There is nothing more devastating than turning up to a foreign city excited to see some of its famous landmarks only to find out that they are completely sold out for the next few days and you leave the city before the next ticket is available. 

With online bookings and tourism in overdrive right now, getting into some of the world’s most iconic attractions needs to be planned months out, and for some of the most in-demand ones, booked more than a month before you depart. 

Premier Inn, a British hotel chain, has released a list of the 17 most in-demand tourist attractions around the world. They looked at more than 100 of the world’s most popular tourist attractions and compiled a list of the top 17 places that you need to book the furthest in advance. 

Equal first was the fairytale-like Neuschwanstein Castle, which can be found in the Bavarian Alps of Germany, and Machu Picchu. Travellers keen on seeing the inside of the iconic castle will need to book up to 37 days ahead. Same goes with Machi Picchu. The UNESCO World Heritage Site and Wader of the World needs to be planned more than a month ahead of your trip. During peak season this can increase to three months.  

It will come as no surprise that theme parks and entertainment attractions also landed in the top five. Coming in second, the Harry Potter Studio Tour in the United Kingdom requires 34 days to pre-book ahead of the day you want to visit. Following the Harry Potter Studio in third place comes Japan’s Ghibli Museum, which you need to book 30 days ahead. Since opening in 2001, it is one of Japan’s most popular tourist attractions. Sky Garden in London and Mount Fuji in Japan round out the top five spots respectively. 

For those well-planned travellers, here’s the full list of the most in-demand tourist attractions to book ahead of time: Neuschwanstein Castle, Germany and Machu Picchu, Peru (equal first),  Harry Potter Studio Tour, UK, Ghibli Museum, Japan, Sky Garden, UK, Mount Fuji, Japan, Santa Maria delle Grazie, Italy and The Van Gogh Museum, Netherlands (equal sixth), The Forbidden City, China and Big Ben, UK (equal seventh), Borghese Galleria, Italy and The Catacombs, France and Anne Frank House, Netherlands and The Hermitage Museum, Russia (equal eighth), Walt Disney World, United States, The Sistine Chapel, Vatican City and Statue of Liberty, United States (equal tenth).

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