The Palace of Versailles in the morning, the Eiffel Tower at sunset: a combo that brings together the two symbols of the Paris region in one purchase, with skip-the-line and booked slots.
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The Versailles + Eiffel Tower combo brings together, in a single booking, entry to the Palace of Versailles and access to the Eiffel Tower. It’s the ideal offer for anyone wanting to tick off Paris’s two most iconic monuments without dealing with two different ticket offices.
In practice, you buy a single ticket, you receive two entry passes — one per site — and you get skip-the-line access at each. The Eiffel Tower generally gives access to the 2nd floor, sometimes with a summit option for an extra fee. Versailles opens up the State Apartments and the Hall of Mirrors.
Be aware, though: this isn’t an “all-in-one” route over a single time window. The two sites are separate, around twenty kilometres apart, and each requires its own timed slot. It’s precisely this point that takes a little organising, and that’s exactly what this page is about.
The content varies slightly by offer, but the structure stays the same. Here’s the detail of what you get with a classic combo.
| Element | What’s included |
|---|---|
| Eiffel Tower floor | Access to the 2nd floor (panorama). Summit sometimes offered as a paid option |
| Versailles access | Palace ticket: State Apartments, Hall of Mirrors, audio guide |
| Skip-the-line | Priority lane at both sites (Eiffel Tower security is still compulsory) |
| Audio guide | Included on the Versailles side, in around a dozen languages |
| Slots | A booked time for each site, chosen separately |
| Validity | Date and time fixed at booking; check the change conditions |
Indicative detail. The exact content (2nd floor or summit, Palace ticket or Passport) depends on the offer chosen from our partner Headout. Official prices and access are published by the official site, chateauversailles.fr, and by the Eiffel Tower operating company.
The Eiffel Tower stands in the heart of Paris, on the Champ-de-Mars, a stone’s throw from the Trocadéro. The Palace of Versailles, on the other hand, lies about 20 km to the south-west of the capital. Between the two, you have to allow for a real journey — not just a walk between two streets.
From Paris, the RER C leads directly to the “Versailles Château – Rive Gauche” station, ten minutes’ walk from the palace. Reckon on around 40 to 50 minutes door to door from the centre, depending on your starting point and the wait for the train. By car, allow about 45 minutes outside peak times, plus paid parking on the Place d’Armes.
The most common mistake I see in visitors: underestimating this travel time. Versailles isn’t “next to” the Eiffel Tower. Add to that the fact that the estate is enormous — the Grand Canal alone is 1.5 km long — and you understand why a combo needs serious planning.
The best way to do both? Make Versailles a day out and save the Eiffel Tower for the end. The palace opens at 9am in high season; the gardens and the Trianon Estate alone deserve several hours.
The Eiffel Tower, for its part, stays open late — often until midnight in summer. So you can come back from Versailles in the late afternoon, have dinner, then go up the tower for sunset and the night panorama.
This order has a simple logic: Versailles closes early and is best experienced by day, while the Eiffel Tower shows its finest face at dusk. Reverse it, and you risk arriving at Versailles tired and missing the light.
Two scenarios are possible, and they’re not equal depending on the time you have.
Over two days (recommended): devote a full day to Versailles — palace in the morning, lunch on site, gardens and Trianon in the afternoon. Save the Eiffel Tower for another evening of your Paris stay. It’s the most serene pace, the one that does justice to both sites.
Over a single day (intense): it’s doable, but demanding. Reckon on Versailles in the morning (entry slot around 9.30–10am), a quick meal, back to Paris in the early afternoon, then the Eiffel Tower late in the day for sunset. You’ll probably drop the Trianon and part of the gardens. Bring good shoes: visiting the palace alone means more than 3 km on foot, on top of the walking in Paris and the climb up the tower.
My experience after dozens of visits: if you can, spread it over two days. The combo stays valid even if the two dates aren’t consecutive — the point is the single purchase and the skip-the-line, not an obligation to do everything in one go.
Both monuments work on the timed-slot principle, and that’s non-negotiable.
Practical tip: choose your Versailles slot first (in the morning), then slot in the Eiffel Tower in the evening, keeping at least two hours of margin for the return journey and any transport hiccup.
The combo also has an aesthetic coherence. In the morning, you cross the Hall of Mirrors, its 357 mirrors and its chandeliers — the apogee of royal splendour. In the evening, you rise above contemporary Paris from the Eiffel Tower’s 2nd floor.
On one side, the frozen luxury of the 17th century; on the other, the living city sparkling away. Few sightseeing days offer such a contrast, and that’s exactly what makes this pairing memorable.
A little bonus: from the 2nd floor, on a clear day, the gaze reaches far to the west — the very direction of Versailles, which you’ve just left.
The real question isn’t so much price as planning convenience. Here’s how to decide.
Also think about your fare profile: 18–25-year-olds resident in the EU enter Versailles free according to the official site. In that case, a “full-price” combo at both sites isn’t necessarily the best maths, and buying separately can prove smarter.
Here’s the run-through I most often suggest to make the most of the combo, ideally over two days.
If you only have one day, compress it all: Versailles early in the morning, back around 2–3pm, and the Eiffel Tower at dusk — accepting that you’ll sacrifice the Trianon. Either way, keep some margin: it’s a packed Paris day, not a race against the clock.
The tower is visited in stages, and each one has its appeal. Knowing what to expect saves you from rushing and helps you choose the option that suits you.
My concrete advice: if you’re unsure about the summit, save it for a clear evening. In overcast weather, the 2nd floor already gives the essentials, and the extra climb loses its point.
This is the crux of this combo. Here are the realistic options for getting from one site to the other, with indicative door-to-door times.
Worth noting: the “Champ de Mars – Tour Eiffel” station is on the opposite bank from the tower’s main entrance. Allow a few minutes’ walk along the Seine, and remember that at peak times the RER C can be packed. Always keep a comfortable margin before your slot, especially if you’re doing both sites the same day.
Both monuments impose their own rules, and knowing them in advance spares you stress on the spot.
On the luggage side, Versailles also applies restrictions: suitcases and large bags are not allowed, and the free cloakroom is limited. In both cases, the right reflex is the same: head out for the day with a small bag, no more, no less. You’ll save time at the checks at both sites.
Most often, the combo includes access to the Eiffel Tower’s 2nd floor, which already offers a remarkable panorama. Access to the summit is sometimes offered as a paid option. Check the exact content of the offer when booking, as it varies between deals.
Yes, it’s doable, but intense. The best plan is to do Versailles in the morning, come back to Paris in the early afternoon, then go up the Eiffel Tower for sunset. Reckon on around 40 to 50 minutes of travel between the two and expect to drop the Trianon. For more comfort, spread the visit over two days.
Yes. The Palace of Versailles requires booked timed-slot entry, including for free tickets. The Eiffel Tower is also booked by time, with a strict security check. The combo gives you a slot for each site, to be chosen separately.
Skip-the-line saves you the ticket-buying queue and directs you to the priority access. However, the Eiffel Tower security check is still compulsory for everyone and can take time at busy hours: arrive early and travel light, with no large luggage.
The combo is convenient if you want a single purchase and skip-the-line at both sites. Separate tickets offer more date flexibility and suit you better if you’re after the Versailles Passport, or if you qualify for free entry (under-18s, 18–25-year-olds resident in the EU according to the official site). It’s up to you to weigh simplicity against flexibility.
At both sites, large suitcases and bulky bags are banned, and there’s no suitable left-luggage facility to leave them. At the Eiffel Tower, the security check is airport-style and screens from the esplanade onwards. At Versailles, a free but limited cloakroom takes small belongings. The best plan is to head out for the day with a single small bag: you’ll clear the checks faster on both sides.
Book your skip-the-line tickets online and save hours of queuing.