Pre purchased sightseeing trips
 

Hi,
Was just wondering on others experiences pre buying sightseeing products like hop on hop off buses, admission to venues, etc in places like London, Paris, Rome etc.
Are they cheaper than buying on the day at the venue? Or does it not matter.
Any ideas or help would be greatly apreciatted.
Trip

Buying that kind of ticket in advance is usually more rather than less - since you often have to pay a handling fee of some sort.

Only do this is it;s something that you MUST tie down (ie you wil be in town only one day - or it's very difficult to get tickets). It's usually cheaper and easier to get on the spot - and you get to pick a day with the right weather for whatever - and most convenient for you.

Good advice from NYT

There is no advantage at all to pre-purchasing the bus tix. They are not reserved seats/times. Same w/ most tourist attractions.

In some places pre-booking is necessary - like a few of the sites in Rome/Florence. But I can't think of much of anything in Paris or London that requires advance purchase. Two exceptions would be super-blockbuster hit plays in London or the opera in Paris.

I've done both. One disadvantage of buying when you arrive can be the foreign transaction fee if you use your credit card. So pay cash or buy from home. But if you do,don't forget the travel insurance to protect you in case of delays.

&quot;<i> One disadvantage of buying when you arrive can be the foreign transaction fee if you use your credit card.</i>&quot;

The foreign transaction fees are only 1% (or sometimes 3%, but both of my visas only add the 1% ). That will be much less than the shipping charges/fees on pre-purchased tickets/passes.