How to Save Money When Visiting a Major City
Traveling to a big city can add up to a lot of money. Most people go to a city to see the sights, so if you are planning to visit many of the major attractions, a CityPASS or a City Card might be for you!
North America – CityPASS
In the United States, CityPASSes are available for the following destinations: Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Hollywood, Houston, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Southern California, and Toronto.
The New York City Pass
The New York CityPASS, for example, costs $79 for adults and $59 for youth ages 6-17. You have 9 consecutive days to use the pass before February 29, 2012. There are tickets for admission to the city’s top attractions – the Empire State Building Observatory, The Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art, the Statue of Liberty & Ellis Island OR Circle Line Sightseeing Cruises, the Guggenheim Museum OR Top of the Rock, American Museum of Natural History, and the Museum of Modern Art. All of those attractions individually would cost a total of $144 for adults and $108 for kids. The cards also allow you to go to the front of the line at the attractions.
Passes can be bought at participating attractions or in advance online. Visit the CityPASS website for pricing on each CityPASS.
Europe – City Card
The City Card is available for 32 European cities: Amsterdam, Barcelona, Bruges, Brussels, Copenhagen, Cordoba, Dijon, Dublin, Dubrovnik, Gijon, Goteborg, Innsbruck, Krakow, Lisbon, London, Lyon, Nice, Nurnberg, Olomouc, Oslo, Prague, San Sebastian, Split, Stockholm, Tallinn, Tarragona, Turin, Turku, Valencia, Vicenza, Zagreb, and Zaragoza.
Most City Cards include free public transport, free entrances and discounts in restaurants, shops, and attractions. You can purchase City Cards for 24, 48, or 72 hours, depending on how long you are in town.
The Amsterdam City Card
The Amsterdam card for example, includes free admission to 29 museums (the most popular ones are included as well), a free canal cruise, and 25% off at 24 restaurants and 27 other attractions. The Amsterdam card costs 38 euros for 24 hours, 48 euros for 48 hours, and 58 euros for 72 hours.
City Cards are available at the European City Card website or at a City Information Centre.
The New York City Pass was part of a swag bag given to bloggers at the Travel Bloggers Exchange conference, and the Amsterdam City Card was given to me by the Hotel Novotel on a recent press trip.
Photo Credit: author’s personal collection
