A study by TUI Musement, reported by Portuguese tourism publication Publituris, estimates that travellers could save around six hours across five popular attractions in the capital by choosing when to visit and booking ahead.

The analysis looked at 100 attractions in 20 European city-break destinations, selecting five popular places in each city. It estimated maximum ticket-office waiting times during busy periods using publicly available information, including official websites, review platforms and traveller forums. The figures are estimates for peak demand, rather than live queue measurements.

Lisbon appears alongside Vienna and Kraków among the cities where visitors could avoid about six hours of waiting across the attractions studied. In the Portuguese capital, the main pressure points are the Belém Tower and Jerónimos Monastery. Queues at their ticket offices can reach two hours during the busiest periods, according to the study, as reported by VOU SAIR.

Those estimates offer a useful reminder for anyone planning a weekend in Lisbon: a full itinerary may look manageable on paper, but queues can quickly take time away from exploring the city. Buying tickets in advance, checking entry arrangements and visiting at quieter times can help make the day run more smoothly.

The study found that the longest waits across the 20 destinations are concentrated in a handful of major attractions. Rome topped the city ranking, with more than eight hours of potential waiting time across its five selected sites. Paris, Budapest, Venice and Seville followed, with around seven hours each. At the other end, Edinburgh, Stockholm, Copenhagen and Amsterdam had the lowest combined estimates, at about three hours across their five attractions.

Looking at the individual sites, the Vatican Museums had the longest estimated wait (could be as long as 3.5 hours at peak times). The Royal Alcázar in Seville could take up to 3 hours and Schönbrunn in Vienna up to 2 hours 45 minutes. Out of the full sample 15 sites could have waits of over 2 hours and 33 could have queues of between 1 and 1.5 hours.

TUI Musement also offered practical suggestions for other cities. In Paris, using the Carrousel entrance at the Louvre may be quicker than entering by the Pyramid. Visitors to Venice are advised to consider the Doge’s Palace before 10 am or later in the afternoon. In Seville, arriving at the Alcázar early or after 2.30pm may help, with the gardens suggested as a good place to begin the visit.

The company’s broader advice is to check ticket availability before travelling, avoid the busiest hours where possible, and group nearby sights together to reduce time spent moving across a city. Mirco Fiumene, TUI Musement’s managing director of experiences and chief marketing officer, said that good planning is about making better use of the time available, so visitors can spend less of their break waiting and more time discovering their destination.


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