on site, but I understand it is a terribly long wait, is that correct? Does anyone have any suggestions? If you're going to tell me it's not worth it, please don't. This is something we would really like to do on our trip. Thank you!

We were in a similar situation a while back. So, we went to Eiffel Tower very, very early in the morning to stand in the line to obtain tickets. We were lucky that early in the morning there were only 6 people ahead of us and we were able to get tickets and enjoy the experience visiting.
So, keep checking the online site, maybe you may find tickets as someone may cancel. Otherwise follow our experience.
We also enjoyed a meal at the restaurant inside and that was an amazing experience too.
Have fun planning and also have a safe trip.

Thank you! May I ask you, when you went did you immediately go up? Or are you able to purchase tickets for a different time of day? We'd like to go later on in the day, but can I buy tickets for that in the morning?

OK, you said not to tell you it isn't worth it, but honestly going to the top of the Eiffel Tower was one of the few true disappointments of my many travels. I had advance tickets, and so spent minimal time in line, but once admitted, I was crushed and stepped upon by shoving crowds and inadvertently hit in the eye by someone's elbow, causing me to lose a contact lens. Once I got to the top, people kept shoving me around to make room for their selfies -- and not one, but two different people threw up on me. I, personally, wouldn't give up time anywhere else in Paris just to stand in line for a ticket to the top of the Eiffel Tower. And honestly, I thought the views from Montmartre and from the top of the Arc de Triomphe far better! YMMV.

From what I remember, when we went the tickets were timed so too many people are not in the E. Tower at the same time and to control the crowd. Thus after getting the tickets we had to go at the time that was stamped on it.
I think we had to wait another hour or so to go up.
Not sure what the latest system is, so you can either search online or go early and take a chance.
KJA is right to suggest other places where you can enjoy similar sights of the city. Yet, I think one must go at least once to enjoy the historic sight and have a memorable experience.
Good Luck

Tickets were sold out for our dates the summer of 2016. My son and I got there by about 8 am and waited behind about 20 people. The wait was not particularly long and we went up before the people with reservations were really getting going. So it wasn't crowded. I quite enjoyed it. Crowds were picking up as we left.

Just don't forget that people who buy their tickets in advance are often obliged to go up the tower when the city is smoggy or rainy. The time spent in line is worth the effort if you wait for a crisp and clear day.

>>From what I remember, when we went the tickets were timed so too many people are not in the E. Tower at the same time and to control the crowd.<<

The tickets are timed for what time you can ascend . . . but not for what time you must come down. So there are always more people up on the tower than there are tickets for a certain time slot.

I'd definitely consider going to the top of the Montparnasse Tower instead - better views, no waiting, and you are looking towards the ET, not from it

yeah. I guess I just don’t understand what the need is to tell someone about your terrible experience when asked specifically not to do so. I’m aware that many people think the top is overrated I’m sorry it wasn’t good for you. We hope to enjoy it.

thats a great point and a great encouragement. Thank you!

Ditto about people universalising their only experience of a destination it as if it were the norm or they personally are a baseline for travel. Tend to think you are going to be disappointed with a view if you lose a contact lens! I will pass along a tip that it was quite chilly and windy on the top during the evening visit I made (which was a crisp clear day the first week of September). You might tote along some kind of windbreaker. Wishing you all the best with snagging a ticket.

Something additional should be mentioned about the Tour Montparnasse. I personally don't think of it as an accceptable "replacement" for going up the Eiffel Tower, but it is a very good thing to do on a second or third trip to Paris once you have already been to the Eiffel Tower. In fact, I have gone to the Tour Montparnasse more often in the past 20 years or so than the Eiffel Tower (of course those visits can still be counted on the fingers of one hand).

But some of you, I'm sure, have been thinking "I should visit the Tour Montparnasse some day" but you keep putting it off for whatever reason. Well, here is a reason to hurry up: The Tour Montparnasse is going to close in 2019 for at least 5 years. They are going to empty it out, replace all of the facades, scoop out some of the floors to create sky gardens and also put a big garden on the roof. The new facade is designed to be as invisible as possible (transparent sky reflections), so that big black thing on the horizon will disappear forever. It will be ready in time for the Olympic games in 2024.

Don'ty forget that there is also another option with a fantastic view -- the panoramic roof terrace of the Grande Arche de la Défense finally reopened last year after being closed for about 10 years. The view up there is quite amazing even if it is "only" 35 floors high (compared to 59 for the Tour Montparnasse and the equivalent of about 75 for the top of the Eiffel Tower).

The view from the Arch d'Triomphe was excellent as well and you get to see the Eiffel Tower not too far off. If it doesn't work out for you to go up in the tower itself, perhaps try that view?

kerouac, thank you for posting that. It's been on my list for years. It will be a must do this month. And maybe la Defense.

wow, that's interesting about Tour Montparnasse. I usually stay in that neighborhood, but luckily not right near it, sounds like of messy.

Does that mean they are closing down that mall or not? If I recall, the mall area isn't really at the bottom of the tower, but next to it (GL, C&A, all those stores).

We went last July and did not purchase advance tickets, but we did the steps rather than the elevator to the first two levels. The wait was probably around 30-45 minutes but honestly it went fast. I ate an ice cream cone and had to throw some of it away because we got into the security gates quicker than expected. Once we got inside the security gates, there was another line (included in the total 30-45 minutes). But, you are so busy looking around and being excited that it isn't unbearable. I'd recommend doing the steps over the elevator if you are able bodied. It allows you to take in more of the sites and your own pace, and the line is far shorter than the elevator line. We went about an hour or two before sunset, and were at the second level once the lights started flickering for the first time that night. The very top is an extremely crowded and less pleasant experience. Lots of pushing and shoving. But I would still recommend doing it to have the experience - certain things just have to be experienced for oneself (like the strong winds blowing at the top)! Just know, you will likely enjoy the lower levels far more!

We didn't find our visit to the top of the Eiffel Tower in the least disappointing. It wasn't that crowded, it was a beautiful crisp evening, we had a memorable time.

That said, what I enjoyed just as much, maybe even more, was the (tethered) hot air balloon ride over in the Parc Andre Citroen. Much shorter lines (actually, the last two times I took it, there were no lines at all and the basket was less than half full). It's a fun ride but it's very weather dependent -- if the skies aren't calm, it doesn't go up.
https://en.parisinfo.com/guided-tour...allon-Generali

I don't think that it is 100% confirmed yet, but the plan is to demolish the extremely ugly 1970's shopping mall and extend rue de Rennes to the train station, and of course reconfigure all of the tired esplanade areas and bus terminal that are there. Probably Galeries Lafayette got wind of the project long ago and it may have helped them decide to bite the bullet for opening their new location on the Champs Elysées if they are going to lose the Montparnasse address.

Here is a partial view of exactly what they are going to do to the tower.

https://cimg4.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.fod...e616097fc8.jpg

Well it's so much farther away that the view is totally different. But we enjoyed climbing to the top of Sacre Couer as well. Just a nice afternoon. We had the odd luck of being there when a Bollywood Dance Scene was filming down below, so it really was a day to remember.

Hopefully you get to go up the tower but if you font, we had a wonderful evening at a courtyard of a museum or city hall at the foot of the tower, watching the lasers and light show. Stunning and a great atmosphere. In a way, the towers better to look AT than look FROM but fingers crossed you can go up