June 1, 2020
Due to travel restrictions, plans are only available with travel dates on or after
Due to travel restrictions, plans are only available with effective start dates on or after
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The Eiffel Tower. The London Eye. The Colosseum.
What do these tourist attractions have in common? They get the most complaints from visitors about long lines.1 There are many, many more sites around the world that are notorious for making people wait, from the Basilica de la Sagrada Familia in Barcelona to Victoria Peak in Hong Kong.
No one wants to spend their precious vacation in a queue. So how can you outsmart the crowds, skip the lines, and see the sights like a VIP? We have a few ideas.
It’s fun to be spontaneous when you travel. But leaving everything to the last minute usually means finding yourself at the back of a long, long line. In the early stages of trip planning, decide:
Then, commit! Buy your early-access or VIP tickets for those high-priority experiences.
What if something happens on your trip, and you can’t take your pre-booked tour? Remember that travel insurance with trip cancellation/trip interruption benefits can protect your pre-paid, non-refundable trip costs. It’s not just airfare and hotels; travel insurance can reimburse you for unused tickets and tours, if you must cancel or interrupt your trip for a covered reason.
Need to insure your upcoming trip? The sooner you buy your plan, the sooner you’re protected. Get a quote now.
If you want to skip the line at the Vatican, one option is a Key Master's Tour. It’s pricey (around 800 euros), but you’ll get the chance to take a two-hour guided tour of the museum with no one else around. Imagine seeing the grandeur of the Sistine Chapel in early-morning silence.2
However, you don’t have to pay extra just to skip the line! Simply buy your tickets through the Vatican Museums’ official website. Pick a date, pick a time, and you won’t have to wait when you get there.
Did you know that many Allianz Travel Insurance plans include Concierge services? Our expert travel concierges are happy to answer questions about your destination and assist with trip planning. You could ask them for...
While there’s no extra charge for our concierge services, the traveler is responsible for the cost of purchasing any tickets. Just know that while our concierges are amazing, they can’t get you access to sold-out shows or invite-only events.
So you got your early-access tickets to skip the line at the Vatican. Then, a guard says you’re not allowed to enter, because your shoulders are exposed and your dress is too short.3 Now what?
To avoid the frustration of waiting in line for hours and then getting turned away, check the rules and regulations ahead of time. Many museums prohibit things like weapons, professional photography gear, large bags, food and drink, etc. Houses of worship may require that visitors cover their heads, shoulders, or bare legs. Carrying as little as possible can also help you speed through security lines.
If most people take a tour bus to reach a famous attraction, find another way to go. For example, Chichén Itzá, a complex of Mayan ruins that’s one of the New Seven Wonders of the World, draws more than 2 million visitors every year. It’s about a 3-hour day trip from Cancun. Sign up for a tour, and you’ll find yourself on a large bus collecting tourists from several resorts. You’ll arrive in the midday heat, at the same time as thousands of other people.
Want to skip the line at Chichén Itzá? Here’s how one travel blogger did it:
On a family trip to Washington, D.C., you pay for a “skip the line” tour that includes access to the Washington Monument, U.S. Capitol, National Archives, and more. Then you discover that admission to all these places is free anyway, and you still have to wait in long lines at security. All the tour company did was reserve timed-entry tickets for you.4
This “skip the line” scam takes many different forms around the world. A good rule of thumb: Don’t trust anyone who comes up to you on the street and offers to sell you special-access passes. If you’re not sure if a tour or offer is legitimate, contact the attraction or the local visitor’s bureau to ask.
One way to skip the line at Disney World? Buy tickets to a special event, such as Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. This after-hours celebration takes place on selected evenings in August through October. The party goes from 7 p.m. to midnight—but ticketholders can enter Magic Kingdom as early as 4 p.m. that day, while other guests have to leave at 5 p.m. This means you get to enjoy a half-empty park for a few hours.
Once the party begins, you’ll need a strategy if you want to skip the lines. Halloween-decorated rides and themed character meet-and-greets (such as Jack and Sally from “The Nightmare Before Christmas”) have long, long lines. Waits for other rides get shorter and shorter throughout the night.
Some Disney fans have a different strategy: They go to Magic Kingdom on the day of a Halloween party, because daytime crowds shrink dramatically. Then you’re living the Disney dream: having the park all to yourself.
We love this tip from Travel+Leisure: “ 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.” This works especially well for skipping the line to enter national parks. If there’s an hour-long wait at one gate, you can change your plans and head for a different entrance.
No webcam at your destination? Just call the visitor’s center and ask about wait times. Staff may even offer you some insider advice on how to skip the line.
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