An Eiffel Tower tour is a ticket plus a person. The tower sells its own lift tickets, so what you pay a tour operator for is the guide, a fixed meeting point and a route through the entrance that someone has done many times. I compared four guided tours, from $43 to $110, and one of them is an e-bike ride that passes the tower without going up. This page sets them side by side. For the simpler options, my page on tickets for the Eiffel Tower lists every ticket I found.
What an Eiffel Tower Tour Adds Over a Plain Ticket
A plain timed ticket gets you into the tower at your slot, and you work out the views alone. An Eiffel Tower tour adds commentary at the second floor, where City Wonders reviewers say the guide gave information on Paris landmarks, plus someone to collect your group, check vouchers and get everyone through the security check together. The official site lists adult tickets from 14.80 to 36.70 euros according to its own search listing, which I could not open to read in full, so check toureiffel.paris for the current price of the ascent you want.
Wikipedia says the top level’s upper platform stands 276 m above the ground, the highest public observation deck in the European Union, per the tower’s Wikipedia entry. Whether you add that summit is the biggest choice in any tour below, and the guide cannot change the weather up there.
Standard Guided Eiffel Tower Tours With a Second Floor Option
The standard Eiffel Tower tour is a group walk to the entrance, a lift to the second floor and about an hour of commentary. Two of the four listings fit that shape.
Crown Tours is the one I would start with on price and sample size. It costs $43, takes 1 to 2.5 hours, and the guide speaks English. The base option reaches the second floor, a summit option is available, and a Seine cruise can be added. Check in at least 15 minutes ahead in the small park on Allée Léon-Bourgeois, next to the ticket line for Entrance 1, where staff wear purple Crown Tours jackets. The score is 4.5 from 1,505 reviews, and cancellation is free up to 24 hours before.
Reviewers say the guides are knowledgeable. One tour took place on a rainy, windy day and the guide spoke mostly to the front of the group, and another reviewer did the 9:30 slot in early October and found it quiet. I would take an early slot for that reason.
Crown Tours
Eiffel Tower Summit or 2nd Floor Guided Tour
★4.5 (1,505 reviews)
1 - 2.5 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: My pick for most people: the cheapest guided option at $43, 4.5 from 1,505 reviews, with free cancellation and an optional summit.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Eiffel Tower tour with access to the 2nd floor, or 2nd floor + summit (based on option selected)
✓ Live guide in English
✓ Eiffel Tower elevator access
✓ 1-hour Seine River cruise ticket with flexible timing (if Seine River cruise option is selected)
✓ Multilingual audio guide provided inside the cruise (if Seine River cruise option is selected)
✓ Friendly staff at check-in for smooth coordination
Not included / not suitable
✕ Transportation
✕ Food and drinks
✕ Gratuities
Meeting point: Check in with your Crown Tours host at least 15 minutes before your activity start time. Our meeting point is located in the small park on Allée Léon-Bourgeois, next to the ticket line for Entrance 1. Look for our staff wearing a purple “Crown Tours” T-shirt/ jacket. All. Léon Bourgeois, 75007 Paris, France
Languages: English
Duration: 1 - 2.5 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“The tour was good and the tour guide Lucielle-Omondi Dupont was very knowledgeable. We really enjoy it. Thanks” – GetYourGuide review
City Wonders costs $60 for 1 to 1.5 hours with an English-speaking guide, a second floor lift ticket and an optional summit. The meeting point is not at the tower: it is at the corner of Avenue Silvestre de Sacy and Avenue Elisée Reclus, where a representative wears blue and holds a City Wonders sign. The listing gives École Militaire as the nearest metro, about 15 minutes away. Reviewers, 4.3 from 860, praise guides who give detail on the tower’s history and on Paris from the second floor, and one said the skip-the-line ticket got the group in quickly.
City Wonders Ltd.
Eiffel Tower Fully Guided Tour with Summit Option
★4.3 (860 reviews)
1 - 1.5 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: The shorter tour at $60: 1 to 1.5 hours, blue-shirted guide, second floor with a summit option, 4.3 from 860 reviews.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Expert tour guide
✓ Entry tickets to the 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower by elevator
✓ Entry tickets to the summit of the Eiffel Tower by elevator (if summit option selected)
Not included / not suitable
✕ Tips
✕ Hotel pickup and drop-off
Meeting point: PLEASE NOTE: The meeting point is NOT at the Eiffel Tower.
The meeting point is located at the intersection between Avenue Silvestre de Sacy and Avenue Elisée Reclus. Your City Wonders representative (wearing blue and holding a City Wonders sign) will be waiting for you on the intersection of the two streets.
The nearest metro stations is École Militaire (approximately 15 minutes walk) which is served by metro line 8. The stop Champs de Mars of the RER C is another nearby option.
Please note late arrivals cannot be accommodated and refunds will not be granted. 2 Av. Elisée Reclus, 75007 Paris, France
Languages: English
Duration: 1 - 1.5 hours
Cancellation: Cancel up to 24 hours in advance for a full refund
“Nina was excellent. She provided great information about the Eiffel Tower and when at level 2 provided information on Paris landmarks. The skip the line ticket got us in very quickly. Great tour.” – GetYourGuide review
Blue Fox Travel is the only tour that includes the summit in its description. It costs $110 and lasts 1.5 hours, and it covers the first and second floors plus the summit lift. It is also the most-reviewed tour here, with 4.4 stars from 3,902 reviews. The meeting point is a person in front of 1 Avenue de Suffren, not an office, and you exchange your voucher there rather than at the tower. The guide arrives five minutes before the start, and late arrivals count as a no-show.
The listing is non-refundable, which is the main reason I would hesitate. Reviewers praise the skip-the-line access in busy summer weather, one saying the line at 1 pm in 28 degree heat was huge, and others talk about the view at sunset from the summit. A guide named in one review was described as bubbly and informative.
Blue Fox Travel
Eiffel Tower Guided Tour with summit access
★4.4 (3,902 reviews)
1.5 hours
My pick: The summit tour in one booking: $110 for 1.5 hours, 4.4 from 3,902 reviews, but non-refundable, so be sure of your date.
What you get, where you meet, what reviewers say
Included
✓ Guided tour of the Eiffel Tower
✓ Ticket to the 1st and 2nd floor of the Eiffel Tower
✓ Ticket for the summit access
✓ Panoramic views of Paris
✓ Information about Parisian landmarks
Meeting point: Meet the local partner in front of 1 Avenue de Suffren. Please note that you are not looking for an office or booth, but meeting with a person in front of a building. The guide always arrives 5 minutes before the tour start. Please exchange your voucher at the meeting point. Do not go to the Eiffel Tower to collect your ticket. Please arrive on time as late arrivals are considered a no-show and will not be able to access the Eiffel Tower.
Languages: English
Duration: 1.5 hours
Cancellation: This activity is non-refundable
“Loved this tour great value for money. Our guide Dana was great very bubbly & informative. The view from the summit was spectacular with amazing views all round especially when sun was setting. Highly recommend” – GetYourGuide review
The XL Tour Paris night ride at $110 is not a tower tour in the ticket sense. The listing says entry to any attraction is not included, so you see the tower from the outside at the end of a 2-hour route. The stops list includes the Louvre, the Tuileries Garden, Pont Neuf, Notre-Dame, Pont Alexandre III, Place de la Concorde and Les Invalides before the Eiffel Tower and the Palais de Chaillot. A live guide, an electric bike and a helmet are included. Languages are French, English, Portuguese and Spanish, and the meeting point is a technical area inside a car park at 10 Rue de la Paix.
The score is 5.0 from only 17 reviews, so I read it as promising rather than proven. Reviewers like that the guide takes photos at each stop and explains how to ride the e-bike. One said the commentary went mostly to one person. I describe the evening side of this ride on my Eiffel Tower night tour page.
Night tour
XL Tour Paris
Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame Night Tour by E-Bike
★5.0 (17 reviews)
2 hours
Free cancellation
My pick: Not a lift ticket: a 2-hour e-bike ride past the tower, $110, 5.0 from only 17 reviews.
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
If you wonder whether an Eiffel Tower tour pays off, the reviews are the best evidence I have.
Across the 20 review texts I read for each listing, the guide gets nearly all the praise. Complaints are about fit: the rain, a guide who spoke to one side of the group and directions to the meeting point that were a little confusing. Crown Tours impressed one reviewer by calling to check they knew where to meet.
“The lines were very long, especially since they changed the security set up at the Eiffel Tower, but the skip the line access provided us”
— GetYourGuide reviewer
That quote is why I say the real product here is the entrance, not only the commentary. If your own slot is already booked and you like your own pace, the guide is a nice extra rather than a need.
Guided Tour or Ticket Only?
Is an Eiffel Tower tour better than a hosted ticket? The simplest comparison in my data is a hosted ticket. A GetYourGuide ticket for the summit or second floor costs from $54, and a reserved-access version with an English-speaking host who accompanies you from the meeting point costs $66. The cheapest guided tour is $43 with Crown Tours, so the guide is not always the expensive choice. The prices are “from” prices for different options, so they are not like for like, and I would compare the exact option on the day.
If the ticket is all you need, my page for Eiffel Tower tickets explains which one opens which floor. Official sale pages carry their own rules, so I would read toureiffel.paris before paying a reseller.
How I’d Choose an Eiffel Tower Tour
First visit on a budget: Crown Tours at $43 for the second floor, with free cancellation.
Summit in one booking: Blue Fox at $110, if your plans are fixed.
Shorter tour: City Wonders at $60, with the summit as an option.
Cycling and sights: the XL Tour Paris e-bike ride at $110, knowing it does not go up.
Families: the second floor only, since it keeps the day shorter and the cost lower. Any Eiffel Tower tour with that option works.
Check the times before you book in my Eiffel Tower opening hours guide, because meeting times are set well before the tower gate times. My Eiffel Tower map shows what each floor offers, and the Eiffel Tower facts and history page tells the story your guide only has minutes to tell. When you are ready, the full list of Eiffel Tower tickets is the place to book, and the home page lists the other attractions I compare.
Frequently asked questions
Is an Eiffel Tower tour worth it?+
I think so on a first visit, if you value the commentary and a guide who gets you through the entrance. The cheapest guided tour I found is Crown Tours at $43, with 4.5 stars from 1,505 reviews. The extra over a plain timed ticket is the guide and the meeting-point organisation, so decide whether that is worth the gap.
How long is an Eiffel Tower tour?+
From about 1 hour to 2.5 hours in the listings. Blue Fox runs 1.5 hours, City Wonders 1 to 1.5 hours and Crown Tours 1 to 2.5 hours depending on whether you add the summit or a Seine cruise. The e-bike ride passes the tower on a 2-hour route and does not go up it.
Does an Eiffel Tower tour include the summit?+
Three of the four do, as an option or by default. Blue Fox includes summit access in its tour, while Crown Tours and City Wonders list the summit as an option you choose when you book. The e-bike night tour includes no entry to any attraction.
Can I book an Eiffel Tower tour in English?+
Yes, all four listings run in English. Crown Tours, Blue Fox and City Wonders list English only for the guide, and the e-bike tour also lists French, Portuguese and Spanish. I did not find a guided tower tour in another language in my data.
Where do Eiffel Tower tours meet?+
Not at the tower itself. Blue Fox meets at 1 Avenue de Suffren, Crown Tours in the small park on Allée Léon-Bourgeois, and City Wonders at the corner of Avenue Silvestre de Sacy and Avenue Elisée Reclus. Read your confirmation, because two listings warn against going to the tower first.
Are Eiffel Tower tours refundable?+
Three are, up to 24 hours ahead for a full refund. Blue Fox is non-refundable, and the listing says late arrivals count as a no-show. That policy is worth weighing against its price of $110.
