Thoughts on buying advance tickets for things like the Colosseum, eiffel tower, Venice's St. Mark's and Doge, etc. vs standing in line. Are the skip the lines tours worth the extra $$? And for things that are outside, what happens if it rains? Should we buy tickets here or wait to see weather and buy the day of?
We have been to Europe before and I don't think we ever bought tickets in advance (except for maybe eiffel tower while we were standing in line)
Thanks for your help!
I prebook quite a few things these days. The lines can be extremely long....from your list at Colosseum and Doges Palace but plenty of other places as well. I travel with a set daily itinerary I create so it's no big deal for me to book an entry in advance. Depending on what countries your in and what sites you want to see you could easily spend hours and hours in line over the course of a trip and who wants to do that?
I buy advance tickets when they are available for a sight I know I want to see. My thought is that I do not want to waste my time standing in line when there is another option. Other people may value the flexibility more - it is a judgement call. Look into how long the lines are likely to be if you are not sure. If 2 hour lines are common - why subject yourself to that? If it's 30 minutes then sure. Also, if you are an early riser, getting there before opening will minimize the line.
One place I would strongly advocate a skip-the-line tour is the Vatican Museums if you are planning on going. There is crowded then there is Vatican Museum crowded - it is on a whole new unbelievable level. The early access skip the line tour is the only thing that made it bearable for us.
The Roma Pass or Paris Museum Pass would let you "go with the flow". How long are you willing to wait in line? Do you want to see the David in Florence? There are different strategies for all the major sights and Rick covers most in depth. Security lines are unavoidable unless you go at off hours but waiting in a ticket line more than 20 minutes is about my limit. If I can buy a pass (even if it costs more than single tickets) or make a reservation for something I want to see, I'll do it. I am always bewildered by the amount of people who needlessly stand in long lines because they didn't do a little homework.
In some situations, you may have trouble seeing the site at all if you don't prebook months in advance. Examples: Harry Potter Universal Studios outside London, Alhambra, Anne Frank House
Why don't you say where you are going and which sites you are considering? That way people can give accurate information specific to your plans.
From your question it appears you may be visiting Paris, Venice and Rome, but is that all you want to know about?
We will be in Venice, Siena, Rome, Avignon, Paris - the only must sees on our list are the colosseum and Appian way in Rome, and the eiffel tower - we have been to both places before, but daughters (10, 13) haven't been to Rome. I saw underground colosseum tickets for July (when we will be there ) go on sale Monday. Do they sell out?
We may skip the Vatican unless I can line up a behind the scenes tour. My husband and I spent probably 3 days at the Vatican last time we were there, and he had his fill. Though 10 year old really wants to see Sistine chapel.
I have read here that online tickets for the Coliseum underground tour sell out within minutes so you need to know not just the date but the time they are released.
For the Sistine Chapel, I highly recommend the Dark Rome early-access "Express" tour. DarknRome gets in ahead of the other early access tours like Pristine Sistine. They stop to see. Few things in the Vatican museum on the way but you still get to the Sistine chapel when there is hardly anyone there.
In Venice I would book a timed entry for San Marco basilica, around 11:30-noonish somthe mosaics are lit. It is not expensive and you do skip the line.
For the Doges Palace Inrecommend the Secret Itineraries tour (available in English), assuming your 10-year old is old enough. It is much more interesting and you do get to see the prison area. These domsell out too (someone was complaining the other day that they could not get ticket) but not as fast as the Coliseum underground tix.
We will be in Venice, Siena, Rome, Avignon, Paris - the only must sees
on our list are the colosseum and Appian way in Rome, and the eiffel
tower - we have been to both places before, but daughters (10, 13)
haven't been to Rome. I saw underground colosseum tickets for July
(when we will be there ) go on sale Monday. Do they sell out?
Paris: advance tickets for the top of the Eiffel are really a must if you don't want to waste a LOT of time standing in line. They sell out far in advance of high season, though, so you may be out of luck for next month. If you can't get them, you could take the stairs to 2nd level (fee: can't purchase in advance) and buy tickets there to the top. Views from 2nd level might be plenty for your family, though.
Coopculture Colosseum underground tours: these sell out within a few hours of availability. July bookings go on sale Monday, June 19 at 9:00 AM ROME TIME. This means being at your computer or ready to call - in the middle of the night - the minute they go on sale. Be aware that you must also purchase general-entry tickets to the Colosseum/Forum/Palatine in addition to the tour. You can do this at the reservation desk at the Colosseum when you arrive for your tour.
In addition to the other places already mentioned, if when you are in Rome you want to see the Borghese Gallery, you will need to book in advance. Numbers here are strictly limited. If you don't book in advance, you won't wait in a 2 hour line like for some other places; instead, you won't get in at all, unless you luck into a cancellation or no-show.
There's been some good specific advice here. On the other hand, we sometimes see people on the sight who are obsessed with booking absolutely everything in advance at a specific time, to the point of losing all spontaneity. A general rule is that you should at least consider advanced bookings for :
The couple of euros it may cost to book advance tickets is WELL worth avoiding hours spent standing in the hot sun or rain.
I think you should make any effort you can to either book ahead, arrive early or both for major sights. You have limited time and you won't see much if you stand in line two or three hours for each sight.
If it rains, there will be people selling five euro umbrellas everywhere.
