7 Proven Ways to Skip the Lines on Your Next Trip

Patience may be a virtue. But when you’re on vacation, every second is sacred, and waiting in lines can be annoying at best and agonizing at worst. I’ve lived in New York City, Paris, and Rome—three of the world’s most visited cities—so I’m very familiar with lines that wrap around the block, twice. One time, I waited so long outside the Louvre, which I needed to visit for a homework assignment, that my classmates almost reported me as a missing person. And in Rome, I once spent so much time waiting in line at St. Peter’s Basilica that I nearly got third-degree burns from the sun. With the warmer months being peak travel season pretty much everywhere in the Northern Hemisphere, you, too, can expect to encounter a queue soon. But that doesn’t mean you have to suffer. Below are seven ways to avoid long lines at popular tourist attractions this summer.

Go with a private guide.

If you can afford it, the foolproof way to get in and out without spending time in a line is to go with a private guide on a tour that offers VIP access. For example, last month I visited the Giraffe Centre, Nairobi’s second most popular tourist attraction according to TripAdvisor. Most travelers spent more time waiting in the ticket line and giraffe food line than they did interacting with the center’s majestic and endangered Rothschild giraffes. But because I was visiting on a day trip with Micato Safaris, a 10-time Travel + Leisure World’s Best Award winner, the moment I stepped out of the van, I was whisked inside, and within five minutes, I had a 20-foot-tall giraffe eating out of my hand. Meanwhile in London, if you have around $3,000 and you book at least six weeks in advance, you can spend 90 minutes admiring the crown jewels at the Tower of London without having to spend a single minute waiting in line. At The Edge, one of New York City’s newest attractions, you can get escorted to the top in a “New York minute” if you opt for priority access. At $88, it’s about 2.5 times as expensive as general admission ($34).

Buy tickets online, in advance.

Most of the time I travel, I can’t afford to upgrade to a private guide. That said, I can take advantage of online tickets and purchase my admission in advance. This means I don’t have to wait in line at the ticket window. Instead, I can go straight to the security line. Note: Some attractions charge more to purchase tickets online (they usually call it a convenience fee). And be wary of copycat websites; make sure you’re purchasing tickets from the attraction’s official website, not the first one that shows up in the Google results. I’ve been scammed before, and it’s a big bummer, not to mention embarrassing.

Splurge for skip-the-line tickets.

While skip-the-line tickets don’t allow you to skip security (you’ll still have to be screened if they have security measures in place), they do allow you to bypass other lines. Most of the time, you have to purchase these online and in advance, and they usually cost more than the standard tickets you can also purchase online. Often, they’re add-ons. For example, a one-day Disney California Adventure Park adult general admission ticket, purchased online, starts around $104 and stretches north of $200. Before you get to the checkout page, you’ll be asked if you want to add a Lightning Lane Multi Pass for an additional $32. This pass allows you to use the Lightning Lanes inside the park for some attractions. You’ll still have to wait in line at rides, but it’s usually a shorter line.

Opt for a multi-attraction pass.

If you plan on seeing more than one attraction in the same city or destination, look for a multi-attraction pass that includes entry to all the sites on your list. Not only do these one-and-done passes often save you money, but they sometimes come with perks like access to a priority lane and discounts at attraction gift shops.

Go at odd hours.

Did you know they offer nighttime tours of the Colosseum? Not only are after-hours a more pleasant time to visit temperature-wise, but they’re often less crowded. And Chadi Lotfi, front office manager at Fauchon L’Hôtel Paris, tells me that early birds have the best time in the City of Light. “Visit Butte Montmartre at sunrise to enjoy a magnificent spectacle and see the Sacré-Cœur Basilica without the crowds on the steps.” Paris’s most visited church after Notre Dame, the Sacré-Cœur, opens at 6:30 a.m. This is long before the pickpockets are out on the prowl. Generally speaking, “odd hours” are super early, super late, or maybe even at lunch time. That said, keep in mind that some destinations, such as Spain, celebrate their daily siesta, so midday may be a no-go.

Find the less-used entrances.

You know that analogy about going through a window instead of the front door? It applies here, too. For example, when Lotfi’s guests ask about visiting the Louvre Museum, he recommends they avoid the main entrance, the iconic glass pyramid. Instead, try to enter via the Carrousel entrance or Richelieu entrance on Rue de Rivoli. While these entrances are less Insta-worthy, they often have shorter lines. Regardless of the attraction, just make sure to check online in advance to make sure any alternative entrances are open and if they have special restrictions. Some entrances are only for groups, and other entrances only operate during peak hours.

See if there’s a webcam you can monitor.

I’m still waiting for a quality app that will show me how many people are waiting in line, in real time. Until then, I always check to see if the attraction has a live webcam that shows the current line status, so I can see if it’s a good time to go. For example, if you’re visiting the Grand Canyon’s South Rim, you can check out the South Entrance Station webcam which refreshes every five minutes. There’s also a webcam at Yellowstone’s West Entrance, Glacier National Park’s West Entrance, and the entrance to Arches National Park.