An Eiffel Tower night tour is mostly about the light: the tower after dark, and the city seen from the river, from a bike seat or from a table on the first floor. I looked for guided evening tours of the tower and found three evening options, none of which is a standard guided climb. This page compares them, explains what changes after dark and shows sunset times by month so you can pick a date. For daytime options, my page of Eiffel Tower tickets lists everything I compared.
What Counts as an Eiffel Tower Night Tour
The phrase covers three different products, and the difference decides what you pay for.
The first kind of Eiffel Tower night tour is a dinner. The Madame Brasserie evening meal is held in the restaurant on the first floor. The second is a river cruise that starts at the tower’s foot and shows the lit monuments from the water. The third is an e-bike ride with a guide that passes the tower late in a longer route. None of the three lifts you to the summit at night, and the guided daytime tours on my Eiffel Tower tours page do not list an evening start, so I cannot name a guided night ascent.
Google Maps lists the tower as open until midnight on every day, and its opening is at 9 am, but a map time is not the last lift. I could not confirm the last ascent, so read your own confirmation.
What Changes at Night
Night changes three things. The first is the light. Wikipedia says the tower has 20,000 bulbs that give it a sparkling look for five minutes every hour on the hour, per the Eiffel Tower entry. That description comes from an earlier version of the official website, so I would check toureiffel.paris for the current schedule. A reviewer of the cruise wrote that on the 10 pm slot they watched the tower sparkle at 10 pm and 11 pm, which fits the hourly pattern.
The second is the crowd. One cruise reviewer used the last slot on a cold, windy night and said the boat was practically empty. The third is the season: in winter the sun is down before the evening begins, so a night tour in December costs you the daylight views.
Sunset Times by Month in Paris
This table shows when the sun sets, which tells you when an evening option actually starts to look like a night tour. The figures are Open-Meteo’s 2025 record for Paris.
| Month |
Sunset |
Sunshine hours per day |
Rainy days |
| January |
17:22 |
2.7 |
17 |
| April |
20:42 |
11 |
7 |
| June |
21:56 |
12.9 |
10 |
| July |
21:49 |
12.1 |
15 |
| September |
20:03 |
8.2 |
11 |
| October |
19:00 |
6.5 |
10 |
| November |
17:10 |
4.3 |
13 |
| December |
16:54 |
3.7 |
8 |
Source: Open-Meteo historical weather, 2025 data for Paris.
Between November and January the tower is dark by 5:30 pm, so even an early Eiffel Tower night tour works then, and the Eiffel Tower night tour season effectively runs all year. In June it does not get dark until after 10 pm, which makes a late cruise slot the better plan.
Is an Eiffel Tower Night Tour Worth It?
I think an Eiffel Tower night tour is worth it when the tower itself is not the only goal. The dinner and the cruise both start at the foot of the tower, so you see it lit without queuing for a lift, and that makes an Eiffel Tower night tour a gentler evening than a summit ascent. The cheapest Eiffel Tower night tour is the $20 cruise, which is less than half the price of the lowest guided daytime tower tour at $43. If you want the view from the top, remember that the summit is a separate lift ticket. Choose the evening that fits your budget, then pick the month with the help of the sunset table above.
Dinner at the Tower: Madame Brasserie
Madame Brasserie costs $145 for 2 hours and is the most expensive of the three. The price covers a 3-course Menu Gustave or a 4-course tasting menu, drinks including champagne, wine, beer, a soft drink or coffee, and a lift ticket to the first floor, which you can also use to look around after dinner. It does not cover lift tickets for the second floor or the summit. Photos taken by the photographer on the spot are excluded.
Arrive 30 minutes before your booked time at the esplanade through entrance 1 (South). The listing says a sign with the Madame Brasserie logo gives direct access past the first security check. It scores 4.5 from 1,754 reviews and cancels free up to 24 hours ahead. Reviewers praise attentive staff and a lively room, though one grandparent said the young children did not like the food.
Night tourUMANIS Madame Brasserie
Eiffel Tower Early Evening Dinner at Madame Brasserie
- ★ 4.5 (1,754 reviews)
- 2 hours
- Free cancellation
My pick: The sit-down option: first-floor dinner with drinks and a lift ticket, $145, 4.5 from 1,754 reviews.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
- ✓ 3-course Menu Gustave or 4-course tasting Menu Grande Dame
- ✓ Beverages including champagne, wine, beer, a soft drink, filtered sparkling, still water, or coffee
- ✓ Lift ticket to the first floor of the Eiffel Tower
- ✓ Possibility to visit the first floor of the Eiffel Tower after dinner
Not included / not suitable
- ✕ Souvenir photos (taken by the photographer on the spot)
- ✕ Lift ticket to the second or third floor of the Eiffel Tower
Meeting point: Please make sure that you arrive 30 minutes before your booked dinner time at the esplanade of the Eiffel Tower.
Access the esplanade via entrance 1 (South). You will pass through the first security check at this entrance. Skip the line of this security check, there is a sign with the Madame Brasserie logo where you have direct access.
The lift ticket to the first level of the Eiffel Tower is included in the price of your menu. Collect the lift ticket at the reception of Madame Brasserie - situated on the esplanade of the Eiffel Tower, between the North and East pillars, close to an ATM machine.
The staff at the reception will indicate which lift to take to get up. Before you enter the lift, you will pass a second security control. 1er, Tour Eiffel, 75007 Paris, France
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“The lunch cruise was magnificent! The wait staff and crew were very attentive.” – GetYourGuide review
Illuminated Seine Cruise From the Eiffel Tower
The cruise is the cheapest way to see the lit tower, at $20 for 1 hour. It leaves from Bateaux Parisiens, at the foot of the tower on pontoon 3 at Port de la Bourdonnais. The price includes an audio guide in 14 languages, indoor panoramic glass seating, access to the open-air deck subject to weather and a printed postcard made from your own photos. Food and drinks are not included.
Reviewers give it 4.3 from 658 reviews. One said the audio guide was weak but did not matter, and one with a parent in a wheelchair said boarding was easy. Another liked the flexibility, because boats leave often and you can join the queue for the next one. A reviewer used the last 10 pm slot, and I would plan the same if you want the tower in full sparkle.
Night tourGlobal Tours And Tickets
Illuminated Seine Night Cruise from the Eiffel Tower
- ★ 4.3 (658 reviews)
- 1 hour
- Free cancellation
My pick: The cheap night view: $20, 1 hour from the tower's foot, 4.3 from 658 reviews, boats leave frequently.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
- ✓ 1-hour Seine River sightseeing cruise
- ✓ Cruise departure from the foot of the Eiffel Tower
- ✓ Audio guide available in 14 languages, onboard or via mobile app
- ✓ Access to indoor panoramic glass seating areas
- ✓ Access to the open-air deck, subject to weather and availability
- ✓ Personalized physical postcard created from your own photos, printed and sent worldwide
Not included / not suitable
Meeting point: For the Seine River cruise, meet at Bateaux Parisiens, at the foot of the Eiffel Tower, Port de la Bourdonnais, Pontoon/Pier 03. Port de la Bourdonnais, 75007 Paris, France
Duration: 1 hour
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Excellent...easy to book...easy to board...informative” – GetYourGuide review
Eiffel Tower Night Tour by E-Bike
The XL Tour Paris ride combines the tower with Notre-Dame in a 2-hour route that costs $110. It passes the Louvre, the Tuileries Garden, Pont Neuf, Sainte-Chapelle, Notre-Dame, Pont Alexandre III, the Grand Palais, the Eiffel Tower and Les Invalides. The listing includes a live guide, an electric bike and a helmet, in French, English, Portuguese or Spanish. Entry to any attraction is not included, so the tower is seen from outside.
The meeting point is a technical area inside a car park at 10 Rue de la Paix, and the listing says not to worry if you do not see a bike shop on arrival. Reviewers call it fun and a good use of a first night in Paris, and the guide takes photos at major stops. Only 17 people have reviewed it, so the 5.0 score shows a good start rather than a track record.
Night tourXL Tour Paris
Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Night Tour by E-Bike
- ★ 5.0 (17 reviews)
- 2 hours
- Free cancellation
My pick: The active option: a 2-hour e-bike night ride past the tower, $110, 5.0 from 17 reviews, entry not included.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
- ✓ Live guide
- ✓ Electric bike
- ✓ Helmet and equipment
Not included / not suitable
- ✕ Hotel pickup and drop-off
- ✕ Entry to any attractions
- ✕ Tips
Meeting point: Meet your guide at the technical area located inside the car park. Please do not panic if you don't see your guide or a bike shop upon arrival, your guide will come upstairs to meet you once you arrive at the park. 10 Rue de la Paix, 75002 Paris, France
Languages: French, English, Portuguese, Spanish
Duration: 2 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Beautiful and fun. Very informative but guide directed most of his commentary to one person rather than the entire group.” – GetYourGuide review
Which Eiffel Tower Night Tour Should You Pick?
- Cheapest and flexible: the $20 cruise, with the last slot at 10 pm per one reviewer.
- Special occasion: the $145 dinner at Madame Brasserie.
- Active and social: the $110 e-bike ride.
- Winter visit: any of the three, because the sun sets before 5:30 pm from November to January.
- Summit view: book a daytime or sunset ascent instead, and pair it with one of the evening options.
Before you book, check my Eiffel Tower opening hours for the gate times, and the Eiffel Tower map for what each level offers. The Eiffel Tower facts page tells the story behind the tower. When you want to go up in daylight, the list of Eiffel Tower tickets is the place to book, and my home page lists the other attractions I compare.
