Purchasing entrance tickets for sights

Hi Katarina -
Sorry that you're having a difficult time. The challenge to buying tickets from the official ticketing websites doesn't have to be massive, however.: all you needed to do was to post the questions on the appropriate RS forums for the attractions you wanted to see. You would have been steered in the right direction.

As well, given this is high season in parts of Europe and tickets to the most-visited attractions can sell out weeks in advance, asking the questions well in advance of your trip would have been the best idea. Next time? Hope not ALL of your trip is stressful and that you're having some fun!

PS: As suggested below, let us know what you need for Paris? You'll get lots of help. :O)

Katherina,

Let us know what sights in Paris you would like to visit, the forum will be glad to point you to the official websites.

I'm so sorry that happened to you, katharina. I think that you just have to forgive yourself and move on. When I search for a ticket site, I also add "official website" in the search bar. I've not been snookered, yet. Yes, Google moves the ads up to the top of the list (they're paying the bills) which is why it's wise to come to this forum (although some insist we Forumites need to do our own search first--harrumph! I beg to differ).

Keep asking questions here before you purchase tickets if you're still uncertain. People here love to help and are very well informed. I hope you had a great time at Park Guell! Above all, have a wonderful time wherever you visit.

You've received some excellent advice. Doing research before leaving home, when you have time to search properly for the sites you need, is the first thing. Even if you dont book far in advance, its usually prudent to do so before showing up. Many places can completely sell out weeks in advance. As for the search itself, as previously mentioned, the easiest way to winnow down the options is to include "official website" in the search bar. And then ignore the top entries that say sponsored next to the name.

I can understand how this happened to you. If you have the Rick Steves Guidebook, he typically has the officially website included in the venue description. That said, I double check hours, website name and other details because things can change.

So far to find the official sites for places I have done well with Google Maps. When you search the destination the popup with the information generally has the official webste. Still, once open, double check.

If you dont buy in advance then you would have trouble in a city like Budapest. The Parliament Tour, Opera House, Jazz Clubs, Performance Theaters, etc generally sell out in the tourist season.

Also, sometimes if you go to the Wikipedia page of the sight/museum you are looking for, there is a link to the official website.

Yikes, that's really too bad Katharina. And we've ALL paid too much for some tour we didn't enjoy, a flight that was expensive, whatever, so you're among friends! I would like to add to the already excellent advice, that when you Google a place, look to the right and it almost always says, " website" which is where I go for the official website. It's amazing how much garbage pops up first to tempt us! Consider this just a lesson in travel and congrats on learning it so quickly. BTW, there ARE some places, like seeing the Last Supper in Milan, that are notoriously difficult to book, use the search engine above to see previous threads. And enjoy Paris!!

One method I use to find the official websites is to go to the wikipedia page of the museum/site, scroll down to the bottom section called External Links. Usually, the official website is listed there.

This is a common expereince for many travelers. Not just sites, but also hotels, trains, tours, etc.

For those of you planning trips, please spend time online searching for the official sites and apps. Bookmark or download them to your phone.

The only two exceptions I recommend are Google Flights, for research, but I always purchase directly from the airline. And city tickets passes--at their official sites--if you find them of value.

I feel your pain.
But these suggestions for using Google Maps or the Wikipedia articles to find the official websites are excellent. My new go-to.

I've been buying tickets for decades but did the same thing for the Prado. I looked at a faux website for days, and thought it looked strange and expensive. It popped up continuously and I didn't see sponsored. I bought.
Once inside, staff told us that we were among the many suckers with these expensive tickets. They compensated us with free headsets, those sweeties. Our second day at the Prado, we bought authentic, senior rate tix for 1/3 the price.

So, as generously stated above, let us know what you need. People here will help you.

We're getting reports on a rash of fake hotel websites now, too. Be careful out there.