Book the tickets before you go
Attraction tickets, day tours, passes and experiences, booked in advance at a fixed price. Skip the queue at the gate and the hard sell outside it.
What is actually worth pre-booking
| Book ahead | Leave it until you are there |
|---|---|
| Timed-entry attractions where the queue is the whole problem | Anything you might not feel like doing on the day |
| Day trips that need transport, such as Cappadocia or island hopping | Museums that are rarely busy |
| Anything with limited daily capacity, such as balloon flights | Walking tours, which are usually bookable the night before |
| Multi-attraction passes, if you will genuinely use three or more | Single tickets you could buy at the door for the same price |
Three things that catch people out
Check what “skip the line” meansSometimes it skips the ticket queue but not the security queue. Read which line you are actually skipping.
Check the cancellation windowFree cancellation up to 24 hours before is common and worth having. Weather ruins more plans than anything else.
Check the meeting point, not the addressTour meeting points are often a specific corner or kiosk rather than the attraction entrance. Look at it on a map the night before.
A note on passes
City passes and attraction bundles look like obvious savings and often are not. They pay off only if you visit enough of the included places, which usually means three or more in a short window, moving at a pace that is not very restful.
Before buying one, list the attractions you genuinely intend to visit, add up their individual prices, and compare. If the pass wins by a small margin, buy the tickets separately and keep the flexibility.
Heads up: This page contains affiliate links. If you book through them we may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. Prices come from our travel partners and can change, so always check the final price before you pay. Read our full disclosure.
Planning the rest of the trip?