WHERE THE BARGAINS ARE
The Paris Convention and Visitor Bureau web site
Information on the Paris Museum Pass
London's official web site
Rome transportation information web site
Madrid Card information available at its web site
A new package tour
Tourism cards offer attractive prices for ambitious travelers
You can run yourself ragged in Europe.
Eager travelers often bite off more sightseeing than they can appreciate when they are first set loose in the Continent's bigger history- and culture-packed cities.
It's not unusual to hear the comment from frazzled tourists, "I'm done; I can't look at one more famous church."
If the spirit is willing, however, and your time is limited, the opportunity to sightsee 'til you drop has never been better.
Most major cities and some minor ones sell tourism cards that allow free or discounted admission to museums and monuments, escorted tours, unlimited rides on an assortment of public transportation and a lot of other goodies. These are not for everyone; someone who just wants to hang out, a city card probably will be a waste of money.
Examples of city cards available in four very popular metropolises:
Paris: For art and history lovers, the Paris Museum Pass, which costs about $37 (based on current euro exchange rates) for two days provides an attractive supplement to the 5 euro (about $6) Paris City Passport. The Paris Passport, good through Dec. 31, purports to offer $370 of discounts on shopping, dining and attractions, but be aware that it doesn't include such attractions as the Louvre and the Eiffel Tower.
So add the big-star attractions the Paris Museum Pass, which is also has an expanded four-day version for about $55 or six days for about $74.
The pass covers some 60 museums and monuments, and for a determined sightseer could represent substantial savings, not to mention convenience, because pass holders usually may jump to the head of the line.
Basic admission for these venues make this option attractive:
- Louvre is about $10;
- L'Orangerie about $5;
- Musee d'Orsay about $9
Remember a few considerations before buying a city card. Seniors aged 65 and older frequently get in free throughout Europe as do young people under 18. All sorts of discounts for students, members of certain associations, members of tour groups also are available. Keep in mind that many Paris museums charge nothing on the first Sunday of the month.
One more inclusive Paris pass worth considering is the 10-ticket Metro carnet for about $13, about a $4 savings off retail.
London: Many London museums are free all the time - the National Gallery, British Museum, National Portrait Gallery, the Tate, and the Victoria and Albert Museum among others (remember that surcharges may apply for special exhibits).
But the city offers The London Pass as well. It includes a transportation option that provides virtually unlimited access to buses and the Tube. The pass costs about $60 (based on the prevalent exchange rate for the pound) for one day and increases up to about $196 for six days.
Dedicated explorers can make it work by taking advantage of the many sites that do charge (a lot) to get in but welcome passholders with free admission.
The Tower of London, for example costs about $25 without the pass, Windsor Castle about $22.
The pass provides free admission or discounts at other museums, such as the Florence Nightingale Museum and the Royal Air Force Museum (about $9 and $3 respectively). And it offers free access or discounts for shows, tours, restaurants, galleries and historic buildings.
Rome: Like London, a lot of the culture is free, including the Forum, the exterior of the Colosseum, many beautiful plazas, St. Peter's Basilica and the Pantheon.
While a Rome city card is still in the planning stages, a Metro and bus pass for an entire day costs about $5, whereas it costs about $1.25 for a ride on the Metro, or for 75 minutes of bus travel. Discounts are even more significant for three-day and weeklong tickets.
Madrid: The Madrid Card costs about $44 for 24 hours, almost $57 for 48 hours, and almost $69 for 72 hours.
It includes free admission to more than 40 major museums, a savings of about $7 each at the Prado National Museum and the Royal Palace of Madrid, for example.
The card allows unlimited use of the Madrid Vision tour bus, use of the cable car and free access to the zoo, an amusement park and the IMAX theater, not to mention discounts in shops, galleries and restaurants.
A separate Madrid Tourist Travel Pass offers discounts on public transportation - a one-day unlimited-use ticket for about $4, as opposed to about $1.25 per ride otherwise.
Other information:
- City cards usually can be purchased at official tourism offices, certain stores or on the Web site of a town's visitor bureau (see above). Keep in mind that some Internet purchases on a city's official site include a discount off the walk-up card price.
- For travelers with more money than time, some European museums allow patons to avoid standing in line by permitting appointments to be made by telephone or at their Web sites. Some also sell admission tickets on their sites in advance. Another time-saving option is employing licensed private guides who have permission to bypass the lines.
- In addition, private tour companies sell cards under various brand names, either singly or as part of travel packages.
- Travelers who want a city card at each of several European cities can get comprehensive service at www.europeancitycards.com. Be aware it costs extra for the service. The site also reveals a few individual quirks. The Zagreb (Croatia) Card, for example, lists discounts on attractions ranging from 10 to 50 percent, but many of those apply only if you pay cash.
Copyright Gary Olson 2010 First published in Grand Rapids Press
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