As with any travel, we are usually travelling for a reason. Whether it is for work, family or pleasure, there is going to be some sort of planning needed for whatnyou are going to do when you get there.
Earlier, we have discussed the travel plans, booking flights, accommodation etc and next we are going to dsicuss attractions and things to do and see – do you really need to pre-plan this part of your trip? Well, regardless of if you need to, there are certain aspects of it that I have decided that we need to book before we get there.
The decision to pre-book or not will depend on the importance of you doing that attraction or activity while you are there. There we a few of these that were on my list as “must do or see” so those I decided to pre-book it it was available.
Stonehenge – Amesbury, UK
Yes, Stonehenge is a must for me! But to see Stonehenge, I wanted to do the VIP tour that takes you into the stone circle, after normal hors, with a maximum group of 25 other people. Given we are visiting the UK during the summer holidays, I felt it was important to book this and get the time and date I wanted. Unfortunately, the dates I wanted were two of the dates that weren’t open for tours, so I had to take a date that didn’t quite suit but that I could make work. Thankfully because I was booking so early, this meant I could change things around a bit, including a nights accommodation, so it worked out well.
If you are interested in this type of tour – you can find their website (as per the picture above) here.
I was able to book our August date for the sunset tour as early as the end of November 2024. The cost at the time was £70.00 each. When checking availability for the same date in May 2025, it was already fully booked except some for the very early session. So definately worth booking this so far in advance!
Roman Baths Tour – Bath, UK
These are a very popular attraction in Bath and we are there for a few days, both to sightsee and meet with some family that we have never met, but that live there. I decided again, this was I wanted to book to ensure we got to see them.
You can of course, just get an entry to the baths but I went with the guided tour. Its an extra £6.00 per person on the admission price. You have to pick a time slot for your tour when you book, as well as a time slot for your general admission (which needs to be an hour earlier than your tour time). I was able to book this as early as mid December for our August visit.
If you are interested in the Roman Baths – click here. Bookings were still available for August in May this year so you don’t necessarily need to book as early as I have, however the two weeks at the start of June did have a lot of the times booked out, so perhaps don’t leave it until the day before as you may be disappointed.
The Eiffel Tower, Paris, France
I love the Eiffel Tower and it is an absolute must on our brief trip to Paris! To make the most of visiting the tower, my plan is to book tickets to the Top of the Tower via the lifts. The benefit of this ticket is that you get a time slot, and you are guaranteed access to the pillar without having to stop and the ticket offices, and regardless of how busy it is. And I believe it gets very busy so this option should be first on your list. Tickets for this option become available 60 days before the entry date – so mark your calendar to remind you when you need to book it so you don’t miss out.
For more information on tickets for this visit here. Tickets for this are approx €36.10, so more expensive than other admission options.
There are other things that we will see and do during our visit, and while I have a list of all of these, a lot of them we will decide on once there and will depend on our state of mind/body, availablity, timing etc. However, there are just some things you will want or need to pre-book.
Next we will discuss some other things to take into consideration when planning a long trip such as this.