My wife Heidi wanted to climb the Eiffel Tower for her birthday, so of course the answer was, “Yes, dear,” but I have to say that entire experience was somewhat overrated…

Climbing To The Top Of The Eiffel Tower: A Review

We walked over from our hotel near the Louvre to the Eiffel Tower not really knowing what to expect. It was a beautiful afternoon and we figured we’d check it out and see if we could climb it.

We noticed the huge lines immediately upon arrival. Earlier, we had tried to buy tickets to the top, but they were sold out online:

Upon entering the grounds, there was an airport-style security check with metal detector.

Once inside, we found a long line to purchase tickets at the base of the tower. The line moved slowly, but at least it moved…we entered the line at 7:30 pm and by 8:30 pm were holding tickets. Annoyingly, there was a couple in front of us in line making out French style for most of the hour. I’m really not into PDAs and wish people like that would just get a room and leave everyone else out of it…

It was finally our turn. Tickets are not cheap…the kids were only €8.90 each, but adults were €35.30. The four of us were €88.40.

Next came another security check, even more intensive than the first one.

We got into a crowded elevator and headed up to the second level, where we found very nice views of the city.

We then got into another elevator and went up to the top. There, it was quite windy and we were inside a cage (sadly, I guess, to prevent people from jumping).

You could buy Champagne on the top…€24 for a regular glass and €27 for a rosé or €70 for two glasses with caviar.

We took the elevator back to the second floor, took in the views for a few more minutes, then took the stairs down (a journey of roughly 10 minutes). I had to carry my daughter…

CONCLUSION

I was not happy about the long waiting time (and that was on us for doing this spur-of-the-moment instead of planning in advance) and found the whole experience underwhelming.

However, it was a fun family activity and something I am glad I did at least once. I don’t think I’ll ever do it again…and my wife and kids agree…but the views were gorgeous and it’s probably something you want to try at least once. Just reserve your tickets in advance and note that it is a tourist trap, if there ever was one…