MY EXPERIENCE: THE EIFFEL TOWER – PARIS, FRANCE
When visiting attractions that are great in height and provide epic aerial views of a city, it is advisable to go close to sunset hour. With a bit of research, you can discover the time of sunset as well as the amount of time to reach the top of that building. Anyhow, when I first visited the Eiffel Tower (Tour Eiffel), I did not bother to do any prior research and happened to get very lucky that I reached the top by sunset. Without even taking into account the lengthy line of tourists ahead of me nor the amount of stairs I needed to climb, but it’s all in fun.
The excitement got the best of me, I suppose and I was simply eager to get inside as quickly as possible. I can’t recall the exact wait time or the specific day of the week I visited the Eiffel Tower. I do remember though that I was visiting during winter break/Christmas holiday and I was there on a weekday mid-afternoon. There is a ticket office in which you can purchase your tickets in advance prior to lining up for the entrance. Again, I always recommend purchasing tickets online if you would like certain discounts. Simply doing a keyword search there will be various deals for not only the Eiffel Tower, but also other main attractions.
The tickets will also vary in price. If you’re like me and enjoy daily exercise anyway, then you might as well opt for the more affordable tickets which give you access to the stairs verses the elevator (lift). The stair climb is only 669 steps after all! In my opinion, as long as you are in shape to climb the stairs, it is a much more authentic experience. Let the other lazy tourists pass you by while you reminisce every staircase you climb to the top! The second option when purchasing your tickets is to choose the second floor or the very top. I personally was more than satisfied with the second floor view and thought to save the top view for my future visit. Plus, the only way to reach the top is via lift, so there will be two options for that ticket (see below).
Nonetheless, whatever view you may fancy, the adult ticket prices are as follows:
- Second floor (stairs): 10 Euros
- Second floor (lift): 16 Euros
- To the top (stairs & lift): 19 Euros
- To the top (lift): 25 Euros
As you can see the prices vary a lot compared to taking the lift verses the stairs route. Again, I prefer the scenic route of taking the stairs even if I do get slightly exhausted. I wouldn’t recommend doing this in winter time (like I did), but during more favorable weather, it would be beautiful to experience the visuals on the way to the top. Also, judging by the pricing, you can either exclude the top view if you’re on a budget, for instance, or go for the extra 3 Euros upgrade by combining the stairs route plus lift option to the top.
The second floor experience was also lovely because there is a tiny museum dedicated to the history of the Eiffel Tower. There a historic touchpoint and a magnificent view to savor either way and it is totally worth the money. If it weren’t the dead of winter in December, I would have definitely spent extra time taking photographs, but after sundown the weather gets bitter. Fortunately, I got a taste of both day and night city views since as I was climbing the stairs, the sun was setting and by the time I reached the second floor, the scene was picture perfect.
