It’s difficult to describe the feeling when first seeing the Eiffel Tower. Like most people, we got used to see the tower in movies, documentaries, books but in person - WOW !

What a wonderful feeling

One thing is for sure, the Eiffel tower in person won’t disappoint. It gave us a magical feeling and that feeling grew every step as we got closer. We really appreciated our visit and it's probably because we really took the time to soak it in.  In hindsight, we think crossing the Champ de Mars park helped savour the moment.  In case you would like to do the same, we took the metro until the Cambronne exit and continued on foot.

We recommend all our readers to reserve some time to walk around Champ de Mars to see the tower in different perspectives. When you finally arrive at the entrance, don’t be disappointed with the line.  We visited in April and despite thinking it was off tourist season, the line to enter seemed huge!

Luckily we found a creative way to climb the Tower.  The traditional way up is with the elevator. It's a little more expensive yet quick and you will save energy for later in the day.  Despite being the quickest way up, the line is bigger. The other way is good old fashion stairs.  We didn't even think it was possible yet when presented with the option really liked it.

We recommend taking the stairs

First: It's cheaper (Around 7 Canadian dollars per person), the line was smaller as we could climb right away.

Second: We preferred to take our time going up slowly, taking pictures and enjoying each step, observing the structure and the views of Paris.  We believe it was worth every step!

You will find lots of history information about the Eiffel Tower in the way up and as soon as you get up there you will enjoy an amazing 360 degree view of Paris.   It was really enjoyable to explore every nook and most importantly the flexibility to do it by stairs.

Take your time to go around, there's no rush!

Our Ratings

We both really enjoyed our visit so here are our ratings.
Serge: 5  Eli:  5

Do we recommend ?

Yes, and actually we recommend that you visit more than once during your stay in Paris. As we mentioned in the blog, it's a great activity to do during the day however you have to make sure to visit during sunset too!

Tips

1. Wear comfortable shoes, to enjoy the gardens around and the Eiffel Tower.
2. There are many street vendors selling souvenirs (about Paris and the Eiffel Tower)  Don't get too caught up into it, just take your time to enjoy the view and then make your decision to buy it or not.  There will be plenty more occasions and places to buy souvenirs.
3. The Eiffel tower is really beautiful during the day, however, make sure to return for an amazing sunset and drinks.
4. The security has ramped up quite a bit, just be ready for lines to pass checkpoints and be mindful of items you bring.  I.e. bulky bags and tripods...
5. Most importantly, enjoy all of it !!!