Eiffel Tower wheelchair accessibility

The Tower has four pillars: North, South, East and West. Reception for visitors with reduced mobility is on the Seine side, near the West pillar. From there you have level access to the ticket counters. If your route brings you in from the Champ de Mars side, the East pillar has its own dedicated PRM lift that serves the interior at ground level (ticketing, security and the main concourse).

Either route works for wheelchair users; the choice usually comes down to which side you arrive on, since the gardens around the Tower are part-cobbled and not always direct between pillars. Staff at the reception will tell you which lift to use that day, because some pillars rotate as queue management.

Three of the four pillars have lifts wheelchair users can take to the upper floors: the West, North and East pillars. These lifts go from ground level to the second floor. Once on the second floor you transfer to a separate lift to reach the first floor (the Tower's lift logic is unusual: you go up first and come back down to the first floor afterwards).

The Ferrié Pavilion on the first floor has its own internal lift. None of the pillars provide an accessible route to the summit, so the second floor is your highest point. There are no accessible stairs as a fallback, which is the same as for non-disabled visitors going beyond the second floor.

The second floor is the highest accessible point and the most rewarding for wheelchair users. The terrace runs all the way around the Tower with viewing telescopes, a panoramic walk and benches along the rail. Inside there is a buffet, a souvenir shop and the Madame Brasserie restaurant, all wheelchair-accessible. Accessible toilets are near the souvenir shop.

The view over the Seine, Trocadéro and the Champ de Mars at this level is the iconic Paris panorama. Bring a light jacket: the second floor is breezy even in summer and noticeably cooler than ground level. Allow at least 45 minutes here if you intend to do the full circuit and stop for refreshments.

After the second floor, take the lift down to the first floor for a different experience. The first floor has three pavilions accessible to people with reduced mobility, including the Ferrié Pavilion (named after Gustave Ferrié, the radio engineer), which has its own lift between levels inside the pavilion.

The transparent glass-walkway section on the first floor is wheelchair-accessible: wheelchair users can roll across it. The Eiffel Tower's history exhibit and the cinematic show about Gustave Eiffel are on this floor. Restaurants on the first floor are also accessible by lift; advance booking is required at the higher-end options.

The Tower is honest about this on its public page: the third floor (summit) is not accessible to wheelchair users or to visitors using crutches. The reason given is security during evacuation. The lift between the second floor and the summit is significantly smaller than the ground-to-second-floor lifts and cannot accommodate a wheelchair.

There is no service lift or freight alternative the public can take. If reaching the highest point of a Paris monument matters to you, consider Montparnasse Tower's observation deck, whose lifts and viewing area are wheelchair-accessible to the top floor.

There are accessible toilets at three points on the Tower. The first is in the gardens, on the East-pillar side, reached via a wheelchair lift down from the gravel level. The second is on the first floor, inside the Ferrié Pavilion, which is served by its own lift. The third is on the second floor, near the souvenir shop.

All three are dedicated wheelchair-accessible toilets with grab rails and the additional space wheelchair users need to transfer. If you are spending time around the base of the Tower as well as visiting the upper floors, the gardens toilet on the East-pillar side is the closest if you arrive by RER at Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel.

The Tower operates a reduced disabled rate. The disabled visitor and one companion both pay the reduced rate; the operator caps companions eligible for the reduction at one. To use the reduction you need to present a Disabled Person Identification Card or equivalent official document at the ticket counter.

If your card is from another country it is worth carrying a translation if it is not in French or English, and the practical guidance from the Office du Tourisme de Paris is that a recent doctor's letter (translated where possible) is also an acceptable backup. Children under four enter free regardless of disability status. Up-to-date prices and the eligibility rules are on the Tower's official accessibility page.

RER C is the only step-free rail option close to the Tower. Get off at Champ de Mars-Tour Eiffel and follow the Seine-side path to the West pillar reception. The two nearest metro stations are Bir-Hakeim on Line 6 and Trocadéro on Lines 6 and 9; neither has step-free access from street to platform, so they are not a wheelchair-friendly route.

Most RATP bus routes that stop near the Tower are step-free with deployable ramps. Routes 42, 69, 72, 82 and 87 all serve the area; route 82 has a stop named Tour Eiffel that puts you closest to the West-pillar reception. If buses or RER are inconvenient, an accessible taxi (Paris has dedicated wheelchair-accessible taxi vehicles, bookable in advance) is the most reliable option from anywhere in central Paris.

Booking online before you go is strongly recommended at the Eiffel Tower, even more so for wheelchair users because the on-site queue routing is not consistent during peak season. Use the Tower's official website. Choose the lift option, not stairs.

When you book the disabled rate ticket you specify the disability identification document you will be presenting on the day, and the system lets you add one companion at the same reduced rate. If you want a non-disabled companion or family member at the standard rate as well, book their ticket separately at the standard adult rate. The first or last time slot of the day generally has the shortest queues; midday in summer is the longest.

Bring a light jacket: the second floor is breezy and the temperature is several degrees cooler than at ground level, even in summer. Charge your phone before you go, because the lift queues and the second-floor circuit can take longer than expected.

The gardens around the base of the Tower are partly cobbled and the path between pillars is not always direct, so plan to enter at the pillar closest to where you arrive (the West pillar reception if you come by RER C, or the East pillar PRM lift if you arrive from the Champ de Mars side).

The accessible toilet in the gardens on the East-pillar side is reached by a wheelchair lift you may need to call by an intercom button if no attendant is present. Restaurant reservations at Madame Brasserie (first floor) and the Jules Verne (second floor) need to be made in advance; both kitchens are accessible.