Eiffel Tower tickets, dining and bus combos compared

The short answer

Start with the level you want to reach. SkyGate sells eight products in this group, and they split three ways: tickets that take you up the tower by lift, with or without the summit; meals at Madame Brasserie on the first floor, which do not include the 2nd floor or summit; and bus tours, two of which add tower access and two of which only pass it.[8][7][5][1] Wikidata places the tower on the Champ de Mars in Paris.[12] The tower's own website could not be read when XTOUR checked, so levels and access below are as SkyGate's options state them.

Going up: reserved access or a guided summit tour

The Eiffel Tower Reserved Access Tickets with Optional Summit has two options, and SkyGate titles both as a guided tour with an English-speaking guide on the first and second levels, by lift. The second option adds the summit, which you visit at your own pace after the guided part. The meeting point is 41 Avenue de la Bourdonnais, the options list evening start times only, and there is one ticket type for all ages. SkyGate's cancellation summary for this product is a 50% refund at least 24 hours ahead.[1] SkyGate calls it reserved access; XTOUR does not read that as a promise of no queue or no security check.

The Eiffel Tower Guided Tour with Summit Entry and Seine River Cruise includes the summit in every option; the three options differ only by guide language (English, Japanese or Mandarin). The tour starts at Place du Trocadéro, opposite the Ferdinand Foch statue, walks to the tower and goes up by lift to the summit; afterwards you explore the other levels and the stairs area on your own. Each option adds a round-trip Seine cruise ticket, but SkyGate does not name the pier. SkyGate's listing says the tour is not suitable for people with reduced mobility.[2] See the Eiffel Tower page on XTOUR.

A bus tour that ends at the tower

The Paris Open-Top Bus Tour and Eiffel Tower Access and the Paris Illuminations Night Bus Tour and Eiffel Tower Access both start at Place de Sydney and finish at the tower, and each has a 2nd-floor option and a 2nd-floor-and-summit option by lift. The difference is the hour: the open-top tour passes the Opéra Garnier, the Louvre, the Champs-Élysées, the Arc de Triomphe and Notre-Dame by day, while the night tour passes the Île de la Cité, Notre-Dame, the Invalides and the Latin Quarter lit up. SkyGate lists an audio guide for both, not a tour guide.[4] The open-top tour's voucher text asks you to arrive at least 30 minutes early and names the PARISCityVISION office at 2 Rue des Pyramides, a different address from the Place de Sydney meeting point; it also mentions a Seine cruise ticket that the inclusions do not list, so confirm both with the seller.[3]

Dining on the first floor: Madame Brasserie

The Eiffel Tower Dining at Madame Brasserie has four options: lunch with the Brasserie menu or the Madame menu with drinks, and dinner with the Gustave or Grande Dame menu, both with drinks. SkyGate says each option includes reserved access, lift access and a dedicated queue for restaurant guests, and that the 2nd floor and summit are not included. SkyGate puts the restaurant 58 metres above the ground.[5] The restaurant's official page says to go to Entrance 1 with your booking confirmation and collect the lift ticket at the Madame Brasserie reception on the forecourt. The same page asks for smart casual dress at dinner and offers children's menus for ages 4 to 11.[9] See the Madame Brasserie page on XTOUR.

The Paris Open-Top Bus Tour, Seine River Cruise and Eiffel Tower Dining packs a Madame Brasserie lunch, an open-top bus tour and a one-hour Seine cruise from the foot of the tower into one option, starting at Place de Sydney. SkyGate says it is not a guided tour, as commentary comes by audio app, that the cruise ticket is valid for six months from your selected date, and that the 2nd floor and summit are not included.[6]

Bus tours with no tower access

The Paris Panoramic Bus Tour and Seine River Cruise pairs a 1.5-hour open-top panoramic tour with an audio guide and a one-hour Seine cruise on a glass-encased boat; SkyGate lists no tower admission. SkyGate says the cruise ticket is valid for six months from the day after the tour.[7]

The Tootbus Paris Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour has 26 options built from four blocks: 24, 48 or 72 hours on the blue hop-on hop-off route; a Paris by Night tour; a one-hour Vedettes de Paris Seine cruise; or a four-hour audio-guided afternoon tour of the Palace of Versailles on the first day. Each also comes as a Family Package for two adults and up to two children. SkyGate says the Paris by Night tour is a non-stop panoramic tour, not hop-on hop-off, starting at Place du Carrousel, and the operator describes it as a 2-hour evening tour.[10] When XTOUR checked, the Paris by Night options showed dates only until 1 November 2026, and the Versailles options from 6 October.[8] Versailles is not in Paris: Wikidata places the palace in the town of Versailles.[13] Vedettes de Paris sells its own combined ticket with Tootbus.[11]

How to choose

• The summit with a live guide and a cruise: the Eiffel Tower Guided Tour with Summit Entry and Seine River Cruise.
• An evening guided visit, 2nd floor or summit: the Eiffel Tower Reserved Access Tickets with Optional Summit.
• A city tour first, then the tower: the Paris Open-Top Bus Tour and Eiffel Tower Access by day, or the Paris Illuminations Night Bus Tour and Eiffel Tower Access after dark.
• A meal with a view, no higher than the first floor: the Eiffel Tower Dining at Madame Brasserie, or the Paris Open-Top Bus Tour, Seine River Cruise and Eiffel Tower Dining for a full day.
• A bus and boat without going up: the Paris Panoramic Bus Tour and Seine River Cruise, or the Tootbus Paris Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour for one to three days.

Before you book

• Check the summit is in your option title; one option each of the reserved-access ticket and the two bus combos stops at the 2nd floor.[4][3][1]
• Meeting points differ: 41 Avenue de la Bourdonnais, Place du Trocadéro, Place de Sydney or Entrance 1 at the tower.[9][3][2][1]
• SkyGate says security checks or crowds may delay entry even with reserved access.[6]