We will be in Paris in June. My teens want to go up the Eiffel Tower. I'm reluctant to prebuy tickets online in case we have crappy weather though I know the line for tickets can be a couple hours long. I also would like to walk up the stairs to the second level and you can't purchase those tickets online.

On their site, I see the elevator to the top will cost us 63 euros (family of 4)
Elevator to the second floor will cost us 39 euros
Stairs to the second floor will cost us 24 euros

My understanding is the stairs ticket line is much shorter than the elevator ticket line.
When you get to the second level, I believe you can purchase tickets there for the elevator to the top if you decide you want to go up. Is that so? Is that ticket line typically long? How much would that ticket be? I can't find that information anywhere.

Is there an elevator that goes straight to the top from the ground? Or do all elevators stop at the 2nd level and then everyone gets out and waits for another elevator to take them to the top?

Thank you!

Everyone has to get out on the second floor and change elevators to get to the top, there is no elevator that goes from ground to top.

Yes, you can buy a ticket to the top from second level, the price is the same as the difference as if you'd bought that ticket in the first place minus the cost of the ticket to the second level. I think that is 6 euro for adults.

I don't know typical times for all those waits, I'm sure it depends on season and time of day and day of the week. I think the wait at the ticket office on second floor can be 15 minutes or so and then maybe 45 for the elevator there.

I can't really answer your questions, but if I may, I will offer two comments. Many people say the second level is the best city viewing level. Once you get to the top, you are up so high that you don't see as much detail. I have done both and prefer the second level (but I know teens will want to go to the top!) Also, if you don't happen to walk up and take an elevator instead, I recommend at least walking down. You see the intricacies of the engineering if you are right inside one of the pods. In fact that was my favorite part of my experience there last time.

Thank you for this thread lolfn. I will be seeing the Eiffel Tower for the first time in September and you asked questions I would not have thought of asking. I've been looking at the sites too about prebuying tickets.

I appreciate the answers too.

I let my 13 yr old go up to the top on his own , i waited on second level, i have been up top before and i too consider it less than ideal, but i guess most folks want to have done it once.
I have also taken the stairs twice, its not so bad, and lines are shorter wait time.

Why not just let teens go to top, its a super small area with only the one elevator servicing it, they cant " get lost" .

The reason for two sets of elevators is because the first ones go up at an angle, while the one to the top is vertical.

Thanks everyone. I was thinking I might send them up alone. We've looked at Google images and I also think the view from the 2nd level is better than the top. If the line for the elevators to the top is long, that might be enough of a deterrent for them.

If your kids are anything like mine they will feel like they missed out if they don't get up to the top.

One idea to consider is visiting the tower at night. It is beautifully lit and the lights "shimmer" for about 5 minutes every hour on the hour which is fun. You likely won't be visiting many sites in the evening. A visit then would free up your day time hours.

We talked about it tonight and there is no way they are not going to the top. I will ruin their lives (the drama of a teen!) if I prevent them from doing it just because of a pesky wait.

Not surprised We also went to the top, several times with different people on different trips. Even my mother wanted to go to the top when we took her, so it isn't just kids if that makes you feel any better.

If you do take the stairs down, be really careful if it is wet at all. My dad walked up and down, and it was wet due to earlier rain, and he slipped on the last two stairs. It was not pretty and he ended up with a torn rotator cuff and so surgery when he got home. This was on their first day too. He normally doesn't fall or anything, so that was an odd one for him.

I have walked up twice, but only once down. Down is harder on your knees. You can take the elevator down for free, so suggest that even if you climb up, take ride down.

Ps i am a bit afraid of heights, and found taking stairs down much scarier than climb up.

I sugget you let teens go up on their own, its perfectly safe( there is only the one way up and down) ..i let my13 yr old go on his own, gave him a good boost of confidence to be considered mature enough to be on his own( plus after more than 3 weeks of our vacation, being together almost 24/7 it was nice for both of us to have 30 minutes to ourselves). I also let him run down tue street from hotel for his MCdonalds fixes..paris is a very safe city.

I walked down the stairs the last time, just because it is fun to see the various stages of agony on the faces of the people walking up.

if you really want to splurge you can dine at the Jules Verne and get a free ride on a private elevator to the second floor without any wait. Has gotten more pricey though since Ducasse took over.

Awww go up with your kids. Mine were so excited to be up there and kept pointing out things to me. Be part of the excitement that they'll always remember.

Kerouac, as usual, puts his finger on a basic point of interest. Part of Eiffel's engineering brilliance, at the time, was how to lift the visitors up the curved legs of his tower. Solution: The first elevator is pushed up, rather than pulled.