Entrance fees for Eiffel Tower rise 20% ahead of Paris Olympics
Tourists aren’t the only ones going up, with ticket prices soaring by 108% over 10 years
Ticket prices for the iconic Eiffel Tower have doubled in the past 10 years
Pandora Pictures/Shutterstock
It may be an iconic must-do on any Paris tourist’s hit list, but a visit to the Eiffel Tower is about to get a lot more expensive, as the capital gears up to host the Olympic Games.
From this week entry to the famous monument will rise by 20%, with each ticket costing an extra €6.
The monument’s managing company, the Société d'Exploitation de la Tour Eiffel (Sete), has said it needs to raise prices to help manage its large deficit, as it says it is still suffering from the Covid-19 crisis.
Before the crisis, visitor numbers averaged more than 6 million per year, with a peak seen in 2011, at 7.08 million. In 2020, the visitor numbers fell to 1.16 million, and were 2.06 million in 2021. In 2023, however, visitor numbers exceeded pre-pandemic levels, at 6.32 million.
The new price increase means that in the past 10 years, the cost of ascending the iconic tower has increased by 108%.
In 2014, it cost €17 for an adult ticket to the top of the Eiffel Tower by lift. Now, this costs €35.30.
The new Eiffel Tower ticket rates
The most expensive ticket rates (without any extras) are now:
Visit with lift access (two lifts) to the top
Full, adult visit: €35.30, up from €29.40
Ages 12-24: €17.70, up from €14.70
Children age 4-11: €8.90, up from €7.40
Disabled people and their carer: €8.90, up from €7.40
Under-4s and those receiving RSA benefit: Free
Visit offering staircase access to the 2nd floor
Full, adult visit: €14.20 for an adult up from €11.80
Ages 12-24: €7.10, up from €5.90
Children age 4-11: €3.60, up from €3
Disabled people and their carer: €3.60, up from €3
Under-4s and those receiving RSA benefit: Free
Iconic increases
The Eiffel Tower is only the latest iconic Paris landmark to raise its prices in recent months.
At the start of the year, the Louvre Museum increased the cost of an adult ticket from €17 to €22 (an increase of 29%). Over the past 10 years, tickets to the Louvre have increased by 83%.
In December, a museum statement said that rising cost was to ensure that the institution could continue to offer a ‘satisfactory welcome’ to the millions of people who visit every year. Almost 9 million visited in 2023.
Read also: Iconic 'French liberty' painting returns to the Louvre
The Paris Catacombs have seen the biggest price increase over the past 10 years however, with a full-price adult ticket now costing €24, up from €10 a decade ago.
