Eiffel Tower Summit vs 2nd Floor: Which Should You Choose?

The most common Eiffel Tower planning question: should you upgrade to the summit? The featured Eiffel Tower ticket includes elevator access to the 2nd floor, with an optional summit upgrade for approximately $20 more per person. Rated 4.4/5 by 20,440 visitors. Here’s exactly what you get at each level.

The Three Levels

The Eiffel Tower has three public levels:

• 1st Floor — 57 metres above ground. Includes the famous glass floor, indoor gallery space, and a restaurant.
• 2nd Floor — 116 metres. The main viewing platform, with panoramic views and a champagne bar on this level.
• Summit (Top Floor) — 276 metres. The highest public viewpoint in Paris, with Gustave Eiffel’s restored office and a separate champagne bar.

The featured ticket includes access to all three floors — the summit upgrade is an add-on to reach the very top.

What the 2nd Floor Offers

At 116 metres, the 2nd floor provides the tower’s most spacious public viewing area. It has:

• Large outdoor viewing platforms on all sides
• Clear sight lines to Paris’s major landmarks — Notre-Dame, Sacré-Cœur, the Louvre, Les Invalides
• A champagne bar (Champagne Bar Le Jules Verne level — separate to the summit bar)
• Indoor heated areas useful in winter or rain
• A restaurant (Madame Brasserie)

Most visitors find the 2nd floor views genuinely breathtaking — the scale of Paris below is striking, and the structural ironwork of the tower surrounds you.

What the Summit Adds

At 276 metres, the summit offers:

• Paris’s highest public viewpoint — more than double the 2nd floor’s height
• 360-degree views extending up to 70 km on a clear day
• A champagne bar at the very top
• Gustave Eiffel’s restored office, visible through a glass window with wax figures of Eiffel and Thomas Edison
• A smaller, more intimate platform — fewer people, more personal feel

The view from the summit is quantifiably higher — but the difference in visual experience is less dramatic than the height difference suggests. Paris is a low-rise city; at both levels, you see essentially the same landmarks, just from higher up.

Side-by-Side Comparison

Who Should Upgrade to the Summit?

Upgrade if:

• This is your first visit to the Eiffel Tower and you want the definitive experience
• You want to say you’ve been to the very top
• Clear day conditions are forecast — the summit view is most rewarding in excellent visibility
• You want to see Gustave Eiffel’s restored office (a genuinely interesting historical detail)
• The additional ~$20 per person fits comfortably in your budget

Stay at 2nd floor if:

• You have young children or group members with mobility concerns (the summit lift is small)
• Weather is overcast — the visibility advantage of the summit diminishes significantly in cloud or haze
• You’re visiting multiple Paris attractions and managing costs
• Your primary goal is seeing the tower’s famous glass floor (1st floor, included regardless)

The Glass Floor (1st Floor)

Worth noting: the glass floor — installed in 2014, 57 metres above the Champ de Mars — is accessible to all visitors regardless of summit upgrade. It’s a genuine highlight, especially for children, and is included with every ticket.

For First-Time Visitors

The featured ticket is designed for first-time visitors. The summit upgrade is available at the time of booking. If you’re on a once-in-a-lifetime Paris trip, the summit is worth the $20 additional cost — not because the views are dramatically superior, but because visiting the very highest point has its own significance. You’ll always know you went all the way.

Ready to Book?

The featured Eiffel Tower ticket with hosted access — rated 4.4/5 by 20,440 visitors — includes elevator access, English-speaking host, and the option to add summit access. From $43 per person.