Last updated July 26, 2026 · Editorial policy
Quick Answer
Buy tickets only through the official site or authorised resale — anything else is routinely cancelled without refund. Book refundable accommodation before the ballot resolves, target preliminary and morning sessions for value, and remember road events are usually free to watch.
Attending a Games is mostly a logistics exercise decided a year in advance. The people who enjoy it most are rarely the ones who paid most.
How to Do It Properly
1. Buy only through the official channel
Every Games runs an official ticketing site and authorised resale. Tickets bought elsewhere are frequently invalid, and organisers cancel them without refund — this is the single most expensive mistake spectators make.
2. Book accommodation before tickets
Rooms in a host city sell out and multiply in price long before the ticket ballots resolve. Book refundable accommodation early and cancel if the ballot fails.
3. The ballot system
Most Games allocate popular sessions by lottery, opening a year or more ahead. Register interest as soon as it opens; there is no advantage in waiting.
4. Cheap sessions are the good ones
Preliminary rounds, morning sessions and less-televised sports cost a fraction of finals and are often better atmosphere with far easier access.
5. Free events
Marathon, race walk, road cycling, triathlon and open-water swimming are usually free to watch from the roadside — and among the best spectating at any Games.
6. Live sites and city atmosphere
Host cities run large screens and cultural programmes. Many people who attend a Games spend most of their time at these rather than in venues.
7. Winter Games are a different problem
Mountain venues mean long transfers, altitude and cold-weather kit. Budget for transport time between clusters, which is routinely underestimated.
8. Paralympics are the value option
Tickets are far cheaper and easier to get, venues are the same, and the sport is superb. Consistently the best-value way to see an Olympic venue.
9. Transport is included, and essential
Tickets normally include public transport on event days. Driving in a host city during a Games is close to pointless.
10. Plan for queues and security
Airport-style screening at every venue. Arrive far earlier than feels necessary, check the prohibited items list, and carry very little.
Ticket fraud around the Olympics is endemic. Organisers cancel tickets bought outside official channels, and the holder loses both the ticket and the money with no recourse. Use only the official ticketing site for your region or its authorised resale platform — never a general marketplace, social media seller or unofficial “hospitality package” you cannot verify.
Planning the trip
Work backwards from the ballot dates. Register the moment the official ticketing portal opens, typically a year or more ahead. Book fully refundable accommodation at the same time — rooms disappear and prices multiply well before you know which sessions you have.
Once you have tickets, build the days around transfers rather than events. Venues are spread across a city (or across mountain valleys at a Winter Games), security queues are long, and two sessions in a day at different venue clusters is often unrealistic.
Finally, consider the Paralympics seriously. Same venues, dramatically cheaper and more available tickets, smaller queues and outstanding sport. For most people it is the better trip.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where should you buy Olympic tickets?
Are any Olympic events free?
Are the Paralympics worth attending?
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Written by
John Morrison is the founder and lead travel writer at Packzup. Over the past decade he has explored destinations across Africa, the Americas, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Oceania — always self-funded, never on a press trip.
