Visit Popular Attractions in the Early Afternoon to Avoid the Crowds
Even if you are planning a trip to avoid the busy season , there are only a few sites that are so popular that they will always have a lot of visitors. Take advantage of natural thinning at lunchtime to at least see the sights with fewer people.
Most American tourists and many tour groups take lunch breaks between 12:00 and 14:00, so if you visit popular destinations during this time, the crowds are likely to be smaller. If the site you are visiting is too large to view in those two hours, schedule the most popular portion during your lunch break. For example, a visit to the Vatican Museum can take over two hours, so visiting one of the most popular parts, the Sistine Chapel , at lunchtime makes more sense than trying to squeeze the entire museum into place.
You can apply this idea to dinner too. Most museums will be closed for dinner, but you can visit the outdoor areas or venues that are open in the evening (such as the Eiffel Tower , Lincoln Memorial, and Tokyo Tower ) for more rare crowds when most tourists are busy with dinner.
How To Get The Most Out Of Visiting World Famous Sites | New York Times