Eiffel Tower Paris

By alantvuong on December 12, 2022

I have visited many tall towers around the world including Toronto’s CN Tower, Dubai’s Burj Khalifa, Tokyo’s Skytree and many more. Of course I had to visit the world famous Eiffel Tower in Paris when I recently went to this city with a friend. I always see this iconic landmark in movies and always wondered how accessible this tower would be considering it’s age and if I could actually visit it or not.

About The Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower is about 330 meters (1080 feet) tall and opened in 1889. It was the tallest building when it opened and stayed the tallest until 1930. It was named after the engineer Gustave Eiffel and was designated a historic monument in 1964 and was named part of a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1991.

Tickets must be purchased online in advance as it one of the world’s most visited paid monuments. I saw on the website that access to the very top is not for people in wheelchairs and they can only make it to the second floor. There is also a discount ticket price for those in wheelchairs so we bought admission tickets only to the second floor which was 17,10€ for my friend and 4,30€ for myself.

Getting There

The Eiffel Tower is located on the Champs de Mars at 5 avenue Anatole France in the 7th arrondissement of Paris. My friend and I were staying at Central Hotel Paris which was in the Montparnasse district. We were debating on taking either a taxi or an Uber to the tower but decided on Uber since it was cheaper. It was only a 15 minute drive and my first time in a Tesla car.

using an Uber to get to the Eiffel Tower… first time in a Tesla

There was a separate line for wheelchairs that is shorter to get into the Esplanade area. We did not need our online tickets yet but had to go through security to get into this area.

have to go through security to get into Esplanade area

The Esplanade

looking up at the tower

This large open area is where we start. The Esplanade is dominated by the Eiffel Tower as we get to see the iron structure soar high above in the sky. Looking up at the tower from the base makes the tower look even bigger. This area also includes a Gustave Eiffel sculpture, information desk, a few food places, and a couple gift shops.

one of the shops

2nd Floor

waiting in line to use the elevator to get to the 2nd floor

We then proceeded to enter a line to get our tickets scanned to get to the 2nd floor. We were told that the tickets were for another day so we quickly left to buy tickets and returned to the line. We started with this higher floor because we did not have that much time to visit the Eiffel Tower as we had to have lunch after and our timed ticket to the Louvre. The lines to the elevator any of the levels were long so we rather get a higher view.

such a great view from above

It was easy for my wheelchair to get out in the viewing area but I did find it a bit breezy and cold up there. There are fencing all the way around to prevent anyone from falling out. Even the lower safety barrier is fencing with glass which made it easier for me to enjoy the spectacular views from my wheelchair. The coin operated telescopes were not accessible but I still could see everything I wanted.

the city landscape

couldn’t use the telescope but still got a great view of everything

1st Floor and the Top

I wish we had more time as we skipped waiting in line to use the elevator to the 1st floor. There was a glass floor that I would have love to see and wheel on. There was also an outdoor terrace with plants, trees, covered dome, and a restaurant on the first floor. The top was not wheelchair accessible at all but there is a champagne bar with the highest and best views of the city.

The Gardens

the gardens

We did stroll through part of the gardens on the ground floor really quick on our way out of the Eiffel Tower area. This part of the experience is actually free and open to the public. There are ponds, caves, and even a mini waterfall, surrounded by grass and many many trees. It really is a nice garden and worth visiting.

so green

Final Thoughts

My friend and I really enjoyed our time checking out the iconic Eiffel Tower. For a structure that is over a hundred years old, it was pretty much all wheelchair accessible except the very top floor. We visited for over an hour and had to skip one of the floors, but when I return, I will make sure to visit every floor possible.