The story in a table

Why was it built?

France hosted the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, a world's fair held a hundred years after the French Revolution. The fair needed a monument that would announce French engineering to the world, and the tower designed by the engineers Maurice Koechlin and Émile Nouguier at Gustave Eiffel's company was chosen. The state's contract gave Eiffel 1.5 million francs, less than a quarter of the estimated 6.5 million francs the tower cost to build, and he was allowed to earn money from the tower for 20 years to make up the difference.

Why was it meant to come down?

The 20-year concession explains the date: the tower was due to be dismantled in 1909. It was also controversial. In February 1887, before the tower was finished, writers, painters and architects signed a petition calling it useless and monstrous. The tower went ahead anyway and opened to the public on 15 May 1889.

Why was it saved?

The tower was kept because of its value for radiotelegraphy: a tall iron structure makes a very good radio mast. From 1910 it helped distribute time signals. That practical use is the reason the temporary monument of 1889 became the permanent symbol of Paris.

Numbers to remember

  • Height: 330 metres including the tip (300 metres architectural height).
  • Pieces and rivets: 18,038 pieces joined with 2.5 million rivets.
  • Weight: about 7,300 tonnes of wrought iron; roughly 10,100 tonnes with lifts, shops and antennae.
  • Paint: about 60 tons of paint applied every 7 years to prevent rust.
  • Visitors: about 7 million a year since 2003; 5,889,000 visitors in 2022.

Two myths to drop

The con artist Victor Lustig "sold" the tower for scrap metal twice in 1925; it was a swindle, not a real sale. And in August 1944, Hitler ordered the tower demolished as Allied troops approached Paris, but General Dietrich von Choltitz disobeyed. The French had cut the lift cables when Germany occupied Paris in 1940, which is the origin of the "cut cables" story you sometimes hear.

Visiting today: official prices

Ticket Price (adult) Date
Summit by lift 36.70 euros As of 19 October 2026
Summit via stairs then lift 28.00 euros As of 19 October 2026
2nd floor by lift 23.50 euros As of 19 October 2026

Ages 12 to 24 pay 18.40 euros for the summit by lift and ages 4 to 11 pay 9.20 euros. For the choice between the official site and resellers, read our page on official or reseller tickets, and for a guided summit visit, which summit offer to choose. The tower sometimes closes in strikes, wind or heat: see Eiffel Tower closed before you go. The Eiffel Tower page has the practical details.

Best view of the tower

You see the tower best from the outside: the Trocadéro across the Seine, the Champ de Mars at its foot, and a boat on the river. The summit is the one place from which you cannot see the tower itself, which is a good reason to also look at it from the ground at night.

FAQ

Why was the Eiffel Tower built?

For the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris, the world's fair held on the centenary of the French Revolution.

Was the Eiffel Tower meant to be temporary?

Its builder had a 20-year right to earn money from it, and it was due to be dismantled in 1909. It was kept because it was useful for radiotelegraphy.

How much does it cost to go up?

The summit by lift is 36.70 euros for an adult, the 2nd floor by lift is 23.50 euros (toureiffel.paris, 19 October 2026).

Paris Authority editorial team, 12 November 2026.