Why are major tourist attraction tickets so expensive?
Entry fees for historical sites have skyrocketed to unreasonable amounts, such as charging up to £40 or €50 per person for major museums and monuments. These extreme costs, combined with overcrowded conditions, make travelers feel overcharged and deter them from fully enjoying key cultural sights.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
- 1reducing trip duration
- 2visiting public transport systems
- 3avoiding super touristy spots
- 4visiting smaller towns instead of major cities
- 5taking the ferry and sleeping on the deck
- 6finding a volunteer gig
- 7getting a job in the fishing industry
- 8taking a cruise
- 9flying to Anchorage, bringing a tent, and renting a car
- 10Refusing to get in the water during crowded animal encounters
- 11Asking tour operators and rangers to find alternative, less crowded paths
- 12Opting for shorter day trips instead of multi-day tours
In their words
Unedited, most upvoted first, each linked to the thread it came from.
“First of all there are an insane amount of people going on these boat tours. It all feels extremely packed and all of the islands are just full of people.”source ↗
“Me and my girlfriend sat on our boat in disbelief. Being scuba divers, where its like a rule not chase and touch marine life, this made us very disappointed/sad. 6 of 8 people on our boat refused to get in the water.”source ↗
“I have never experienced a place where people care so little for the unique nature and wildlife this place offers. Throwing trash, touching and chasing animals, being rude, loud, violent.”source ↗
“The main issue is that it's gotten very expensive in recent years and that entry tickets to places like Hagia Sofia and the like are outright robbery.”source ↗
“I’d like to take a trip to Alaska, any budget friendly ways you guys would recommend?”source ↗
“It doesn’t have to be “cheap” I’m just curious if any of you have taken a trip to Alaska, in a not so spendy kind of way.”source ↗
“I’d like to spend less than $1500. For a weeks trip”source ↗
“The biggest scam I found was charging £40 into the Hagia Sophia. Its very beautiful & interesting but double the price of The Louvre? Come on.”source ↗
“The main downside we encountered was extremely expensive and extremely busy attractions which we found offputting. E.g. €50 per person for the Topkapi Palace Museum, €25 per person for the Hagia Sofia.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 3Why is my website traffic suddenly spiking with no sales?
- 13Why does visiting Egypt feel like constant scams and harassment?
- 2Why is public transit so packed during rush hour?
- 4Commercial landlord wants a 40 percent rent increase
- 3Why are safety walls at tourist viewpoints blocking the view?
- 5Going on a trip during the off-season