We’ve been giving some local talks about family travel recently and have received a lot of questions about lines. Waiting in them, when are they worst, getting in the wrong one, etc.
We thought it would be worth sharing a few practicalities around lines.
As anyone who’s been to a theme park in the last decade knows, lines are the worst. You’re hot, bored, hungry, and impatient. Someone cuts in front of you, the kids start saying aloud what you’re thinking. This. Stinks. (Perhaps your words were a bit stronger. Our would be.)
One mom came up to us last week with a few Rome questions, one of which was the “dreaded” line for the Colosseum. She asked which line she should get into and how does she know that she’s in the right one. It seems like a silly question but when the line is hundreds of feet long and full of thousands of people, the last thing you want to do is wait in the wrong line.
Below are some tips to help guide your family when dealing with long lines.
First, the bad news: sometimes it just happens so be prepared
- top sights are top sights for a reason, be prepared for a line even if you’ve planned everything perfectly
- bring snacks, drinks (especially for little kids)
- if possible, one parent wait in line while other takes walk, uses restroom, finds snacks
- use the time to discuss what you’re there to see (“What do you remember about the Mona Lisa?” “Who’s going to lead the family tour?”)
Now the good news: we can minimize time spent in lines
Timing
- shoulder season
- helps with prices but also can mean fewer lines, consider traveling a month or two before and after what is peak season (July/August in most of Europe)
- see below for zero line at Louvre main entrance and Sainte-Chapelle this past March!
- early or late in the day
- you’ll beat the tour buses and the other travelers who slept in
- day of the week
- many sights have especially large crowds on certain days
- for example the Louvre sees its highest crowds on Sundays and Mondays (possibly because many other museums are closed); go one others days:) like Wed/Fri when it is open until 9:45pm.
Reservations
- where there is security of a “spot” for you and your family, there can be a lack of flexibility
- some sights, like the beautiful Borghese Gallery in Rome, require reservations; you miss your time, you miss your chance; very stressful!!
- we recently paid the price for no reservations for the Eiffel tower; 90 minute wait to buy our ticket:(
- if you feel confident about being on time on a certain day, you can make reservations online to most European sites that take them
Museum pass
- this is our favorite ways to beat the lines, Paris’s Museum Pass, Rome’s Roma Pass, Madrid’s Paseo de Arte pass; all worth the money and the time saved
- you wait in a much shorter line with other pass holders
- no reason to wait in additional ticket-purchase lines, just entry/security lines
- perfect for families (children under 12 and sometimes under 18 often do not require passes, be sure to confirm at time of purchase!)
Guided tours
- local tour guides know all the tricks and often get special entry access
- for our friend last week, our highest recommendation for both the Colosseum and the Vatican museums is to have a guided tour; avoiding 2-3 hour lines is just a bonus to an amazing guided experience
Guidebooks
- guidebooks like Rick Steve’s will have maps of the sights that include the various entry points
- sights like the Vatican museum have seperate lines for ticket holders (left along the Vatican city walls, and right for reservation holders (individuals and groups)
- sights like Madrid’s Prado museum (arguably the best collection of paintings on the continent) have multiple entrances: a Goya entrance, a Velázquez entrance, Murillo entrance, and a Jerónimos entrance
- ticket must be picked up/purchased at Goya, then you can enter wherever (except Murillo is sometimes reserved for school groups
- Jerónimos entrance is thought to be quicker on many online forums, but also includes access to WC and to info desk which might be of interest
- guidebooks will tell you these things so you can be prepared
- also for our friend going to Rome, one can always “scout” the location but this isn’t usually necessary, simply show your pass to a security guard or ask them which line to purchase tickets. They will tell you which line to get into. If that’s too intimidating ask your fellow travelers in line:).
- when in doubt, ask the master (in articles and guidebooks for destination specifics)
Last, since you’re traveling with your family you might simply decide not to wait in a giant line and find another activity nearby to do instead. Or…the kids might lose their minds and you might have to come back another day entirely. Be prepared but also be flexible allow your family to enjoy all parts of the experience, not just the hour or two running around seeing famous paintings. We have pushed this in previous trips and still regret it. Hopefully we keep getting better as the kids get older.
talk soon,
Dan & Betsy
Family discussion topic: What are some dealing-with-lines strategies that would work in your family?
Planning and/or searching for after-sight meals? Deep dive into the sight itself? Can the bigger kids have access to devices to pass the time??