The Magic of the Champagne Bar at the Top of the Eiffel Tower on New Year’s Eve

If you’re visiting Paris for the first time, the Eiffel Tower is the attraction at the top of most people’s list. It’s a beacon of light that sparkles at night, standing proud against the Paris skyline. But climbing to the top is a whole other experience.

Going to the summit with the city spread out before you in all its glory is quite simply breathtaking. The Champagne Bar at the top of the Eiffel Tower serves glasses of Moët & Chandon as you take it all in. Is there any better way to spend New Year’s Eve than with a glass of bubbly in your hand at 276 meters above Paris?

New Year’s Eve at the Champagne Bar at the Top of the Eiffel Tower

I’ve been to La tour Eiffel before, but not to the reserved access at the very top with 360-degree views of Paris and, of course, the champagne bar. However, that’s about to change. This New Year’s Eve, my husband and I will be in Paris and have tickets to the summit.

I can’t think of a better way to wave goodbye to 2025 and welcome in 2026. Granted, we aren’t going to be up there at midnight; we’ll be elsewhere enjoying dinner on a Seine River Cruise. But I couldn’t resist spending an hour or two sipping champagne at the top of the Iron Lady.

The Bar à Champagne at the Eiffel Tower Summit

Before you get too excited, the Champagne Bar isn’t a plush inside bar with velvet seating and gorgeous lighting. It’s more like one of the little huts you get at some of the posh beach resorts in the South of France. However, that doesn’t matter because you haven’t come to sit inside, you’ve come to marvel at the view and take in the City of Light.

I also have to warn you that drinking bubbles in the sky comes at a price. But when in Paris, really, who cares? You’ve come to enjoy the experience, and when else will you get the opportunity to do this?

What’s On The Menu?

Champagne & Caviar

• 2 glasses of Moët & Chandon + Caviar: €78

Champagne

• White – Coupe Champagne Moët & Chandon Imperial brut : €24
• Rosé – Champagne glass Moët & Chandon Imperial rosé: €27

Soft drinks

• Artisanal lemonade La Limonaderie: €6
• Evian Mineral water: €4.50
• Badoit Sparkling water: €5.50

Opening Hours and Tickets

The bar opens from 12 pm to 10 pm daily, and it’s best to reserve tickets in advance to avoid disappointment. A word of warning: the closer you get to the top, the windier it gets. When I went, there was an ice rink on the first floor, which my daughter insisted she had to go on. As I stood watching her skate, it felt as though the tower was moving, and I wasn’t even at the top.

If you want to avoid the crowds, I’d suggest going in the morning, early afternoon, or later in the evening, as it gets busy around sunset, as everyone wants to get the ultimate shot from the top.

The ticket you want is a Summit Ticket, as the regular second-floor ticket doesn’t include access to the very top and the champagne bar.

These are the tickets we’ve booked, which include a guide to give us all those nuggets of information you can’t find in the guidebooks >>>

Dining at the Eiffel Tower

If you’re not heading straight to the top, you can still make a meal of your visit, quite literally. The tower has two restaurants, each offering a very different experience.

Madame Brasserie sits on the first floor, led by Michelin-starred chef Thierry Marx. It’s a bright, modern brasserie with floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking the Seine. Expect refined takes on French classics, from duck confit to seasonal vegetable risotto.

Then there’s Le Jules Verne, the fine dining restaurant perched on the second floor, with one Michelin star. Run by chef Frédéric Anton, it’s the place for a once-in-a-lifetime meal, paired with panoramic views across Paris. Reservations here are essential.

For something lighter, you’ll find takeaway stands and buffets dotted around the first and second levels. Perfect if you just want a quick coffee or croissant before taking the lift higher.

A Little History Behind the Eiffel Tower

The Eiffel Tower was built for the 1889 World’s Fair to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the French Revolution. Gustave Eiffel, the engineer behind its design, initially faced considerable criticism. Parisians called it an eyesore, but time has proven otherwise. Today, it’s one of the most visited landmarks in the world.

Standing 330 meters tall, it took just over two years to complete, using more than 18,000 pieces of iron and held together by 2.5 million rivets. During its early years, it was the tallest structure in the world until the Chrysler Building came along in 1930.

When night falls, the tower transforms. Every evening, 20,000 twinkling bulbs light up the Iron Lady for five minutes on the hour. The Sparkle Show was first introduced for the 2000 celebrations, and it was so well-received that it became a permanent feature. It’s hard not to stop and watch, no matter how many times you’ve seen it before.