GoTourist
The Eiffel Tower seen from the Trocadéro

No. 8 Top Landmarks & Attractions 2026

Eiffel Tower

Paris, France · City guide: Paris

Gustave Eiffel's iron tower, the symbol of Paris since 1889.

Open in Maps Apple Maps

Photo: NonOmnisMoriar, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Overview

The Eiffel Tower is No. 8 in Tripadvisor's Travelers' Choice Best of the Best 2026 ranking of the top attractions in the world. Gustave Eiffel's company built it for the 1889 Exposition Universelle. Engineers Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier and architect Stephen Sauvestre designed it. Intended as a temporary structure, it survived partly because it proved useful for radio transmission.

The wrought-iron tower stands 330 metres tall, including its antennas, and has three visitor levels. The first floor has a glass floor, the second floor has the best views of the city's monuments, and the summit is about 276 metres above the ground.

The Champ de Mars seen from the Eiffel Tower
The Champ de Mars seen from the Eiffel Tower. Photo: Diliff, edited by Fir0002, CC BY 2.5, source

Best time to visit

Go at opening time or in the evening for shorter queues. For photographs, the Trocadéro across the Seine and the Champ de Mars are the classic viewpoints.

Highlights

  • 1

    The summit

    A lift from the second floor rises to the top level, where a re-creation of Gustave Eiffel's office is on show.

  • 2

    Second floor

    Many visitors find this level has the best views, close enough to pick out landmarks across Paris.

  • 3

    First floor

    Its glass floor looks straight down to the ground, and there are exhibits on the tower's history.

  • 4

    The stairs

    Climbing the stairs to the second floor is a memorable, and usually quicker, alternative to the lifts.

  • 5

    The evening sparkle

    After dark, the tower sparkles with thousands of lights for a few minutes at the start of every hour.

Getting there

The nearest stations are Bir-Hakeim (Métro line 6), Trocadéro (lines 6 and 9), École Militaire (line 8) and Champ de Mars–Tour Eiffel (RER C).

Practical tips

Tickets & hours
Buy timed tickets on the official website, where you can choose lift or stairs, and the summit or second floor only. Hours vary by season.
Security
All visitors go through security screening to enter the grounds around the tower. Large bags are not allowed.
Time needed
Allow two to three hours for a visit to the summit, including queues.
Safety
Watch for pickpockets and street scams around the tower. The EU-wide emergency number is 112.
Visa & entry
France is in the Schengen Area. Many visitors, including citizens of the US, Canada, the UK and Australia, can stay up to 90 days in any 180-day period without a visa. The EU's Entry/Exit System (EES) now records non-EU travellers' entries and exits at the border, and the ETIAS travel authorisation is due to follow. Check the official EU site travel-europe.europa.eu and your own government's travel advice before you go.

Official information: La tour Eiffel (official website). Check opening hours, prices and entry rules there before you go.

Map

Open in Maps View larger map Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors