The comparison at a glance
| Option | Price (October 2026) | What you get | Who it suits | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Official ticket, summit by lift | €36.70 (ages 12-24 €18.40, ages 4-11 €9.20) | Timed ticket, public rate | Almost everyone | |
| Official ticket, summit via stairs then lift | €28.00 | Stairs to the 2nd floor, lift after that | Tight budget, strong legs | |
| Official ticket, 2nd floor by lift | €23.50 | Wide view, without the last lift | Fear of heights, small budget | |
| Resold "reserved access" ticket alone | More than the official price | Same entry, no queue advantage | Avoid | |
| Guided tour with summit (Blue Fox Travel) | About $111 | Guide, 1 h 30, summit and 1st and 2nd floors | First visit | See |
| Small-group summit tour of 6 (LivTours) | About $147 | Group of 6 at most, 2 h | Couples, friends | See |
| Semi-private tour of 10 (hotel pickup) | About $164 | Timed summit tickets, guide, hotel pickup and return | Families, comfort | See |
Source of the official prices: the 2026 rate sheet of the Eiffel Tower's official ticket office (in force since 12 January 2026), read on 19 October 2026. Children under 4 enter free but need a free ticket. The site warns that prices may change: check before paying.
What the Eiffel Tower itself says
The Tower has no skip-the-line system. Its site explains that resellers may only write "reserved access" and that any offer promising "skip the line" is a false promise. A "priority access" ticket gives no more than an official ticket: you simply avoid the ticket office. According to the same site, resellers may only sell a lift ticket bundled with an extra service, such as a guided tour. A bare ticket sold above the official rate therefore gains you nothing.
When the official site is sold out
Tower tickets go on sale about two months ahead (the ticket office shows the open calendar) and peak-season slots go quickly. Two things to try before paying more:
- Check the official ticket office again. Slots reappear with cancellations, especially in the morning and late evening. If everything is sold out, the site says tickets remain at the ticket office on the day, at the public rate, with no guarantee.
- Look at neighbouring slots. An early-morning or late-evening slot is often free when mid-afternoon is not, and the 2nd floor by stairs is easier to get than the summit.
If nothing works, a guided tour becomes reasonable: operators book tickets in advance and resell a slot with a guide. This is the only case where paying more is justified by access, provided you read the listing: the date, the meeting time and the level reached (summit or 2nd floor) must be stated.
When a guided tour is worth the price
- You want to understand what you see. An hour and a half with a guide covers history, construction and Paris landmarks.
- You travel with family or someone who walks little. The hotel pickup of the semi-private tour simplifies the day.
- You prefer a small group. Six to ten people avoids the crowd, but the wait at lifts and security checks is the same as everyone else's.
- You rarely visit Paris and a sold-out date blocks you. The same logic applies to the Louvre: see Louvre sold out.
To compare every tour with the summit, read Eiffel Tower summit: which tour to choose?.
Pitfalls
- Fake sites. The Tower warns about sites that imitate its ticket office: make sure you are on the official site.
- "Skip the line". A reserved ticket avoids the ticket office, not the security check or the lift queue.
- The summit is not the 2nd floor. Check which level the offer includes.
- Timing. The ticket is valid for the chosen slot: arrive on time.
Our advice
For a first independent visit, take the official ticket and choose the time of day for the light you want. Keep the guided tour for when a sold-out date blocks you, when you want a guide or when you travel with children. See also the Eiffel Tower page, booking ahead in Paris and the one-hour Seine cruise to see the Tower at night.
