What is the best time to go to the Eiffel Tower? Is the restuarant worth it?

There's another thread about when the best time is. The consensus is first thing in the morning (the ticket booth opens at 9:30) or late in the evening. <BR><BR>As for the restaurants, there are two, Jules Verne and Altitude 95. Jules Vernes is reportedly one of the best restaurants in Paris, and one of the most expensive. I believe you need reservations but I don't know how far in advance.<BR><BR>I had lunch at Altitude 95 and found the food to be quite good. Certainly worth it for the view. They open for lunch precisely at noon.

If you go late in the evening, be aware that there can be a chaotic crunch to get back on the elevators to go down to the street. No one observes queueing etiquette, there can be much pushing and shoving, and if there are lots of people (as there might be on a weekend or holiday), it can take an hour or more.

We just returned from 8 glorious days in Paris and my advice would be to get the earliest start to the Eiffel Tower that you can manage and that holds true for all of the museums. We arrived by 10 AM and at around 1 they seemed to be packed.

Because we had a lunch reservation at Altitude 95, we did not wait in a line; we simply took the separate elevator for the resutaurant right up. The lunch was good, the view was great, and after lunch we wandered around. I think that's the only way to visit the Eiffel Tower.

Do you need reservations at Altitude 95? When in Paris, I don't like to be committed as anything could come during the day. Thanks.

Unfortunately, I disagree with Larry concerning the food at the Altitude 95. Have an appetizer and a glass of wine (just to say you ate at the Eiffel tower is worth that). This restaurant caters to tour groups and the tourists (nudge nudge, wink wink, say no more).<BR><BR>Most of the large sites cater to the American crowd. Please do not mistake my comments for being negative, but informative.<BR><BR>What's the old saying, "A bad day of fishing is better than a good day at work". Well insert Paris for fishing and then is my feelings toward Paris.<BR><BR>Try some of the back street cafes. You will be pleasantly surprised. If you are staying at a hotel with a concierge, put him/her to work. That's what they do. I have found 98% of the time they have come up with great suggestions.

We arrived on the first level just prior to dusk, by the time we were leaving the top it was completely dark. We got to see the view in daylight and at night. Both were fabulous!

so just to show my complete lack of intelligence, is it true that I can make a reservation at the altitude 95 for say 5:30pm, avoid all the queues and go straight up to the restaurant, have scones and tea and then when finished continue up to the top without much to do with waiting in line at all?<BR><BR>how far from the top is altitude 95? how long will it take to walk to the top from there<BR><BR>thanks in advance

Okay, I'm a craven wimp but I found the third, top level really hair-raising to get to and, IMO, the view there isn't all that much more spectacular than on the second level. This is very much a minority opinion, but if you happen to be with someone who gets wifty about heights, you can stop at the second level and still feel you've seen Paris from the tower. Of course, it's a bigger deal to go to the very top, if you have no problem with heights in open spaces. <BR><BR>An advantage to being on level 2 at closing: they don't let the elevators get filled at the top, in order to leave room for people boarding on the 2nd level. There will always be fewer people there, and so there will probably be no wait to get down to the bottom from level 2.

good tips all