Eiffel Tower Ticket Prices Just Jumped Almost 50 Percent
If you're a tourist in Paris, the Eiffel Tower is almost certainly near the top of your list of must-see attractions in the City of Lights. Unfortunately, that visit just got significantly more expensive. As of November 1, the cost of a ticket to go to the top of the tallest freestanding structure in France increased by nearly 50% from €17 (~US$20) to €25 (~US$29).
Even if you don't go all the way up, prices to get halfway have also jumped by similar amounts. An elevator trip to the second floor is now €16 (~US$19) instead of €11 (~US$13). And you can't even avoid the increase by taking the stairs — walking to the second floor now costs €10 (~US$12), up from €7 (~US$8).
The price hikes are slated to fund ongoing renovations at the Iron Lady, along with improvements in security around the highly popular tourist destination. A metal fence currently surrounds the tower, but plans call for it to be replaced by a bulletproof glass wall at a cost of €20 million. However, that's just a small portion of the €300 million slated to be spent on Eiffel Tower renovations over the next 15 years, which will include making waiting lines more efficient, modernizing the second floor along with some of the lifts, painting and cleaning.
In September, Paris was chosen as the site for the 2024 Summer Olympics — a decision that likely has the city looking to put its best foot forward for the major sporting event. Turns out visitors might be the ones to bear the cost of sprucing up the city's most iconic structure.
Tourists can take solace in the fact that even with the new increases, the cost of visiting the Eiffel Tower remains substantially lower than a trip to the tallest buildings in the US. A standard ticket to the One World Observatory at the top of One World Trade Center in New York runs $34, while getting to the 102nd floor of the Empire State Building will set you back a whopping $56.
H/T: The Local via Conde Nast Traveler
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