We're taking the European Masterpiece tour next year andwere wondering if the city tour of Paris includes an ascent of the Eiffel Tower, I'm presuming it doesn't as it is not mentioned but was wondering if anyone has been to Paris with Cosmos and had in included. Non of the tours in the brochure mention an ascent, so I guess non of them do?

Mandy,
If ascending the Eiffel Tower is not mentioned in your tour description / brochure, you can safely assume that it will not be included. On Globus (which is the first class tours partner of Cosmos), all tours travelling through Paris include an ascent of the tower.
However, if the tower is not included in the tour, it would almost certainly be an optional extra. I would definitely recommend you take the optional, as the Eiffel Tower is definitely a highlight of Paris - great views, and absolutely enormous structure.
As an aside, it is very important to read the tour description carefully and know what is and is not included. Please don't take this as lecturing by any means, because on the tour I did (with Globus), several people were disappointed at times because they did not properly understand what was involved in the tour.
Tours are a fantastic way to see Europe, and most people have a great time, but bear in mind that the tour includes no more and no less than is described in the brochure.

Cheers,
Brendan.

Regards,
Brendan.

Thanks for your reply Brendan. You're right about reading the brochures carefully, We are not travelling until April 05 so no new brochures are out yet and of course no travel documents yet so am just doing some "homework" beforehand. I do hope that the ascent of the tower is an optional extra as it may be a quicker way than just queuing ourselves, but the optionals that I've read from previous years did not include one, but they do change from year to year. I definately want to go up, am thinking that evening may be a good time as queues may be a little quicker.
Thanks again.

Mandy,
Do you have a free day, or even afternoon, in Paris on your tour? If so, even if the Eiffel Tower is not an optional, there are tour operators based in Paris who run day and half day tours which include ascending the Tower. Without knowing the web address, I'm fairly sure Grayline Tours (who are world wide) offer such tours. It might be, for example, a cruise on the Seine and climb the tower. Might be worth doing a net search, I know when I stayed in London and Ireland independently I found a lot of excellent tours by searching under, for example "London day tours". .

Although we passed by the Eiffel tower on our European tour in September it was not included. Some went by themselves however during their spare time. Since the Millenium it is now lit up every hour at night for 5 minutes with darting lights and I saw that from my hotel window in the distance. The optional excursions are generally a rip off and a lot of people complained about that. I think it is main source of Cosmos profit. If you are travelling alone however you do them or find yourself alone in a poky hotel room.

you can definitely do eiffel tower on your own. i went there with a few tour mates. we got the metro guide (in fact, i moved around in paris alone for days with the guide), found the station for eiffel tower, figured the way there ('cos you have to change trains at interchanges) and viola, we got there. the eiffel tower is within walking distance from the station. you may have to queue to get up though but i believe even with the tour company, you would still have to wait your turn.

hope this helps.