Tips on How to Visit La Tour Eiffel with Your Kids (Eiffel Tower)

Catching a glimpse of La tour Eiffel was always a source of joy and excitement for me during our family trip to Paris. I loved the way that the iconic tower could be seen from so many points in the city. It was a bit like an Easter egg 🙂 Funny because we happened to be in Paris for Easter!

There are a number of ways to experience the Eiffel Tower, and I hope you take the opportunity to revel in each one with your family (or even without!). From feasting on a picnic lunch on the gardens, to marveling at the sweeping views from the top of the landmark, to catching a glimpse of the glittering tower at night, there is really no wrong way to appreciate the tower. See below for our personal tips and tricks for visiting with your kids!

We acknowledge France’s history as a colonizer of many lands. The oldest known inhabitants of Paris were of the Gallic tribe Parisii.

Trip Purpose

See the Eiffel Tower from as may angles as possible, and capture a family photo with the tower in the background!

AGES OF THE KIDS: 20 months & 7 years

SUGGESTED LENGTH OF VISIT: 3+ hours

TIME OF YEAR: We visited on a Monday afternoon in mid-April.

BASE COST

The Esplanade/Base area of the tower is the furthest you can go without tickets. Admission for ascending the tower ranges in price, depending on what level of the tower you’d like to go, and whether you plan to use the stairs or the lifts/elevators.
- €11-27 for adults
- €6-14 for disabled people and young adults (ages 12-24)
- €3-7 for children (ages 4-11)
- Free for children under 4
Metro/public transportation

Add-Ons: Food/drinks & souvenirs

Before You Go

All optional, if you'd rather play it by ear:

Purchase your lift tickets for the tower (up to two months in advance, and no less than three hours prior to your desired visit time)
Visit the Eiffel Tower website to prepare for your visit

What We Packed

Standard diaper bag essentials
Ergobaby or soft baby carrier
Umbrella stroller
Packed meal and snacks

History of the Eiffel Tower

Construction of the Eiffel Tower was completed in 1889 for the Exposition Universelle, which commemorated the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. The tower is named after Gustave Eiffel, whose company designed and built the tower. In the century that has since followed, the tower has become a Parisian and French cultural icon, boasting 7 million visitors a year. According to the Eiffel Tower’s official website, it is the most-visited pay-to-enter monument in the world.

How to Visit the Eiffel Tower

Getting There

You can get to the Eiffel Tower by multiple means, even by boat along the Seine (maybe on our next trip…)!

We preferred to walk or take the Metro, either to Trocadero, Bir-Hakeim, or Ecole militaire stations.

Visiting the Base/Esplanade of the Eiffel Tower

You can visit the base of the tower without purchasing a ticket. To get there (and ultimately to the lift entrances), you have to go through at least two security gates. Entrance 2, or the East Entrance, is often the less-crowded entrance.

Under the base of the tower you’ll get a sense of just how large and tall the structure is. Before we joined the queue to ascend the tower, our 20-month-old had a great time running through the grounds and gaping at the height of the tower. There are also some gardens and greenery (including the 200-year-old sycamore tree), as well as food kiosks.

Ascending the Eiffel Tower

The top of the Tour d’Eiffel boasts some of the best and most expansive views of the city, and is definitely worth at least one visit. Ideally you will have purchased your admission/lift tickets ahead of time, or no less than three hours before your visit time. You can ascend and visit the tower itself between 9 a.m. and 11:45 p.m.

We found that it was a bit of an art to find the right timing, especially since we hadn’t bought our tickets ahead of time. The crowd ebbs and flows during the day, and unfortunately when we got to the head of the line to ascend (following a 30-minute wait in the queue), we were told we would not be allowed entry to the top level of the tower because it was at-capacity. By the time we returned to the bottom of the tower, we saw that people were again being admitted to the top level!

My advice would be to hold your place at the front of the line while letting folks behind you pass until capacity opens up again. We went during the afternoon, but I’d love to try to ascend 1-2 hours before sunset to catch golden hour and get a taste of both daylight and evening views.

*Note: if you worry about being in close proximity to crowds, you might feel safe knowing that most of the attractions and views from the Eiffel Tower are open air. However, the lifts are enclosed and hold multiple parties at a time, so you may want to opt for the open-air stairs, at least up to the second floor.

First Floor

The wide, airy, open-air first floor features transparent walls and floors that give you a glimpse of the crowds and gardens below.

We stopped at one of the first-floor cafeterias to enjoy a drink before our final descent back to the base of the tower.

Second Floor

There is another lift or staircase that will take you to the second floor, which stands at a height of 377 feet. Short of getting to the top floor, this is where to take in expansive views of the city from a gated 360-degree balcony with two levels. Tower viewers stationed throughout the perimeter can, for the cost of a Euro or two per view, provide a closer look at the surrounding scenes.

Third (Top) Floor

We sadly didn’t make it to the top of the Eiffel Tower during our visit, but did someone say champagne bar?! I’m there.

The top floor features both an indoor and outdoor area, as well as a historical display that replicates Gustave Eiffel’s office, complete with wax models!

Descending the Eiffel Tower

You can opt for the lifts or the stairs, depending on the crowds and how you feel.

Our kid enjoyed crawling up the metal staircase even as we made our descent, though you should keep an eye on them in the stairwell. Crowds of people move in both directions.

Descending the staircase was a great option to keep out of the stuffy lifts and to experience the tower in a different way!

Have a daytime picnic at the
Jardin de la Tour Eiffel

I highly recommend packing a picnic lunch or pre-dinner snack to enjoy on the lawns at the foot of the Eiffel Tower. It feels very Parisienne. We brought and devoured popsicles from a nearby Franprix supermarket. I liked to sit at the far ends of the Jardin de la Tour Eiffel to people-watch while admiring the view, all without having to crane our necks (or camera!)!

Enjoy the Evening Light Shows

As if it were even possible for the tower to be even more magical, the evening light shows do just that. The lights on the Tour shine intermittently, making it a glowing, glittery, magical beacon in the sky that can be enjoyed from many points throughout the city!

How to Get the Best Photos of the Eiffel Tower

The top of the tower isn’t necessarily the best place to get photos of the tower itself–you’ll need to be further removed to get it in perspective of most camera lenses. Here are some great options for catching the Eiffel Tower in your family portraits!

Palais de Chaillot/Trocadero

Cross the Seine from the Eiffel Tower (or take the Metro directly to Trocadero station) and you’ll arrive at the Palais de Chaillot and the Place du Trocadero. This is an awesome spot to catch the Eiffel Tower in the background of your portraits, and provides a paved and expansive open space. The only thing is it can get crowded, so do your best to visit during an off-peak hour. Take time to explore this area, as you can get some great shots of the tower from the Esplanade and the staircase, among other spots!

Trocadero is also where our child decided to lay on the floor, so my partner decided it was a great opportunity to put her in a breakdancing pose.

Quai Branly

I couldn’t resist this shot while we were walking from the Eiffel Tower to the Pont de Bir-Hakeim. Just goes to show that you should explore your subject from the streets that surround it to find your favorite angle.

Passerelle Debilly

This footbridge along the River Seine is not far from the Eiffel Tower and has a magnificent view of both the tower and the river. Passerby have also left love locks along the bridge walls, which add to its charm.

Wishlist for our Next Visit

See the Eiffel Tower by boat
Make it to the top floor (and to that champagne bar!)
See how many photos we can get of the Eiffel Tower without actually being in the vicinity of the Eiffel Tower

It’s hard to imagine a visit to Paris without the Eiffel Tower, but you don’t need to ascend it in order to enjoy it fully!

Thanks to my familia (Lenny, Andro, Shelby, and Leila) for sharing their photos!

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Angelica

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Angelica (she/her) is of Cebuano(Pilipinx)-descent and was born and raised in Huchiun Ohlone territory (the East Bay Area--pay your Shuumi Land Tax!), where she also now resides with her partner and their toddler. She loves to spend her time sipping on boba and dirty chai lattes (sometimes together), and eating pescetarian goodies at BIPOC-owned cafes and restaurants.