Tourist attractions that are better in the morning.

Not intended to be a short answer, but practically everywhere. Isle St. Louis in the early morning is nothing short of great. Perhaps you can get out and about early, let her sleep in, and seek forgiveness by bringing her fresh croissants in bed.

I agree with you, I will not sleep in on vacation if I want to see stuff (which is always the case). My best travel memories include absence of crowds. I wouldn't go to a wildly popular museum except right when it opens to give myself the best opportunity to have more time to view it at my pace. Cities feel totally different before everyone wakes up and the shops/businesses spring into action. I've walked around in Manhattan when "it slept" (by Battery Park City along the Hudson riverwalk) and saw the sun come up - there's nothing like seeing the sun come up, it never gets old. I've seen many, many European cities just at dawn as the sun breaks - beautiful! Rome comes to mind. But you can only be at one place first thing in the morning - that means you'll have to be at other places when they're more crowded or when the tour groups move in.

It seems that anywhere that there is a line, the line gets longer as the day goes on, so getting there early shortens the wait. True, I think, in particular, for the castles at Füssen.

I am not typically an early riser but make the effort when on vacation, especially for big attractions that get horribly crowded as the day progresses, and mostly just because that precious bit of time when I'm out walking the city seems to belong just to me and I can enjoy it in a whole different way without the distractions.

I enjoyed an early walk thru Jardin des Plantes which would be close enough for you to walk thru. I was kept company by LOTS of joggers, lol!! The buildings weren't open yet which was fine and they did have some of the sprinklers turned on so some of the gardens were not accessible.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jardin_des_Plantes

I also like to get a coffee from the Shrine of the Blessed Mermaid and sit on a bench in the Champs de Mars in front of the Eiffel Tower but that would not be convenient from your location.

Nothing much will be open before 7 or 7:30 AM, so bring your own croissant and coffee.

There is nothing like seeing the Arc de Triomphe before 8 AM, before the crowds go to work. If the sun is out, it is a spectacular sight. Don't forget to go around and see the back of the monument.

Notre Dame Cathedral opens at 8 AM, the Towers of Notre Dame open at 10 AM. Both are nice to see in the morning.

If you're a fan of bridges, I recommend going down to the lower quais and watch the sun come up. There will only be joggers and people walking their dogs, and nobody will bother you.

Ile Saint-Louis is deserted in the mornings, and it's also very quiet in the evening. It's nice to stroll around on the island and peek into windows.

I've had an early morning flight out of Venice. It's very odd walking around without many people. I took the Vaporetto from near St Marks all the way down to the bus station on the grand canal. I could take pretty much any seat I wanted and it was a great way to end a visit there.

Ste-Chappelle is best when it opens, as it's small and gets very crowded. By going early, I actually got a seat, so I could enjoy it in comfort.

I'll agree that Venice is great early in the morning, when many people are still asleep. For at least one morning, it's worth getting up early, throwing on some clothes, walking around, and taking a vaporetto or two. Then come back to the hotel, shower, and have breakfast.

Early is probably best, but late often has the same effect. The strategy of visiting Versailles in the afternoon and starting at the trianons and hameu works pretty well; the palace itself is not mobbed at the end of the day.

I like seeing the fountains and the Fori in Roma early in the morning; things that are open to view from the street before the sight actually opens for business.

Best morning visit for me was the Monument to the Murdered Jews of Europe in Berlin as the sun was rising.

I arise early and absolutely love that I do.

At home in the Land of La, I'm either hiking up to the Griffith Observatory in the dark to witness dawn or merely enjoying my only cup of coffee for the day while reading.

I also travel most often in November when hordes of tourists are not the norm.

Over the years spots I've literally had to myself include: Piazza Novona( Rome), Hampstead Heath, St James Park, the London Eye ( we walked right on, first riders of the day), Gap of Dunloe ( Ireland), St Mark's Square and the fish market (Venice), the esplanade by The Invalides ( Paris) and walking along the Malecon in Havana.

For me, watching a city wake up, is an enjoyable part of travel.

Venice Venice Venice...I'll keep saying it - anyone who has only seen it (the heavily touristed part between Rialto and St Marks) after 10am are right to think Venice is just a big theme park. It is amazing the stark difference between going out at 6:30-7am and going to these same places 3 short hours later. Same with hanging around at night after the cruise shippers have left - just as magical with the quiet 'back' canals - the light reflecting off the water, the sound of the water lapping the buildings.

When my mom came with us in 2014 to Italy, she and I would go out at 7am for a jaunt - hubby is NOT an early riser. We were staying just a block from the Colosseum, so we'd head over there a few times and watch the vendors setting up...wander down via San Giovanni in Laterno and pop into a church or two...walk thru the quiet neighbourhood - it was great! Ditto Venice - it was great to have a companion!

I agree with all of the above. ALL tourist sites that can be seen or accessed are better early in the morning! I love our favorite hotel in Prague where I can walk up the stairs and stand on the Charles Bridge for awhile with only one or two other early risers. In the summer months, by the time my husband has gotten up and we've had breakfast, showered and are ready to go out for the day, it is packed.

I'm afraid by spreading this possibility, as Rick already does, our early morning alone time with Eiffel, Charles, St. Mark, the Trafalger lions, Pantheon, etc will be further compromised...

I too love the early mornings. Age has brought limitations, but also the consolation of early rising. I remember a beautiful morning in Prague, walking along the river to the near-deserted Charles Bridge that had been a mob scene the afternoon before. And some wonderful early mornings admiring the cherry blossoms in Washington DC. Not to mention wildlife viewing in rural areas.

I agree that getting to a busy attraction, like a museum, as soon as it opens is a good idea. Of course you may encounter a long line of people with the same good idea, while arriving half an hour after opening might get you in faster. And it's also true that late afternoon can be a less crowded time for sights that are close to closing.

Anything in Jerusalem before 7am and before the organized tours start arriving. Visiting the Church of the Holy Sepulchre there were maybe 20 other people in the whole church with no line to see the tomb. By 8:30 it was shoulder to shoulder with tours and a three plus hour wait for the tomb.

DJ

I have been to Paris twice in the past two years and yes going by what Rick Steves preaches about arriving early at certain sites was a big win for me.
Twice while visiting the Louvre I arrived at around 8:00 am to line up at the Pyramid. Two years ago I was the tenth person in line and this past May I was the second in line. We did have the Museum Pass. I knew which wing the Mona Lisa was in, Dennon Wing, if I remember. Once through security we headed straight to Mona, the first time there was only about a dozen of us in there for about 5 minutes before more people showed up and this past May only myself, my girlfriend and the two security guards where there for 5 minutes or so. I actually have a photo of the empty room. Once we were done viewing Mona Lisa and the other works, we went to exhibits that we did not see the previous time and again we're in rooms & halls with no other people other than the security.
I did the same thing for Versailles. Took the 7:15 am RER-C to Versailles, walked to the grounds, stopping off at a Patiserie for fresh croissants and orange juice. Again I had the Museum Pass. I knew the line started at the center of the Gold Gates where the metal tubing barriers wear and I was the third person in line just after 8:00. At 9:00 went through security, headed straight to the Hall of Mirrors, had no idea where to go, but there were signs in French that I figured out. A lady followed me all the way and she and I plus security were the only ones in there for 10 minutes or so. We both took pictures of each other in the empty room as well as the attached War Room. Then headed back to the entrance and began my walk through the Palace. I also got to Marie Antoinette's Hamlet about 30 minutes before it opened. I was the first in line, once it opened and I went through security I knew exactly which direction to take to the area. Again it was only myself and the gardening staff. I had the area to myself for about 15 minutes, great pictures of area.

My next trip will be London & I plan on getting to certain sites before they open to enjoy them before the crowds. Enjoy your trip to Paris next year. It has become my favorite place to visit and I can not wait to see it again, thinking about adding a day or two to Paris on my London trip.

I've enjoyed quite a few early mornings, when I've managed to drag myself out of bed. Venice at dawn is the most memorable. Hallstatt and Vienna come to mind from a recent trip. A surprising disappointment was early morning Paris a few years ago, because I found to my dismay that the beautiful fountains aren't turned on until around 9-9.30, just before most of the monuments open. On the other hand, a stroll along the banks of the Seine at 10 or 11 pm when most of the traffic is gone but the bridges and buildings are still floodlit is always great.

I tried to go to the Orsay in Paris for an early, uncrowded visit in April last year. I misread the opening time and got there 15 minutes after opening instead of 15 minutes before. There was already a line for the entrance for pass holders, albeit a short one. I went immediately to the most popular section, the 3rd floor Impressionist collection which, following the recommended route is the last part of a visit and it was already overcrowded, this only about 1/2 hour after opening.

Croissants and cappuccino.

Well just for a different perspective...though I agree about early mornings...I arrived at Versailles with my two teenage daughters and husband at 4 pm, having been unable to torpedo them out of bed at a decent hour. All the tour buses were pulling out. We had two hours before close, and the Hall of Mirrors had about 12 people in it besides us. We were even able to go backwards to look at something a second time. Then we spent an hour in the gardens and had a fabulous dinner outdoors on the main place of Versailles town, which allowed us to wait out the rush hour traffic around Paris.

Another day, we saw Paris late at night from the top of the Arc de Triomphe, including the light show on the Eiffel Tower, and caught the last commuter train out to the little town we stayed in, arriving home around 1 am. And we spent two evenings at the Louvre on their late-open nights, which reduced the crowds considerably. When you don't have to be at the office early the next day, there are lots of hours that open up for fun activities. Not my normal preferred hours, but it worked for my night-owl teenagers and husband.

Edited to add: almost forgot this fabulous evening on another day of our stay in Paris: candelit evenings at Vaux-Le-Vicomte. Very very highly recommended.

A really great evening experience is the Thursday late opening with free entrance at the Museum of Applied Art in Vienna. There are still a reasonable number of people there because the normal admission is quite expensive, but it's not packed by any means.

Plaza de Espana in Seville around 0630 is the best time to enjoy it square is empty not to hot and the glow of slow rising sun lets you see it in a really different way than say midday.

Any of the ancient stone circles or similar sites in Europe are just fantastic in the early morning...especially if you can be there for sunrise!