by Jen Mallia
Last updated: 2:55 PM ET, Wed June 25, 2025
Outside of Sagrada Familia, I sat down on the curb and cried. It’s not my finest travel moment.
Yes, I was jetlagged and burning in the Barcelona heat, but more than that, I was disappointed and frustrated. I hadn’t booked tickets in advance to see the famous basilica, and no amount of broken Spanish or offers to buy someone’s place in line would get me in.
I had been plagued by a spontaneous traveller’s mindset, thinking I could "See how it goes" then stroll up to the ticket counter and get in just by waiting in the right line, whenever the mood struck. I’m not alone. The 2024 Amex Global Travel Trend Report found that 68 percent of travellers like to leave their time unplanned when on a trip.
With overtourism causing crowds at popular attractions, travellers like me have to realize that those days are gone. Booking attractions needs to happen weeks or even months in advance.
Compiling attractions that appear often on “Must See” lists, researchers from eSim app Sailey looked at ticket availability to create a snapshot of what kind of lead times travellers can expect at popular spots, so you can let them know how far in advance they should be booking if it’s not something you are booking yourself.
Lengthy Wait Times
The team attempted to buy two tickets at the following attractions. Here’s what they found:
- The Louvre, Paris, France. Wait time: Less than a week.
- Auschwitz-Birkenau Memorial, Poland. Wait time: Less than a week.
- Sagrada Familia, Barcelona, Spain. Wait time: 2 weeks.
- Vatican Museums & Sistine Chapel, Vatican City. Wait time: 4 weeks.
- The Big Ben, London, England. Wait time: no available tickets for 4 weeks. Tickets are released on the second Wednesday of every month at 10:00.
- Anne Frank House, Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Wait time: 6 weeks.
- Harry Potter Studios, London, England. Wait time: 6 weeks.
- The Ghibli Museum, Mitaka, Japan. Wait time: no available tickets for 6 weeks, tickets sold on a monthly basis.
- Statue of Liberty tour, crown access, New York, USA. Wait time: More than 2 months.
- The Last Supper by Leonardo, Milan, Italy. Wait time: More than 4 months.
- The Catacombs, Paris, France. Wait time: No available tickets. Tickets are sold every week.
How to Avoid Disappointment
To avoid a curb crying incident like mine, the Saily team has the following advice:
Book indoor attractions early in your travel planning. Open-air attractions tend to have greater ticket availability, although the most sought-after timeslots may be sold out very far in advance – for example, the sunrise timeslots at the Taj Mahal.
Keep in mind, buses and boats reduce availability. If you need to take a special bus, a boat, or another means of special transportation, fewer tickets will be available, so book your visit to such places well in advance.
Research which attractions release tickets on a schedule. For example, the Ghibli museum releases tickets on a monthly basis, and you need to be ready to snatch one up at the right time. Setting a reminder in your calendar can help.
Use travel communities. Sign up for newsletters or visit travel forums to read people’s first-hand accounts about scoring tickets and their recommendations on what attractions to book early.
Continue to check booking websites. Ticket cancellations and changes happen, but you must keep a watchful eye on booking websites to take advantage of openings.
Be cautious about the resale market. Remind clients that they may find tickets through resale, but there’s a risk of overpaying or falling victim to a scam. Instead, stick to official ticketing portals and trusted tour guides.
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