You’ve seen it in movies, on TV, on post cards and read about it but you can’t fully understand how overwhelmingly large the Eiffel Tower is until you are walking towards it and finally stopping underneath it. It seems so small from photos that I was literally dropping my jaw as we inched closer. For me, the Eiffel Tower has always been a symbol of dreams – something I could only ever dream of seeing in person. To see it every night from our rental apartment from Paris Perfect was a dream come true.
Now that I’ve been and we’ve gone to the second level (unfortunately the very top was closed for maintanence), I can share what I’ve learned from others and from my own visits.
Be prepared to take a lot of photos. I’m not kidding, but I just couldn’t stop taking pictures of the Eiffel Tower!
We encountered our very first “street vendor” almost immediately. The guy was holding out pieces of string, and I had read about this before so I knew to just keep moving and under no circumstances let him get those “bracelets” on to either one of us. We learned pretty quickly that the “street vendors” you see with cheap souveniors, glowing and flashing whatevers are best to just be avoided. Don’t make eye contact and keep moving.
I wore a small cross-body purse that much of the time was left UNDER my coat and I felt safer knowing it wasn’t visible to others. You can also wear a chest strap wallet to keep your money safe from pick pocketers, which conceals it under your clothes. Always be aware of your surroundings and it’s sad to say, you even have to watch the little kids. Little kids are often used as a distraction while a pick pocketer does their thing, so if a small child comes up to you, heads up!
To go up the elevators of the Eiffel Tower, you’ll wait in line to buy your tickets, then wait in another line for security and the elevator. You can also take the stairs which will have a shorter line, but that’s a lot of stairs! We took the elevator up and the stairs down. You can spend as much time as you want up the tower, and you’ll definitely want to! The views are amazing, there are gift shops and a few different places to eat. We did a little shopping, watched the ice skating (yes, during the winter there is an ice skating rink on the first level!) and then enjoyed champagne and croque monseiurs looking out over the city.
We went at night and it must have been just the right time because the line wasn’t too long and we were through the lines and security and elevator in less than 30 minutes. If you want to go during the day, get there early, maybe 30-45 minutes before they even start selling tickets. You can purchase “skip the line” passes and private tours, but I didn’t find it necessary. I would have waited in line for an hour to see this dream come true!
While you are up on the Eiffel Tower, be sure to watch where you step! You’ll want to specifically look for these (pardon the dirty boots, but we did miles upon miles of walking!):
And you can even step out onto a glass panel and look straight down:
This was a little too intense for me. My legs were shaking and I just wasn’t feeling it. I DID do it though, after a lot of internal yelling at myself that I would regret not doing it. So, my advice? Just do it. Hold someone’s hand and just go for it.
For a really great view of the Eiffel Tower and it’s nightly, on the hour twinkling lights, go across the Siene River to the steps of the Trocadéro and don’t forget your camera. We chose this spot to FaceTime with the kids back home and show them the tower at night and it’s twinkling lights and they loved it! “Street vendors” are here as well, so just ignore them and they go away. There was even a musician playing live music. I’d avoid the food vendors that are set up though. We wanted to get something to drink and it was outrageous – something like €5,50 (or almost $6 USD!) for a Coke! What?! Bring a reusable water bottle and your own snacks or picnic items if you want something to eat while you enjoy the view!
This was our view from our living room window. Simply breathtaking. See? I couldn’t stop taking pictures of the Eiffel Tower and I bet you’ll have the same problem!