Paris day trip help

[micksn]

This August will be our tenth trip to DLP We are finally going to have a day trip to Paris as part of our stay. We will get the train from DLP to Paris, we want to visit the Eiffel Tower first and then do the Vedettes de Paris sightseeing tour (courtesy of tesco vouchers)
Which station do I need to go to first and then can I get a metro to the Eiffel tower from that station? Which ticket would I be best to get and does the time of travel affect the price? Would I be best to wait till 9.30 to go?
We would then like to do some shopping, I am travelling with my 16 year old DD and her BF. Where would you recommend?
Any suggestions would be much appreciated.

 

[A Small World]

I think the best way to get to the Eiffel Tower is to get the RER from DLP to Charles de Gualle Etoile (this will take about 50-60 mins).
Once there dont exit the station but get the metro line 6 to Trocadero (3 stops).
You get wonderful views of the Tower from above and can walk down towards it past the Fountains etc.

http://parisbytrain.com/wp-content/uploads/2008/06/metro.pdf

If you want to go up the Tower you are best to book as the lines can be really long.

There are 2 really large department stores in Paris - Galeries Lafayettes and Printemps - both close to each other. These are also both close to Auber station where you can get the RER train back to DLP at the end of the day.

The best ticket to get is a Mobilis ticket which will cost approx 15Euro and will get you into Paris and back and also give you unlimited use of the metro for the day. You just buy these at the station at DLP

 

[Tubbsy]

As far as I can see tickets for the Eiffel Tower online are sold out for August.
We are planning a very early start so we can be At the Eiffel Tower to buy our tickets on the day. (I will stand in the queue whilst my DH, DD and DS head up to the Statue of Liberty) DH is a seasoned traveller on Swiss and German trains, otherwise I would wait til later to avoid daily commuters! But thats just because I am a big fat chicken!

 

[micksn]

Thanks for help. Yes I tried Eiffel Tower about a month ago and it was already booked up! We may queue and go up the stairs or just soak up the atmosphere.

 

[jillrobinson]

I booked my tickets to the summit as soon as they were released for our trip we went in and up to to the 2nd level bang on time.
We queued for about 3/4 hour for the summit, then got moved onto the end of another queue, we stayed around 3/4 hour there but as it didn't appear to be moving at all we left.
I'd recommend an early visit, our slot was 3.30 and it was absolute chaos
This was during the 14th July weekend so that could of been the reason, hopefully you'll have a better experience.

 

[chmurf]

Thanks for help. Yes I tried Eiffel Tower about a month ago and it was already booked up! We may queue and go up the stairs or just soak up the atmosphere.

wait time just to get the tickets is ridiculous.

August has "very high" wait times during the week and "extreme" wait times (official)

this means somewhere between 90 minutes and 4 hours just to get to the elevator.
Then if you want to go to the top, there might be an additional 45 to 90 minutes once your on and up the tower for the 3rd floor elevator.

be prepared and pack a lot of fluids. There is no shade at all in that line. The tower above does not cast shadows over the lines.

 

[A Small World]

Thanks for help. Yes I tried Eiffel Tower about a month ago and it was already booked up! We may queue and go up the stairs or just soak up the atmosphere.

wait time just to get the tickets is ridiculous.

August has "very high" wait times during the week and "extreme" wait times (official)

this means somewhere between 90 minutes and 4 hours just to get to the elevator.
Then if you want to go to the top, there might be an additional 45 to 90 minutes once your on and up the tower for the 3rd floor elevator.

be prepared and pack a lot of fluids. There is no shade at all in that line. The tower above does not cast shadows over the lines.

If you decide to climb the stairs as you mentioned there is a seperate queue for this at one of the pillars so you dont have to join the massive queue to get tickets - at least this always used to be the case and assume its still the same.

 

[micksn]

Thanks for advice I think I have a plan now. Just wanted to know if it's cheaper to get the train into Paris after 9.30 am or is it just busier before then. I would like to leave at 9ish, but will wait if tickets are cheaper later.

 

[A Small World]

Im sure they are the same price whatever time you travel but it is very busy - you will be ok though and will get a seat as you get on at the first station

 

[boswellnakia]

How far in advance can you purchase tickets for the Eiffel Tower? If we are going next June, what would the latest we should wait to purchase them?

 

[Lisa_C]

The website has it listed

Just a word of warning, if you opt to walk the stairs, pray for cool weather as I thought I was going to die yesterday and opted not to do it in the end - its almost spontaneous combustible weather at the moment!!