How To Skip the Lines At The Eiffel Tower – The Best Priority-Access Tours

You'll know what it feels like to be a VIP when your guide leads you past the long lineups at the Eiffel Tower. As you ascend in the glass-walled elevator, you look down on the tourists spending their precious time in Paris standing in line.

The Eiffel Tower is the most visited monument in the world, and experiences some of the longest lineups. Instead of waiting for hours, it's much better to sign up for a skip-the-line tour. But, be sure to book your tour before you leave home — they tend to sell out quickly. Here's how to do it —

How To Book an Eiffel Tower Skip-the-Line Tour

There are three observation levels on the Eiffel Tower. Level 1, the lowest, is essentially the restaurant and special-events level. (For instance, there is a skating rink here some winters.) Level 2, at 115 metres (nearly 400 feet) is the destination for most skip-the-line tours. Many visitors (us included) think that this is level for the best views of the city, with human-scale vistas over the rooftops of Paris.

If you want the ultimate Eiffel Tower experience, though, Level 3 at 276 metres (900 feet) affords sweeping, birds-eye views of the City of Light. It's here at the summit that you also find a champagne bar (open seasonally) where you can celebrate your climb. (If you can call riding in an elevator a climb!) Whichever level you choose, once the tour is completed you can spend as much additional time as you like on the tower.

With the Eiffel Tower being so popular, these priority-access tours tend to sell out, so it's wise to book early. Another thing to keep in mind is that the Eiffel Tower only makes tickets and passes available three months in advance. So you many have to wait until March (for instance) to book a skip-the-line tour for June.

Even Better! VIP Tour + Champagne Cruise

Out of all the activities we've done that include the Eiffel Tower, this is our favorite. Imagine yourself at sunset, on a Seine River cruise, sitting in reserved seats at the front of the bateaux, sipping champagne, watching the magical lights of Paris glide by.

Afterwards, you disembark near the foot of the Eiffel Tower for a guided, skip-the-line VIP tour to Level 2. Your guide leads you directly to the priority access gate and up the elevator. Finish the evening viewing the lights of Paris for as long as you like. Man, it was worth it!

Outstanding way to finish our time in Paris, on a beautiful evening on the deck of a lovely ship sipping champaign as we floated past all the illuminated sights on the Seine! Enjoyed our amazing guide and the tour of the Eiffel Tower as well."
– Another 5-Star Review

The Eiffel Tower – How To Get There

Boat, bus, bike or Metro — there are numerous ways to get to the Eiffel Tower. Here are a few Metro tips.

• Metro: Bir-Hakeim, Line 6. This line runs above ground so you get another view of the tower as you cross the Seine.
• Metro: Alma-Marceau, Line 9. You arrive on the Right Bank next to Princess Diana's de facto memorial flame and cross the Seine on the Pont d'Alma. It's a short but beautiful stroll along the Seine to the Tour Eiffel — especially at night when the tower is lit up.
• Metro: Trocadero, Lines 6 & 9. Arrive across the river at the Trocadero plaza where you get the best view of the Eiffel Tower. Then cross the bridge and you're there.