Visitor passes usually bundle the cost of multiple attractions into one. In the end it’s more economical and convenient to skip the long line to buy tickets. You simply show the pass and walk in.
A while back, we traveled through England doing a road trip stopping at various attractions. At the Dover Castle, a kind custodian told us that we should buy the Overseas Visitor Pass, which would give us free access to over 100 English Heritage sites for 9 or 16 days. We were already halfway through our trip and opted not to get it. But, when we look back the £56 pass would have saved us a lot as each individual attraction was between £10 and £30 and we did many.
As we researched our Scotland trip, we saw that they also have an Explorer Pass for £50. It covers many the main castles, chapels, and other attractions. Individual ticket prices were again £20 or more per site, so this was an easy way to save.
Further, in Scotland, we had to buy timed tickets to many of the castles. With the pass we simply reserved the timeslot saying we were Explorer Pass members and there was nothing more to pay. We showed up and the entry was free (well, free as long as you had the £50 pass).
If you know you’re going to visit a lot of sites, these visitor passes are often a great way to save money, as well as save you time waiting in lines during peak season. Since you already have a ticket, you simply show your pass to get in. But do keep in mind that you may have to reserve a time slot entry for some popular attractions.
Some European visitor passes:
- Paris has the Paris Passlib City Pass
- Italy offers a Roma Pass for Rome and and Firenze Card for Florence
- England offers the English Heritage Overseas Visitor Pass as well as a London Pass and London Explorer Pass
- Scotland Explorer Pass
- Germany offers a Berlin Welcome Card
- Austria offers the Vienna Pass
- Spain offers the Barcelona Museum Pass
To name just a few.
Conclusion
Going on vacation can be expensive, and the price of admission to all those attractions adds up quickly. So, get the visitor pass and save some money which you can easily use for some local treats instead.
Note: You can also look for bundled tourist packages for trains and public transportation in many areas such as a weekly travel pass.