Nothing ruins a trip more than standing in line for hours to see the sights, and no country has more sights to see than Italy. Arriving hot, sweaty and tired at the feet of Michelangelo’s David certainly doesn’t improve one’s art appreciation and if you’re on a limited time budget it’s a shame to waste it standing in line.

Luckily Italian holiday ruination is easily avoided by prebooking tickets to the numerous museums, galleries and historical landmarks that dot the country. There are many websites where you can order tickets and thereby skip the queues entirely. Often they are associated with a particular day, or even time, which allows you to just stroll up to the door passed the lines of less organised tourists.

Here’s a quick list of some websites. Prebooking often does come with a small fee, although some of the sites charge larger fees than others so, as always, check out a few of them for pricing comparisons:

Tickitaly

Ticketeria

Selectitlay

Pierreci

Weekend a Roma

Weekend a Firenze

Now if, despite this recommendation to prebook a ticket, you’ve still turned up to see David in Florence without one there is another way. The ticket office at the Museo San Marco, on Piazza San Marco, also sells tickets for David and for just 6€ more you will be given a set time to enter. This gives you the chance to enjoy a leisurely lunch, a nice chianti and the short stroll back passed the queuing hordes of tourists to witness Michelangelo’s masterpiece in all his naked glory. And you’re still fresh, awake and enthusiastic enough to enjoy it.