Sips & Trips with Molly

The Eiffel Tower is such an iconic landmark and something that should be on your bucket list. As a girl who has a fear of heights and struggles with Vertigo, it was fair to say I was absolutely bricking it of the thought of going up the Eiffel Tower in Paris.

It is an extremely high building & can be overwhelming. If I can do it and go up, anyone can. It is one of the best experiences I’ve ever had. The one thing I was worried about was the lift because it is slightly angled but it was absolutely fine. Read more on my guide on how to explore the Eiffel Tower if you are worried about heights.

Getting Tickets

You can get the tickets to the Eiffel Tower online and there are different ticket types you can get, including using the stairs or the lift. You can get tickets to each level, first, second and the very top.

We chose access to the second floor of the Eiffel Tower with lift access. I didn’t want to do the absolute top floor so second was my limit and with that we could head to the first floor too. There’s lots of options whether you just want to explore the first floor to begin with.

Entering the Eiffel Tower

You get told to head to a specific entry point and you have to queue to get through security which doesn’t take very long. At this point I was very quiet staring at the Eiffel Tower but I made sure to take some deep breaths. Once you get past security you have time to go to the toilets and wander around the tower as you have to walk under it to get to your access point for the lifts or stairs. Look out for the sign posts of the floor you are going to and the stairs or lifts.

Using the Lift

When we got to our access point it was a rather long queue around 20-30 minutes as you queue to get the lift – there is a maximum number of people per lift. To be honest the longest I queued and watched the lift go up and down my nerves definitely calmed down as I had time to take some deep breaths. Until we got to the lift and you can see my face before entering it my lovely boyfriend took of me – but hey I’m showing the real life of going up the tower.

My top tip when you use the lift is to head to the back of the lift and just focus on the person you are with or a spot on the floor. The lift is full of people so standing at the back I couldn’t really see the outside which helped me with my fear of heights and vertigo.

The first ride to the first floor took about 30 seconds and was absolutely fine, my vertigo didn’t flare I just made sure to focus on my breathing. The next ride up to the 2nd floor again took about 30 seconds and the only thing I found was that it was a bit shaky due to the wind outside but again because it was busy because I didn’t see out my fears were calm.

Visiting the Second Floor

The good thing about the second floor is that there is lots of space for you to explore and get used to the height. There are two different levels on the second floor, the bottom one has a barrier which is helpful if you are a bit nervous.

On a sunny day you get the most amazing views of Paris from the Eiffel Tower. I’m so glad I went up this day because if I didn’t and wanted to next but it was raining I might have cried.

There’s plenty to do on the second floor, including taking all of the pictures your phone has space for to shopping for gifts. We personally loved being able to have a glass of rose wine and paid 2 euros for a cup to take home. I can’t lie I thought we were going to be on the tower for 30 minutes but we easily spent about 90 minutes here because we didn’t want to leave.

Once you have explored the second floor, if you want some more you can go down to the first floor.

The First Floor of the Eiffel Tower

There is less to do on the first floor of the Eiffel Tower which is kind of nice because it’s less congested and you still get wonderful views of Paris. There is a cafe there to have a drink and when we went in February there were still Christmas trees out.

Also on the first floor there is a section where there is a see through floor. This scared me more than using the lift on the way down because it just feels un-natural to walk on it. I did close my eyes and stepped on and once I was on I was fine but I got my boyfriend to take a picture as proof of me doing this.

Getting Down To The Bottom

My boyfriend decided he wanted to try out the stairs which I politely declined. I opted to get the lift because I have got a fear of stairs after the Berlin Victory Column. The queue for the lift was longer than getting down from the 2nd floor because you have other visitors from the upper floors trying to get down.

I went straight to the back of the lift again because that was my safe space where I felt less scared. I would say I didn’t like the lift on the way back from the first floor, my vertigo was flaring up a little bit more. I think it was because of the angle and perhaps going down rather than up it made it worse but its the quickest way to get down.

I am so so so so glad we went up the Eiffel Tower and if I have any advice for someone who hates heights, please just try it. I freaked myself out looking at videos and actually my own experience was that it was okay.

I took some deep breaths, I went to a spot in the lift where I felt happy & my boyfriend made my constantly laugh. We had the most wonderful time, I conquered a fear and the whole experience felt completely magical!

Go and try it x