Our ultimate tips for visiting the Eiffel Tower with kids

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The Eiffel Tower, is there a more iconic symbol of one country in the world? If so, I don’t know of one. The Eiffel Tower is the symbol of France to everyone outside the country. It is recognisable to kids and adults alike.

How could it not be? It looks radiant in the Parisian summer sun and blue skies, it looks amazing in the Parisian snow. Let’s be honest, it looks incredible even in the pouring rain! In this article, we hope to show you how to plan a trip to the Eiffel Tower for kids.

So you think it’s a good idea to visit the Eiffel Tower with kids?

When my wife and I look at each other and say we have been there to the Eiffel Tower, it brings back so many wonderful memories! So after visiting it with just the two of us, could we visit the Eiffel Tower with kids? The tower has 3 three platforms. Inside the Eiffel Tower are two restaurants, a banquet hall, a champagne bar and many unique gift shops.

view from top of the Eiffel Tower
The Eiffel Tower is one of many Paris attractions for families.

Our visits to the Eiffel Tower with kids

Is the Eiffel Tower one of the best things to do in Paris with kids? In all honesty, the Eiffel Tower with kids can be challenging. Our kids so wanted to visit the tower on one of our recent trips to Paris, France. Our eldest daughter Willow had been to the top when she was 10 months old. As you could imagine, she can’t remember it. I would always tell Willow that she had been to the top whenever we saw the Eiffel Tower in movies or on TV.

Willow aged 9 along with her 6-year-old sister Marley were ready to tackle the French icon. First, we had to avoid the scammers under the tower wanting you to pay for their operation or their sick child and so on!

Search the map below for places to stay in Montmartre and Paris

Eiffel Tower for kid’s facts

  • The Eiffel Tower was built in 1889
  • The Eiffel Tower can move slightly when it’s windy
  • There are 5 million lights on the Eiffel Tower
  • The Eiffel Tower is 324 meters tall.
Iconic Eiffel Tower against a clear sky, showcasing its timeless beauty and architectural elegance.
The Eiffel Tower from the river

How long can you wait in line at the Eiffel Tower?

Going up the Eiffel Tower can be long and hot if you are visiting in the summer months. 3 hours is not unheard of for the Eiffel Tower line to wait to get to the 3rd level, which is the Eiffel Tower’s top floor. To be honest there are easier things to see in Paris with the kids but after all, it is the Eiffel Tower and so the Eiffel Tower with kids it is!

a family on the Eiffel tower
The Wyld Family Travel team on the second floor of the tower

 Eiffel Tower for Children – Our top tips

  • Take food and drink with you in your bag for the kids. As I mentioned,, going up the Eiffel Tower can be a long wait. The kids will get bored and start complaining; there is no doubt!
  • Bring a book, magazine, iPad, iPod, tablet, or anything that distract the kids from waiting. Maybe play a game of i-spy or something similar at the Eiffel Tower for kids.
  • Take a notepad and have the kids draw pictures of the Eiffel Tower. This will make a great memory for the kids. Frame these drawings when you get home.
  • See the Eiffel Tower with kids’ eyes. Give your kids a camera so they can capture their images.
Bec and Willow on the Champ de Mars Paris
Bec and Willow on the Champ de Mars Paris

The Eiffel Tower with kids…A learning experience

The Eiffel Tower offers kids aged 6-10 a fun educational experience. On level one, there is a permanent exhibition. This allows kids to learn all about the Tower and Gustav Eiffel himself. Like many other attractions these days, the Tower has a little Gustav Eiffel character. He can be found at a different spot on the tower.

Kids receive a bilingual French-English booklet game and a little pencil provided for them. Whenever they find the Eiffel character, there is something to fill in. Kids will learn many facts about the history of the Eiffel Tower.  

About the man who designed the tower and the landscape of Paris seen from the Tower. The booklet and pencil can be collected from the Ferrié pavilion on the first level.

The booklet may be downloaded from the Eiffel Tower website. I would recommend this just to see if you think your children will like this activity. You do not want to waste more time waiting at the Eiffel Tower than you must.

Visiting the Eiffel Tower with kids family travel tip:

Bring some lunch or a snack and enjoy it with the kids on the Champ de Mars. This area is a grass section just in front of the Eiffel Tower. Sitting in the shadow of this iconic building has to be one of the best things to do in Paris on a sunny day.

Also located on floor one may amaze and scare kids all at once. A glass floor panel lets you look straight down to the ground below.


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Joyful children on the Eiffel Tower
The girls exploring the Eiffel Tower 2nd level

Visiting the Eiffel Tower with children can be fun

Do not be fooled into thinking that when you get in the elevator on the bottom floor you will be at the top soon. It’s just not so, the nightmare will begin again on level 2 when the elevator door opens, and you see a line just as long as the one on the ground level. You see, you must line up all over again for the final ascent to the Eiffel Tower top floor.

The Elevator whisks you up, the doors open, and you step out onto the Eiffel Tower’s top floor having finally made it. Hopefully, the kids have been good, and you can enjoy the moment. It is quite surreal knowing you are at the top of one of the most iconic structures in the world.

Completed in November of 2018 is the Eiffel Tower gardens at the tower’s base. The kids may like the ducks in the pond, a waterfall and a grotto to explore. 

When is the best time to visit the Eiffel Tower with kids

The best time to visit the Eiffel Tower with kids would be first thing in the morning.  Try to book a time as close to opening as possible to try and avoid the lines. If you have older kids, a visit at night can also be faster than during the day.

family at the bottom of the eiffel tower
The Wylds at the base of the tower

Always pre-book tickets online if possible. The wait for the ticket office can be easily over 1 hour. Kids do not take well to standing in line for this time if they are anything like our girls! 

Family travel: What are our favourite top 10 cities in Europe for family travel with kids?

Did you know there are 1710 Eiffel Tower steps?

If climbing the Eiffel Tower is something you want to do, note that you can only climb to the first level, not all 1710 steps. Yes, the Eiffel Tower has 1710 steps. Instead of climbing the Eiffel Tower, the easy thing to do is to walk down the stairs when leaving. The views from inside the Eiffel Tower of Paris are amazing. You can walk up the stairs to the first level, but I would not recommend climbing the Eiffel Tower unless you have extremely fit children.

Eiffel Tower top-floor access

Skip the long lines to the 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower. Enjoy the view from the top level thanks to your summit access. Enjoy bird’s eye views of Paris from the second-floor observation deck of the Eiffel Tower. Your summit access ticket will then provide you access to the highest level of the Eiffel Tower.

The Eiffel Tower’s top floor is like no other experience. The all-encompassing views make you see how small we are. There is a thrill and chill element about it. I for one slowly make my way to the edge of the Eiffel Tower top floor to the lookout.

For Eiffel Tower summit access the latest prices and booking, click HERE

Get your Eiffel Tower Tickets online

When booking your Eiffel Tower tickets online, you must select a time to visit. Please don’t be any longer than 30 minutes late, or your tickets will not be valid.

Choose whether you want to go to the top level, middle level or lower level of the tower (We booked to the top but our daughter was getting distressed by the height so we stopped at level two) All levels offer great views of Paris. A full guided tour of the Eiffel Tower is available for download on the Eiffel Tower website.

2022 Eiffel Tower PricesAdult 
25+
Youth
12-24
Child
4-11
Ticket with access lift – Second floor17.10 euros8.60 euros4.30 euros
Ticket with access stairs – Second floor10.70 euros5.40 euros2.70 euros
Ticket with access lift – The top26.80 euros13.40 euros6.70 euros
Ticket with access stairs 2nd floor + lift – The top20.40 euros10.20 euros5.10 euros

Visiting the Eiffel Tower with kids Family Travel Tip:

Access to the Eiffel Tower is best done by Trocadero Metro stop. Trocadero is on lines 6&9 of the Paris Metro system. Trocadero delivers you to an amazing spot overlooking the Eiffel tower which is great for family photo’s with the Tower in the background.

Eiffel Tower Drawing for kids

Now that you have been informed and inspired to take kids to the Eiffel Tower, why not get your kids excited by learning to draw the Eiffel Tower. This famous Paris landmark is quite easy for kids to draw, and there is even a video to give kids step-by-step instructions. Eiffel Tower art for kids can be a fun thing to do in preparation for your family visit.

How to get to the Eiffel Tower with kids

Paris with children can involve a lot of walking. The Paris transport options below will get you close to the tower for your visit

Metro – There are 3 metro stations close by with easy access to the Tour Eiffel

  • Trocadero Metro on Line 9
  • Bir-Hakeim Metro Line 6
  • Ecole-Miltaire Metro line 8

By bus, there are 5 stops close to the Eiffel Tower

  • Eiffel Tower bus route 82
  • Tour Eiffel bus route 42
  • Champ de Mars bus routes 69 & 87
  • Eiffel Tower bus route 72 

Family travel with kids safety: Our very best safety tips, tricks and hacks for kids that work

Is visiting the Eiffel Tower with kids a good idea?

Visiting the Eiffel Tower is a bucket list experience for many who dream of visiting France, especially Paris. We hope with this post you aren’t scared of taking the kids to Paris with you so they can enjoy the sights of Paris as well.

We hope this article from Wyld Family Travel has given you some great ideas for your trip to France. It is easy to find so many things to do in Paris that will make your trip to France unforgettable.

For more amazing ideas on where to holiday in France,, click our France Destination Guide page for more brilliant inspiration.


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28 thoughts on “Our ultimate tips for visiting the Eiffel Tower with kids”

  1. Great tips! I think the Eiffel Tower is just a must-do, even with those long lines… but, I still haven’t taken my kids up. Just looked at it.

    I forgot about the second elevator. One way that may seem tempting to get to the second level is to take the stairs. Don’t do that! I did that once with my dad to save some money and… I’m just too scared of heights to let it happen again.

  2. I wish I had read your post before my travel to Paris. It was a disappointment to see the long queue. And yes the kids have to be kept engaged during the wait.

  3. we missed sunset because of the darn queue. Worth knowing – I’d go again in a heartbeat. Ended up buying tickets and going g up at 10pm then missed the access to the top floor. Wasn’t a winner night for us!

  4. Good tips! I remember going to the top once, pre-kids, and it was amazing, but especially the line at different elevators, as you say, was a killer after the long one at the bottom

  5. Great tips Mark! I’d definitely agree with going in the evening, watching the sunset or the night lights over the city. And for the best views of the tower itself, Montparnasse is a fantastic visit too!

  6. We actually avoided going up the Eiffel Tower because of the lines (one of the elevators was broken during our visit, so the lines were extra long). We didn’t have kids with us, but we didn’t want to wait ourselves; I can imagine a child not wanting to wait! You offer some great tips to make the time go by with little ones. Our alternative was to climb the Arc de Triumph, so instead we got beautiful Paris shots with the Eiffel Tower in them!

  7. Some very cool tips there – I want to take the nephews – this is the sort of photo you’ll always keep in your heart – an iconic beautiful monument with your children.

  8. Great tips! I remember visiting the Eiffel Tower as a 9 year old and can vividly remember being hot and bored and the feeling that everything was taking too long! Snacks and distractions would have been very welcome!!

  9. Great tips for visiting with kids – I can see how the lines could easily be 2-3 hours long, and no kid is going to put up with that!! But the Eiffel Tower is one of those iconic landmarks which pretty much every child associated with France, so some great pointers about how to navigate through the crowds. Ipad and food for waiting in the queue is golden 🙂

  10. I wish we had read your tips before visiting! The line was so long when we visited that we chose not to wait.

  11. It’s been a while since I was there, so great reminders since I wasn’t as observant without kids 🙂 I love the idea of giving the kids the camera to get their viewpoint since what they see may be very different.

  12. keeping kids calm during the ET queue is something so heroic 🙂 But in the end I’m sure they’ll be grateful to you patience forever! The camera idea and the opportunity to make them play with the tool of the parents is great! Every part of a trip must be like a game! Also for parents 🙂

  13. Do they have toillet en route on the way climbing up the tower? As reading your post I think of my chidlren (with plan to visit Paris soon). If they want to pee, they can’t keep it over 5 minutes.

  14. Great post. Been up France’s famous climbing frame many times, always love the views from the top 🙂

  15. My last time up in the tower was on Christmas Day. We thought that it would be deserted on a holiday but no. The entire world realized that it was the only attraction open, and we were with the masses. And you’re right – Level 2 is where we spent nearly an hour in a brisk winter wind 🙂

  16. I can imagine that visiting the Eiffel Tower with kids can be challenging. I was there 18 yeas ago and the queue was never ending. I can’t even imagine myself standing and waiting there for over an hour, yet alone with kids! I’m glad you managed it, and your tips will be very helpful for those who want to go take their children to the top of the most recognizable building in Europe.

  17. That would definitely be a great experience for children. I was so excited when I went to the top and then the restaurant. Like you said, make sure and get your tickets beforehand as the wait in line for tickets can take a long time.

  18. You’re right about booking tickets in advance. I didn’t and finally gave up – the queue was much too long.

  19. It’s interesting you mention the queue – for some reason I can’t remember it at all. I visited in winter, maybe that’s why — maybe it was just not as busy. Or I was too busy staring into my boyfriend’s eyes at that point and it didn’t feel too long of a wait for me LOL. Standing in a queue for that long with kids is a real bummer though. Something to really consider when visiting the Eiffel Tower.

  20. Eiffel Tower can be tiring for any traveler, i just can imagine how hard is for the kids to wait in line for hours! We have been there twice, during spring and winter. On winter the queue is way smaller and faster, but the cold and wind you feel up there is horrible…
    Glad that you children liked the experience, I´m sure they will never forget this trip!
    Cheers,
    Nat

  21. I love your dry deadpan of ‘ when you get off the elevator at the 2nd level and see another line nightmare..’ LOL! what a hoot! I have not taken the kids to Paris, yet but I know the Eiffel tower will be on the list.

  22. We tried to visit the Eiffel Tower with our kids whilst waiting for an overnight train to the Pyrenees. We hadn’t been organised enough to pre-book tickets (I didn’t even know you could) so we queued for an hour before giving up and deciding we’d rather eat dinner instead! They still bought tourist models of the tower though.

  23. Great tips – I was last in Paris when my daughter was around 18 months old, and decided that a view from the Trocadero would be plenty (I’ve been up many times and I knew she wouldn’t really remember or appreciate that). But hopefully next time we go, we might head up for the views now she’s older – it’s definitely worth knowing about the queues and prebooking tickets, those are pretty exhausting waiting times.

  24. Gosh that’s a lot of waiting around! I went to the second floor years ago when I was a teen and it’s pretty high there so not surprised your daughter wanted to stop there. Great tips for families visiting.

  25. Literally one of the only things we still haven’t done in Paris. Traveling as a solo mum is a challenge at the best of times but those lines had me beat from the get go. I love your honest story, We will save it for when Oscar can read a book for three hours! 🙂 Happy travels

  26. A good tip would be going to the eifel tower at night. Its the least popular time, but obviously might be a bit too late with kids. But you basically don’t have to wait at all at ngiht!

  27. Hey, Mark Wyld, I am glad to find your amazing blog article about the Eiffel Tower. It’s my dream destination. I love to read about new thing about it. Thanks dear for sharing with us.

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