Louvre + Eiffel Tower Combo

The Mona Lisa and the Eiffel Tower — the two most photographed things in Paris. For many first-time visitors, seeing both in one day IS the Paris trip. The Louvre + Eiffel Tower combo bundles these icons into a single booking, locks in your entry times, and typically saves money versus buying tickets separately. It’s the closest thing Paris has to a “greatest hits” ticket.

This guide describes the Louvre + Eiffel Tower combo in full — what’s included, how the timing works, the ideal day itinerary, and what to expect at each site.

What’s Included in the Combo

When you book, here’s what you get:

• Reserved-access Louvre entry within a 30-minute booked window
• Eiffel Tower entry — typically either 2nd-floor or summit access (depends on product)
• Priority lane at the Louvre via the dedicated ticket-holder entrance
• Full Louvre collection access — permanent collection and temporary exhibitions
• Eiffel Tower timed entry — a specific slot for your visit
• Combined savings — typically 10–15% cheaper than buying each separately
• Mobile tickets — QR codes for both attractions
• Multilingual signage at both sites

The combo typically comes in two flavours:

Eiffel Tower 2nd-Floor Combo

Access to the Eiffel Tower’s 2nd floor (the main observation level) plus Louvre entry. The 2nd floor has the best balance of views, facilities, and shorter queues compared to the summit.

Eiffel Tower Summit Combo

Access to the top of the Eiffel Tower (276 metres) plus Louvre entry. The summit has the most impressive views but requires an additional lift ride from the 2nd floor — during peak times the summit queue can be long.

Buy This Ticket

What You’ll Experience

At the Louvre (morning, 3–4 hours)

Your Louvre portion covers the full permanent collection and any temporary exhibitions. Priority lanes let you skip the main Pyramid queue and head straight to security.

Must-see highlights:

• Mona Lisa — Leonardo da Vinci’s iconic portrait in the Salle des États
• Winged Victory of Samothrace — the Hellenistic sculpture at the top of the Daru staircase
• Venus de Milo — in the Sully Wing’s Greek antiquities
• Liberty Leading the People — Delacroix’s French Romantic icon
• The Raft of the Medusa — Géricault’s massive Romantic painting
• Napoleon III Apartments — lavish Second Empire state rooms in the Richelieu Wing
• Egyptian antiquities — including the Seated Scribe and the Great Sphinx of Tanis

See our Louvre in One Day itinerary for a detailed hour-by-hour plan.

At the Eiffel Tower (afternoon or evening, 1.5–2 hours)

Your Eiffel Tower visit typically starts 30–60 minutes before your booked slot. You arrive at the base, pass security, take the lift (or stairs) up, and enjoy the views.

What you see from each level:

• 2nd floor (115m): The most popular observation deck — stunning 360° views of Paris, the Champ de Mars below, and both the Trocadéro and the Seine. This is where most visitors feel the “wow” moment.
• Summit (276m): Higher, more panoramic views including distant landmarks like La Défense, the Arc de Triomphe, and (on clear days) Montmartre, the Sacré-Cœur, and Château de Vincennes. Champagne bar at the top.
• 1st floor (57m): The often-skipped lower level with the glass floor, historical exhibition, and panoramic restaurant Madame Brasserie.

The evening option

Many visitors save the Eiffel Tower for sunset or evening — the tower sparkles with its 5-minute light show every hour on the hour after dark. If your combo ticket allows, booking an evening Eiffel Tower slot after a morning Louvre visit is one of the most magical Paris experiences.

Ticket Details at a Glance

The Ideal Day Itinerary

9:00 AM: Louvre opens

Book your Louvre slot for 9:00 AM. This gives you the quietest galleries before tour groups arrive at 10:30 AM. Expect 3–3.5 hours to cover the highlights.

12:30 PM: Lunch at the Louvre

Eat at one of the museum’s cafés or the Carrousel food court. Angelina on the first floor has a famous hot chocolate.

1:30 PM: Walk or metro to the Eiffel Tower

The 35-minute walk along the Seine is beautiful — past Tuileries Gardens, Place de la Concorde, and along the Quai des Tuileries. Or take metro Line 1 to Concorde, transfer to Line 8 to École Militaire (18 minutes total).

2:00–2:30 PM: Arrive at the Eiffel Tower

Arrive 30 minutes before your booked slot. Clear security and head to the lift queue or stairs.

2:30–4:30 PM: Eiffel Tower visit

Go up to the 2nd floor (or summit, depending on ticket). Spend 1.5–2 hours enjoying views, photos, and the tower’s engineering history exhibits.

4:30 PM onwards: Dinner or further exploration

The Eiffel Tower area has restaurants in every direction. For sunset, Trocadéro (across the river) has the best view of the tower itself.

Alternative: Evening Eiffel Tower

Book the Louvre for 9:00 AM and the Eiffel Tower for 7:30–8:30 PM. Spend the afternoon at a café, Parisian park, or another lighter activity. Ride up the Eiffel Tower as sunset approaches, enjoy the views in golden hour, and watch the tower sparkle from below afterwards.

Who This Combo Is For

The Louvre + Eiffel Tower combo suits specific visitors:

First-time Paris visitors wanting the two most iconic experiences in one seamless day.

Short-stay travellers (2–3 days) needing to pack in the highlights without wasting time on logistics.

Photography enthusiasts — both sites are iconic photo opportunities.

Bucket-list travellers who’ve dreamed of seeing both for years.

Couples and small groups on a classic Paris trip.

If you’re doing 3+ attractions, the Paris Museum Pass might save more overall — but it does NOT include the Eiffel Tower (which is a common surprise). For the Eiffel Tower, you always need a separate ticket.

What to Expect on the Day

Louvre portion

Arrive at your booked time window. Use the priority lane, clear security (5–15 min), and explore. No host meeting required for standard combo products — just your reserved-access ticket.

Eiffel Tower portion

The Eiffel Tower has strict timed entry. Arrive 30 minutes before your booked slot — you’ll wait in the ticket-holder line, clear security, then join the lift queue. Plan for 45–90 minutes of total queueing during peak season; less off-peak.

Security at the Eiffel Tower: More thorough than the Louvre. Bags are X-rayed, visitors are scanned. Oversized bags are refused.

Going up:

• Lift to 2nd floor: ~5 minutes travel time
• Stairs to 2nd floor: ~15 minutes of continuous climbing (good exercise, but skip if you have mobility issues)
• Separate lift to summit from 2nd floor: additional 5–10 minutes wait, then a ~1-minute lift ride

After the tower

You exit through the ground-level exit. The area around the tower has restaurants, souvenir shops, and metro access via Bir-Hakeim (Line 6) or École Militaire (Line 8).

Practical Information

Bag and security rules

Louvre: 55 × 35 × 20 cm limit, no selfie sticks, no food. See Louvre Rules.

Eiffel Tower: Similar bag restrictions but stricter security. Large bags and suitcases are refused entry — leave them at your hotel or use a nearby luggage storage service.

Weather considerations

Louvre: Fully indoors and climate-controlled — weather is irrelevant.

Eiffel Tower: Partially outdoor (all levels have outdoor viewing areas). In rain, views are less dramatic and the outdoor decks can be slippery. In strong wind, summit access is sometimes closed for safety. In winter, the tower is fully operational but cold at the top — dress warmly.

Accessibility

Louvre: Extensively wheelchair-accessible. See Louvre Accessibility.

Eiffel Tower: 1st and 2nd floors are wheelchair-accessible via lifts. The summit is NOT wheelchair-accessible — the lift from 2nd floor to summit is too small for wheelchairs. Service dogs are welcome.

Photography

Non-flash photography is allowed throughout both sites. Tripods are prohibited at the Eiffel Tower for safety reasons (crowds on the observation decks). Drone photography is strictly prohibited in central Paris.

Children

Children under 18 enter the Louvre free — though the combo ticket price typically assumes paying adults. At the Eiffel Tower, under-4s are free; ages 4–11 and 12–24 have reduced rates. Check your specific combo product’s age brackets.

When to Book

• Peak season (April–October): 3–4 weeks ahead. The Eiffel Tower especially sells out early for summer evening slots.
• Shoulder season: 2 weeks
• Low season: 1 week

Timing tip: Book the Louvre for 9:00 AM and the Eiffel Tower for a late-afternoon or evening slot. The Eiffel Tower is at its best at sunset year-round.

Tips for Making the Most of the Combo

Start at the Louvre. Museums are demanding; do them while you have energy.

Don’t rush the Eiffel Tower. After the Louvre, you’ll be tempted to rush through the Eiffel Tower to get to dinner. Don’t — the views are the whole point.

Consider summit access if the weather is clear. On clear days, summit views are genuinely spectacular. On overcast days, stop at the 2nd floor — the difference isn’t worth the extra queueing.

Photograph from Trocadéro after. After descending, walk across Pont d’Iéna to Trocadéro for the best tower photo angles.

Eat before going up. Food options on the tower are limited and expensive. Either eat before or book the Madame Brasserie restaurant on the 1st floor in advance.

Check the evening light show. The tower sparkles for 5 minutes on the hour, every hour, from sunset until 1:00 AM (11:00 PM from November to March). Plan your photo timing accordingly.

Dress in layers. The summit can be 10°C cooler than the ground in winter.

Walk between attractions for bonus Paris sights. The 35-minute walk from Louvre to Eiffel Tower passes some of Paris’s best architecture.

Buy This Ticket