Sightseeing Passes
 

We are a family of 6 traveling to Scotland, London and Paris (day trip) ... 10 days in all. Should we purchase a sightseeing "pass" for free/reduced entry into sites (e.g., Edinburgh castle, London sites, etc.)? If so, which one? We are unlikely to pay for entry without a pass except fo the most significant places.

For London the answer is no - all the museums are free anyway, and the places that do charge - The Tower, Westminster Abbey, etc. aren't really on any kind of "pass". You will probably want to get a transportation (tube and bus) pass as things in London are quite spread out and it will save you quite a bit over individual tickets. Once you have the transportation pass, there are sometimes "deals" where you can get two for one entry into the Tower, etc with your tube pass. So look into that, but for an actual "visitor" pass, the answer is no.

If you are really only going to be in Paris for less than a day, then I would argue that you don't want to spend any time inside a museum anyway, so again my answer would be no. There is a Paris museum pass but you need to visit several museums to make it worthwhile and with less than one day I would think you'd be better off just walking around and seeing Paris itself.

I haven't been to Edinburgh but I think I recall reading about a pass so hopefully someone else can advise you about that.

Hi O,

With only a day in Paris, I would spend as little time indoors as possible.

((I))

If you do get a Tube pass, you should order a Visitor Travelcard online directly from the London Transport System. (www.thetube.com)

You can choose one based on your length of stay and travel zones (1 and 2 suit most visitors). You won't have to dig for cash and line up for tickets for each ride, and they'll get you 1/3 off on scheduled riverboat services (which most visitors don't even know about).

If you ride the Tube as your primary way of getting around London, you'll almost certainly save money with a travelcard. You should order them before you leave.

Tip for the Tower of London: In 2002, we bought our tickets to the Tower in a Tube station and didn't have to wait in the LONG ticket line once we arrived.

Isabel is incorrect - the Tower of London is covered by several different passes - Great British Heritage Pass, London Pass, etc.

The GBHP does make a bit of sense for your itinerary.

it would cover (in Edinburgh) the Castle, Holyrood Palace, Gladstone's land and (in London) the Tower, Tower Bridge, St Pauls, Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace, Windsor, Greenwich and several other site. Most museums are free and in you short time frame you really aren't likely to see more than a handful of the major sites.

There are Scottish passes - but they don't do any good for London. And any London pass would be useless in Edinburgh. So if you want a pass - the GBHP is the best.