Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
14
Tips for Saving Money on Activities
No one wants to spend twenty bucks every time they enter a museum or pay full price for a tour. At those
prices, pretty soon all you can afford is to see the museums from the outside. Luckily, you don't have to
pay full price all the time. Here's how.
Get Tourism Cards
I will never figure out why travelers don't use tourism cards more often. Local tourism offices (think London
Tourism, Paris Tourism, New York Tourism, etc.) issue cards for all their attractions, tours, and restaurants.
These cards (which you will have to pay a onetime fee for) give you free entry and substantial discounts on
all the attractions and tours in a city, free local public transportation (a huge plus), and discounts at a few
restaurants and shopping malls. The cards are typically valid for one, three, five, or seven days. The first day
begins when you first use your card, whether that is at a museum or on the train.
In Oslo, Norway, the VisitOslo card offered by the city tourism board costs $60 USD. However, each mu-
seum in the city is between $12 USD and $15 USD. I saw nine museums in the city. I saved $30 USD with the
pass plus got free public transportation. By buying the Paris museum pass, I saved $85 USD off the normal
price.
When I was in London, I used the London Pass. This tourist card cost me $95 USD for two days of sight-
seeing. (Note: That's more than $50 USD for a day, you say! You're right, but as I mentioned, the $50 USD is
a daily average. Some days you spend more, some days you spend less. And while this pass costs $95 USD,
it saves you money off what the attractions would cost without it.) It covers more than thirty-two destinations
and offers free public transportation. You can get a pass for up to six days for $150 USD. However, I didn't
have much time or the desire to see all thirty-two spots. With the pass, I saw the following paid sites:
Westminster Abbey
Tower of London
St. Paul's Cathedral
Ben Franklin House
Britain at War Museum
Shakespeare's Globe Museum
London Tombs
