Item
Eiffel Tower, summit by lift + Champagne Ballet Cocktail (×2)
inbox, search “Eiffel Tower”
No glass bottles or cans allowed up the tower, drink the Champagne Bar glass at the bar. Bags checked against a sizer gauge, no lockers on site.
Day 10 of 18 · Paris
The tower, the river, the dinner.
Eiffel summit · Rodin garden · the Seine at dusk with champagne · the big dinner
☼ 59°F / 46°FSun and cloudWear: Warm layers, a scarf, something nice for dinner. Comfortable shoes; umbrella just in case.
School-holiday week in France · busier than a normal weekday
The big night. Built around Dr. Leti's exact recommendation: the tower, then the Seine at dusk with champagne as they light it.
Today’s shape, roughly
Optional, before the day starts. A 1-hour gym session or a run (nearest option is on the Paris page), and an afternoon nap block is built into the schedule below, take it on the long days.
01Morning
10:00
A slow start after the earlier mornings, coffee near the hotel, no rush. The Eiffel slot moved to 12:30 (10:00-12:00 sold out before it got booked), so there's a real morning free.
11:00
Lunch early, on Rue Cler (the market street), a traiteur picnic and wine, eaten before the tower rather than after. See Meals.
12:00
Trocadéro for the photo, then walk down through the gardens to the Eiffel Tower.
02Afternoon
12:30-14:30
Eiffel Tower, booked, summit by lift, plus the Champagne Ballet Cocktail for two. Do the 2nd floor first, look around, then queue there for the summit lift.
15:00
Musée Rodin garden, cheap, roses still out, The Thinker, The Gates of Hell. A shorter, calm visit, the later tower slot ate into this window.
16:15
Back to the hotel to change. Rest. Leave by about 16:50 to be at the pier by 17:25.
03Evening
17:25
Seine cruise with champagne, booked, Vedettes de Paris, departs 17:45, back about 18:45. Be at the pier by 17:25. Sunset is about 18:45, so you're on the water as the light goes. The tower's golden lighting comes on at nightfall; once lit, it sparkles for five minutes at the top of every hour.
Boards at Port de Suffren, right at the foot of the Eiffel Tower on the river (stairs from Pont d'Iéna, or the ramp from Pont de Bir-Hakeim; Metro Bir-Hakeim). Not Bateaux Parisiens, which is a different company at a different pier. 17:45 is the last departure of the day. Show the QR ticket on your phone and board directly; order the champagne at the bar on board with the same ticket. The tickets are on the Drive voucher. Vedettes de Paris +33 1 44 18 08 03.
20:00
The big dinner at Le Train Bleu, booked, table for 2 (Belle Époque, up the staircase in Gare de Lyon). See Meals.
Booked through TheFork for 20:00. Ask to be seated in the main room, not the bar. The cruise docks about 18:45, which leaves roughly 75 minutes to cross town to Gare de Lyon, about 35-40 min by metro or taxi.
The table
Lunch, 11:00 (moved earlier)~$90 / ~$185 inside
Rue Cler picnic, or Madame Brasserie inside the Eiffel
Dr. Trace & Dr. Leti reserve ahead Rue Cler is the classic Paris market street, buy a baguette, jambon, comté, a rotisserie chicken, a bottle, and eat on the Champ de Mars. Madame Brasserie (tower, 1st floor) is the splurge Dr. Leti loved: “the food's fine, the view is the point.” With the tower slot now 12:30-14:30, eating before makes more sense than after; Madame Brasserie only works if you book a table that lands before the summit lift.
Order: Picnic: baguette tradition, jambon de Paris, a runny cheese, a tarte from the boulangerie. Or at Madame Brasserie: the Menu Madame comes with a welcome glass of champagne, ask what's on the seasonal menu, past versions have run caramelized turbot and a shellfish risotto. Their onion soup gets called out repeatedly too.
Dinner~$185
Le Train Bleu (Gare de Lyon), booked 20:00
house pick booked An 1901 dining room inside the station, gilt, frescoes of the whole PLM railway line, a listed monument. Booked, table for 2 at 20:00.
Order: The gigot d'agneau carved tableside (the signature, straight off the trolley), quenelles de brochet if you want the other house specialty, a soufflé to finish. This is one of the only spots on the trip with a real cocktail list (8 options, €14): their Margarita is a genuine one for Le Andra, and the house "Train Bleu" (blue curaçao, raspberry-infused vodka) is a good fruity pick for John, otherwise champagne suits the room. Or the set menu, which is the value play.
Tickets and bookings
inbox, search “Eiffel Tower”
No glass bottles or cans allowed up the tower, drink the Champagne Bar glass at the bar. Bags checked against a sizer gauge, no lockers on site.
Item
Seine cruise with champagne, Vedettes de Paris (×2)
inbox, search “Guided Cruise with Champagne”
Item
The big dinner, Le Train Bleu (table for 2)
inbox, search “Train Bleu”
Today's voucher: Eiffel Tower ticket (Google Drive). Other confirmations remain in the private trip Drive folder. Only travelers with access can open linked files; no ticket contents are embedded here.
Before you leave the door
Insider edge
Split the tower, lift to the 2nd floor, look around, then queue there for the summit lift. And do the river at dusk, not midday, with the champagne option, so you're on the water when they light it.
Dr. Trace & Dr. LetiAvoid this
The sellers at the base of the tower (roses, shell games) and anyone offering to take your photo. Going up the Arc de Triomphe (paid) Galeries Lafayette's roof is free and higher.
Dr. Trace & Dr. LetiBackup move
Wind closes the summit, they refund that portion automatically; do the 2nd floor, then the Musée d'Orsay (15 min away, open till 21:45 Thursdays).
House pickIdeal window
Eiffel at 12:30 (the 10:00 opening slot was gone by the time it was booked); the 17:45 cruise, timed to dusk so you're on the river as the tower lights, and ideally through one hourly sparkle; dinner at 20:00.
House pickIf time, or if a deal lands
| Option | Added | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Seine DINNER cruise instead (upgrade) | +$175 | full dinner on the water, the bigger swing |
| Madame Brasserie, lunch inside the Eiffel | +$95 | the delta over the Rue Cler picnic |
What today runs
Estimates. Swap in the real figure as you go.
| Eiffel Tower, summit by lift + champagne (×2) | $127 |
| Musée Rodin, garden (×2) | $10 |
| Seine sunset cruise, champagne (×2, booked) | $75 |
| Lunch, Rue Cler picnic | $90 |
| The big dinner, Le Train Bleu (booked) | $185 |
| Coffee | $8 |
| Today, Paris | $495 |
Flights and the places to stay are on the costs page, not counted here.
How it went
Written after the day: what you did, what you loved, what you'd skip, the photographs, a voice note or two. It fills in here and in the album.