Tips & traps
Travel tips & traps
The days sights are closed, tickets that sell out and when they are released, and fees charged only to travellers who did not know the rule. Each one comes from the park, museum or airline that published it, with a link to check it there.
- 5 questions answered
- 18 place and airline guides
- Last checked 13 Oct 2026
Closed days and holidays
The day of the week a sight is shut, and the holidays that close it.
Question answeredFamous sights that close one day a weekThe Forbidden City and the Getty close on Mondays, the Louvre on Tuesdays. Famous sights by closed day, each checked on its official site.See every place →
Question answeredFamous sights closed at Christmas, New Year and other holidaysEdinburgh Castle and Stonehenge close 24–26 December, Himeji Castle 29–30 December, the Mucem on 1 May. Sights by holiday, each from its official site.See every place →
Reserve tickets early
How far ahead to book, when tickets are released, and the permits that run on a lottery.
Question answeredReserve tickets early: how far ahead to bookSagrada Família two months out, the Anne Frank House six weeks, the Colosseum 30 days, Grand Canyon permits 4 months. Famous sights by how early to book.See every place →
Question answeredWhen tickets are released for sights that sell outThe Anne Frank House releases tickets Tuesdays at 10:00, six weeks out; the Ghibli Museum on the 10th; the Colosseum 30 days ahead. From each official site.See every place →
US national parks and monuments
Rocky Mountain National Park timed entryTimed entry required 9 AM–2 PM in season
Angels Landing permitsAccess is a seasonal lottery with fixed application windows
Arches National Park: Fiery Furnace permits and entryThe self-guided permit must be booked 2–7 days ahead
Haleakalā sunrise reservationsSunrise at the summit needs a $1 reservation, per vehicle
Cadillac Summit Road reservationsDriving to the summit needs its own vehicle reservation
Mammoth Cave tour ticketsThe wild-cave tours have a 42-inch body measurement limit
Muir Woods reservationsEvery car and every shuttle seat needs a reservation
- Yosemite National ParkNo park-wide vehicle reservation in 2026 — National Park Service ↗
- Going-to-the-Sun RoadNo vehicle reservation required in 2026 — National Park Service ↗
US landmarks
Airline fees and check-in
Cutoffs and fees charged only to travellers who did not know the rule.
Low-cost airlines in Europe
- Ryanair check-inNot checking in online costs €55 / £55 at the airport
- easyJet check-inYou must hold a boarding pass two hours before departure
- Norwegian: bags, desk fees and schedule changesA bag added at check-in costs up to €90
- Wizz Air check-in: the 3-hour cutoff and desk feeChecking in at the airport desk is a paid service
Plan the trip around them
RTour plans the route, the nights in each place and a day-by-day schedule, and works out every leg by train, car and plane.
Plan a tripRules like these change, sometimes at short notice. Confirm with the source before you book — RTour plans trips and does not sell tickets.
Photo credits
- Angels Landing above Zion Canyon: Óðinn, CC BY-SA 2.5 ca
- The Anne Frank House on the Prinsengracht, Amsterdam: Dietmar Rabich, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Louvre and its pyramid at dusk: Benh LIEU SONG (Flickr), CC BY-SA 3.0
- The Forbidden City seen from Jingshan Hill, Beijing: Pixelflake, CC BY-SA 3.0
- Edinburgh Castle at night: Enric, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Sagrada Família, Barcelona: Canaan, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Glacier Gorge from Bear Lake, Rocky Mountain National Park: Daniel Mayer (Mav), CC BY-SA 3.0
- The Fiery Furnace from Panorama Point, Arches National Park: Ron Clausen, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The crater of Haleakalā, Maui: Niagara66, CC BY-SA 4.0
- Cadillac Mountain from Champlain Mountain, Acadia: Fredlyfish4, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Rotunda in Mammoth Cave: Willis Thomas Lee, Public domain
- A trail through the redwoods of Muir Woods: Matthew Dillon from Hollywood, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0
- The Washington Monument: Greyfiveys, CC BY-SA 4.0
- The Statue of Liberty: AskALotl, CC0
- Independence Hall, Philadelphia: Rdsmith4, CC BY-SA 2.5
- A departures board at Geneva Airport: Tiia Monto, CC BY-SA 3.0