Despite its obvious tourist appeal the tour Eiffel is still so much more. It remains and retains the exquisite appeal of some time past where all things seemed possible. Sadly I’ve never been to the top, it’s not the expense (although that is considerable) but the fear that if I actually did journey all of the way up to view the environs of Paris from this vantage it might somehow diminish the tower’s other worldliness.

Loads of others have written a lot already.

The best time to go is just before sunset, so you get some daylight and you can stay up to see the lights at night.

If you want no crowds, go early!!

Visiting Paris, we just had to visit the Eiffel Tower. I agree with other people - make it a weekday - even then it is really busy, but not as mad as the weekend and expect to queue.

I’m personally not afraid of heights or lifts or anything like, but I have to say that I did feel kind of nervous in the lift to the top. Perhaps it’s the way it goes up, perhaps it was me thinking about just how old it was, I don’t know. Whatever it was, it was gone when we reached the top and saw the view. The weather wasn’t good on the day we visited and it poured all day, so my photo isn’t that good.

Didn’t eat at the Tower so unfortunately can’t comment on the food there, but there are plenty of restaurants all around which offer some excellent food.

Being at the Eiffel Tower is surreal, because you feel like youve been there before, because of the media. But it is absolute treasure, and to think instead of the tower they were going to build a Giant Cyclops, no lie.

Tip: go on a week day, the weekends are just insane. People everywhere and gypsy’s and junk peddlers galore. At the very least when you go during the week you can maneuver around everyone. If you do want to goto the top, the line ups are huge and its quite expensive. I recommend going during the week and climbing the stairs for 2 euro.

People often say this is one of the number one places to visit in paris but i disagree. The lines are far too long and there are always annoying french people at the bottom trying to sell you rubbish you sont want. There is a lovely crepe stand across the street which is worth visiting eventhough there is often a long line for that aswell.

it is a lovley and romantic place

I proposed to my wife in the restaurant on the tower. It was a great experience but the food was actually decidedly average.

I agree that the view is better from montparnasse or sacre couer but as one of the other reviewers said, there is something magical about the tower that is unmatched elsewhere. Also, as luck would have it there was a guy at the foot of the tower selling paste jewellery at the bottom of the tower so my ring only cost 10 francs :D (I have replaced it with a real one since then)

unforgettable at dawn…..

In what I am sure will be an unpopular review, I have to say that as an attraction, the Eiffel Tower is not worth the time and effort it will take you to get to the top.

While the tower is a masterpiece of architecture and engineering and always looks great looming over the skyline, the queues to get to the top, which range in time from two to five hours, are simply unjustified because the Eiffel Tower is not the only place to see Paris from very high up. Sacre Coeur in Montmartre is higher than the Tower and is also a beautiful landmark to visit in itself, offering the views without the queues.

Indeed, in my time as an expat in Paris, I was told by a Parisian that the best view in the city is to be had from the top of the Tour Montparnasse - a tower so ugly that it blights the skyline but, since you are on top of it, is the only place to get a pretty view of Paris without seeing this eyesore!

I am sure that these words of warning will not stop anyone going to this famous landmark, but it would be remiss of me not to warn you that while the views from the top are spectacular both during the day and at night, they are certainly not unparalleled.

There is something magical about the tower which appeals to children in a fantasy sense yet it has the real architural appeal to adults. Within the tower the views are spectacular and again have a quality not equalled.

Everybody will always say that the number one thing to do in Paris is to go to the Eiffel Tower - and they’re right! Some people say night time is best, others say during the day so when I went I tried out both options.
The tower is so beautiful at night at it is lit up and sparkles every ten minutes. I did not climb it at night, as I decided I would probably be able to see more things during the day.
The next morning I arrived early, about 45 mins before the tower opened (this is during January) and only two people were in the line! When it got close to opening times the line had grown incredibly long, so I would definitely recommend going early. As soon as it opened I was on the first elevator up - so there was no queuing any further up the tower. Only thing to be wary of - is if you are queuing early make sure you go to the toilet before you line up, as the toilets at the base of the tower do not open till 10:30 and you will have to walk a distance to get the next closest toilets if you need them!
This is a must see in Paris, both at night and during the day!

I went to this place a long ago way back in 1969, i love it because the restraunte at the top had a marvellous views over looking Paris and the food was first class, i had never tried frogs legs but they were not bad while i was tucking into them my parents and my brother had ordered english food, but Paris by night is also wonderful, we enjoyed the CanCan girls that was marvellous, i didnt buy a beret in which i should of has they were lovely designs.

A must-see, there’s nowhere else like it. The view from the top is amazing, not for vertigo sufferers!

How can you give this place anything but 5 stars? Breathtaking views, incredible architecture, and reasonable to get into. Sure you queue for ages to then queue for ages but every moment is worth it once you get to the top.

We elected to take the stairs up to the 2nd level, which is quite a trek but nothing anyone with even a bit of fitness couldn’t handle. Plus it makes reaching the top that much more rewarding. Once on the 2nd level you do have to queue for a bit to buy your ticket to the top level which seems a bit odd, but the lines move quickly enough. The elevator up to the very top is amazing and definitely not for the faint-of-heart or anyone with even a hint of vertigo. It’s a glass elevator and you suddenly feel like you’re standing on a tiny platform as you ascend rapidly to the 300m summit.

Once at the top you’re rewarded with views across all of Paris. I was surprised, given the crowds at the bottom, how few people there were at the top. The crowd control is very well managed.

If you’re in Paris, go. It’s worth the wait.

Definetly a must see in Paris. I’d love to live on it. That would be a view to wake up to.

The Eiffel Tower in itself is amazing, there's not questioning it. This monumental structure towers above an entire city and leaves it's iconic footprint in the minds and memories not only on all that have been to Paris but all those who have never even set foot in france.

That said, the Eiffel Tower is a very stressful tourist experience. Regardless of how early you attempt to arrive, you will always be greeted by a queue a mile and a half long. I'm not one to mind waiting in line, but the experience at the Eiffel Tower really is particularly stressful. 90% of the time at the Eiffel Tower you will be waiting in line, and an additional 10% spent enjoying the view. There is a line to buy tickets, there is a line to the elevator, there is a line to the second elevator, and then - all of it in reverse, and all of this really does take hours.

That said - there's not much of a queue for the stairs. If you've got the strength and a good pair of shoes, consider the stairs instead. It's a hell of a workout, but surely a very satisfying one.

The view from the top of the Eiffel Tower is amazing. In a small room at the top, there are labels showing you where the major cities of the world are in relation to the Eiffel Tower and how far away they are. My home city of Tel Aviv is, for reference, appx. 3,281 kilometers away. Fun trivia!

Famous Tower, incredible view.
Great time.

It's probably the most famous landmark of any city on the globe and I don't think it disappoints.

Built for the World's Fair Exhibition in the late 19th century, the tower was the prime attraction, but was seen as a terrible eyesore for the locals and the aristocrats who deemed it a scar on the face of Paris.

They were idiots.

It's great. You can get up in a lift or walk up to the 2nd floor. I suggest you walk because it's actually not too strenuous and the queue is much smaller than for the lifts. Also, it is cheaper.

When we were there they had a sort of winter exhibition which included an ice replica of the tower and snow all around the outer walkway with snowshoes!

The views are obviously incredible, even on a terrible rainy day.

The cafe is reasonably priced and the gift shops are quite fun.

The Eiffel tower is an essential Parisian experience, miss it and you might as well be in Bournemouth.

There's no doubt, it's one of the most romantic sights in the world. Tom Cruise had proposed to Kathy Holmes in the restaurant at the top of the tower. You'll have to get there early to get the tickets to the elevators to get to the viewing point at the tower. However, we braved ourselves to climb the stairs to the top and it was a helluva sight from up there... a great workout indeed.