up to three months in advance ? $ 279 ? I hope this is not your idea of "budget travel".

Posted By Paul Frolov on August 19, 2009, 12:29 AM

Paul, this is what we can avoid with the new system, not what the writer is advocating.

This will be a great improvement!

Posted By Eva Gill on August 19, 2009, 10:35 AM

This is a very helpful information if you ask me and the convenience that goes with it too. Thanks a lot! I'd be sure to pass this on to my readers.

Posted By Jet Set Life on August 19, 2009, 11:03 AM

So, if everyone ends up doing this, won't the line continue to remain long, with all the people who did early reservations on line?

Posted By Kelly on August 24, 2009, 12:18 PM

ever been to amusement parks like disneyland? u can choose a time to come back to a crowded ride and get right on
many musems especailly in Europe allow u to skip the line my reserving on line who wants to wait in line for anything???

Posted By laurel on August 24, 2009, 2:06 PM

Okay, this is great information! Although, I have to admit, I'm hoping for the dinner reservations! (Come on, dinner on the Eiffel Tower--something you'll probably only do once in your life--at an Alain Ducasse restaurant? AWESOME!! and worth it!)

PS. You might want to read the whole article before leaving comments... just a suggestion.

Posted By Christie on August 24, 2009, 2:16 PM

We just got back from Paris and waited 1 1/2 hrs to be up on top after dark. This is super! We got advance tickets for the Uffizi in Florence and it worked perfectly. I wish the Notre Dame Towers would institute this.

Posted By Marcia Brandes on August 24, 2009, 6:07 PM

We didn't run into overly long lines at the bottom...What got us was the 45 minute serpentine line to get to the top from the first observation deck; we nearly froze our pitooties off--and we could only "look out" from that level 5-10 of those minutes--the rest of the time was spent perusing our fellow tourists. Will this take you DIRECTLY to the top? Or will you still have to make it through the Second Portal to the Top of the Tower???

Posted By Lisa Bergren on August 24, 2009, 6:26 PM

This is awesome!

Kelly: When you book online, there is no line, you would choose a time slot that is both available and convenient to you.

Thanks Budget!

Posted By Jessica on August 24, 2009, 6:58 PM

This is a GREAT idea and improvement. Our daytime experience was horrific: a 2.5 hour wait in line and having to fend off numerous pick-pocket attempts while waiting! (If anyone not in line tries to strike up a conversation with you when approaching the tower, IGNORE them or beware!

Posted By Jim on August 25, 2009, 3:29 AM

1. You will be at the front of the line if you visit Paris in the middle of November or early March and get there at 9 AM (they open at 9:30 then). Or go at 8 PM at night. Take the #42 bus and get off where the bus makes a left turn onto the Ave de La Bourdonnais just before the Tower. The #42 bus makes an inexpensive sightseeing E-W tour of Paris. Just start at Gare Nord.

2. $279 is about right per person! Our neighbors ate there last year and they said with wine the tab came to over $600 for two.

Posted By Rich on August 25, 2009, 3:08 PM

My husband and I ate lunch at Le Jules Verne in December to celebrate my birthday. Even though it was a set price of 85 Euro per person, you can pretty much double that once you add coffee, water, a glass of champagne. The food was wonderful. Our tab was closer to 400 Euro at the end. They say that they have a dress code and we dressed accordingly. BIG DISAPPOINTMENT was that they allowed people in with torn jeans. I don't care if they were $500 designer jeans...it was inappropriate.

Posted By cindy on August 25, 2009, 4:22 PM

I just checked, and the online system isn't in yet :>( Leaving for Paris in a week.

Posted By joyce on September 9, 2009, 1:33 PM

The online system still isn't up, grrr!

Posted By A on October 16, 2009, 4:38 PM