Help on different passes
 

I've been trying to figure out if The British Heritage Pass is worthwhile for a family of 4 - two children 10 and 12. We will spend most of our time in the country - a weekend in London. Time in Hereford/Cotswolds and time in North Yorkshire. Also, I seem to notice that the Heritage Pass is not useful in York? Does that mean we'll need a York Pass? We'll visit Warwick Castle, Blenheim, also Edinburgh Castle, Fountain Abbey, etc., and of course, sites in York. In London, the Tower, of course. Thanks for any thoughts...I don't want to get them if they won't be helpful - I also assume I need to purchase before we reach England? -And - do I purchase for the children - or will they get discounted fares at the sites anyway? A week before we leave and the list is still long!

You won't need GBHP's for the kids - but for the two adults, it is a fantastic bargain. <BR><BR>In the areas you are going a very partial list of the covered properties include: Edinburgh Castle, Holyrood Palace, Gladstonesland, Castle Howard, Fountains Abbey, Rievaulx Abbey, Warwick Castle, all the Shakespeare properties in Stratford, Blenheim, Hidecote Manor gardens, Hailes Abbey, Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle and 1/2 price into the Tower. Plus there would be over a hundred other places along your route.<BR><BR>DEFINITELY get the passes.<BR><BR>The advantage of purchasing them ahead of time is you receive the 35 page catalog describing every place covered. It is a great planning tool.<BR><BR>If you wait, you can buy them at Heathrow, Glasgow airport and a few of the properties - but I HIGHLY recommend getting them before you go.

Janis,<BR><BR>I'll be in Edinburgh for 2 weeks in May, visiting many of those places. I hadn't considered buying a pass. I think I'm just too overwhelmed at trying to plan my first trip there. lol<BR><BR>Can you tell me how much they are and how I purchase one in the States before I go?<BR><BR>Thanks,<BR><BR>~ Sheryl

My 2 cents - on a month's trip to England (1 week in London) I purchased the British Heritage Pass but didn't use it at all in London. I found that in 3 weeks driving thru-out England we broke even. I was there in May and lines were not long but we could go thru without waiting in a line (except in a couple of places-which was odd). My feeling was that the museum/site costs were not very much compared to U.S. museums. If you check out the British Heritage website they should list the sites covered. I think I sent ahead for a brochure. Buying most passes ahead (from the U.S.) will probably cost you more. You can get the pass at your very first stop.

Hi Sheryl,<BR>You can buy your British Heritage Pass in the UK ( you'll need to show your passport) or you can buy it before you leave home. Assuming 'home' is in the US, I am pasting the British Tourist Authority URL that has the Heritage Pass information for US travelers. <BR> travelbritain.org/newhome/discounts/gbhp.htm<BR><BR>(The BTA will have similar information available for citizens from other countries.)

The GBHP is not cheaper in the UK. The $ and &pound; prices are set each year and the only difference would be the currency fluctuations during the year making the relative costs slightly different. <BR><BR>It is really not meant as a museum pass since most UK museums are free or very inexpensive. The savings can be huge if you go to places like Warwick, Blenheim or Chatsworth which are over 11 GBP each. The 2003 USA prices are 4 days - $35, 7 days - $54, 15 days - $75 and 30 days - $102. It is available in the UK - but not everywhere - only Glasgow and Heathrow airports for example, and at some of the bigger properties and some Tourist Information centers.<BR><BR>It is not the huge bargain IN London that it is elsewhere. But in and around London the GBHP does cover Westminster Abbey's Chapter House and museum, the Tower of London (1/2 price), Tower Bridge Experience, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle, the Royal Mews, Greenwich, and several other places.<BR><BR>In most areas of the country you will save more than twice the price of the pass. One day in Warwick and Stratford would more than pay for a 7-day pass, making all the rest of your sightseeing basically free..

In figuring out whether the pass is cost-effective, remember that very few people just pay &quot;list price&quot; for admission to places ike Warwick and the Tower. There are half-price (2-for-1) coupons scattered around every hotel, and many places have a family rate as well as different rates for off-season.<BR><BR>Janis' comment that &quot;one day in Warwick and Stratford would more than pay for a 7-day pass&quot; (i.e., $54) isn't totally accurate, since the posted ticket prices are &pound;12 for Warwick and &pound;13 for a ticket that includes all 5 Shakespeare-related houses in Stratford, a total of &pound;25, or about $40. Still, the pass is a good buy if you're gong to see lots of places outside London.

My husband and I purchased two passes last June and found them to be quite a bargain as many of the GBHP sites already were on our &quot;must see&quot; list. Our 11 year old did not have a pass, as noted here, kids get discounted or free admission to most properties.<BR><BR>Since you are leaving in a week you may not have time to get the passes in the US. If London is your first stop, consider getting the passes at the British Tourist Centre (1 Regent Street, open everyday, very reasonable hours). There's a wealth of info for visitors and a great travel bookshop. We purchased driving maps and some regional guidebooks not available at home.<BR><BR>The wesite listed above has all the properties listed. The brochure you'll receive is better tho for planning as the sites are listed on regional maps.<BR><BR>One thing to note, the passes don't always cover admission to the kid themed activities. For instance Longleat has a huge play park, gigantic maize and animal safari thing going. The GBHP covers only the house tour. Blenheim, conversely, had a much smaller playground, train ride and butterfly garden and it was covered by the pass. <BR><BR>Have a great trip and make sure you get to the Tower as early as you possibly can!<BR><BR>