This Is The Best Time Of Day To Visit The Eiffel Tower For Views, Per Rick Steves

If you're a seasoned traveler, you probably know that the best time of day to visit tourist hot spots is usually first thing in the morning, before the majority of visitors have started their day. However, according to famous travel expert, TV host, and tour guide Rick Steves, that general advice doesn't apply to the Eiffel Tower. Believe it or not, on his website, Rick Steves' Europe, he  recommends getting on the elevator and heading up the tower in the evening.

If you're hoping to ascend the tower and look out at the city below, you could very easily end up waiting in line for two hours or so, depending on the day and the season, so you might as well go when the views are totally worth it. According to Steves, the best time to admire the City of Love from above is just before sunset. Not only will you get to take in a romantic sunset over the city, you can get a clear view of the city in daylight, then wait to see the lights of the city at night emerge.

While Rick Steves recommends seeing the lights of Paris from the Eiffel Tower after dark, he suggests making your way up before the sun sets so that you don't miss out on a clear view of the city in daylight, too. The Eiffel Tower is an iconic symbol of Paris, and plenty of visitors to the city revel in the opportunity to spot it and get a photo of themselves with it — if they can find a gap in the crowd of tourists trying to do the exact same thing. If you're up in the tower, however, you can get the chance to do the opposite and admire the rest of the city's landmarks, from the Louvre to Notre-Dame Cathedral, from above.

You definitely can ride the elevator all the way to the top of La tour Eiffel, and Rick Steves also recommends checking out a secret spot on the way up: Gustave Eiffel's historic apartment. However, if you're looking for the absolute best views of the city, Steves actually recommends one of the lower levels over the summit. On his website, he explained: "I prefer to linger on the second floor: For me, the best views are from this middle level — high enough to see all of Paris, but low enough to pick out distinguishing landmarks."

If you time your visit to the Eiffel Tower just right, when you're done taking in the city from above in the last hour of daylight you should wait through the sunset and take a look at the twinkling lights of the city after dark. There's a lot Hollywood gets wrong about visiting Paris, but there's at least one romantic cliché that might actually be worth waiting in line for: sunset from the Eiffel Tower. This beautiful and romantic view is still a favorite of engaged couples and honeymooning newlyweds.

After the sun sets, you'll have the opportunity to see the City of Light glowing below you in all its glory. As Steves mentioned, the tower itself will glow, too. After dusk, the lights on the tower sparkle for five minutes, on the hour every hour, until 1 a.m.  On his website, Steves stated, "However impressive it may be by day, the tower is an awesome thing to behold at twilight, when darkness fully envelops the city, and the tower is resplendent with its spectacular light show."