For overseas visitors on a trip to the UK, visiting heritage and historic sites is often a top priority, but visiting those sites over holidays can be an expensive proposition. Individual ticket prices can really add up, especially if you’re visiting numerous places or have a large family. However, if you know where to go and plan your trip in advance, there are various special Heritage and Historic tourist passes you can buy that will help lighten the financial load.

These three heritage and historic tourist passes are available exclusively to overseas visitors, or non-UK residents. Each of them requires a fee paid in advance, giving you considerable savings compared to the cost of individual tickets. Each of the schemes can get you into a wide range of tourist attractions, including castles, country houses, World Heritage Sites, monuments and historic gardens. Plus, some of them can even help you jump the queues, too!

The National Trust Touring Pass

The National Trust, a charity founded in 1895 to acquire, protect and act as a guardian to threatened buildings, countryside and coastline in the UK, has a Touring Pass designed specifically for overseas visitors.

The pass has to be bought in advance (it can’t be purchased at any of the National Trust properties) and either lasts for seven or 14 days, giving you full access to over 300 historic houses and gardens in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. It’s ideal if you’re planning a visit between March and October, when most of the houses and gardens are fully open. Don’t discount the pass for winter visits though, as some places are still open, if only for slightly shorter hours.

There are a handful of National Trust places that don’t accept the touring pass, so it’s worth double-checking before you buy, just to make sure that it is eligible at the places you want to see.

The Great British Heritage Pass

If you plan on visiting a lot of heritage and historic properties in the UK, or are doing a multiple trip involving areas in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, then the Great British Heritage Pass is a good option. It gets you into a huge range of properties, including those owned by large organisations such as the National Trust, English Heritage, Cadw, Historic Scotland, and The National Trust for Scotland, as well as some private establishments.

This is one of the oldest tourist passes in the UK for overseas visitors and has been running for over 30 years. It now makes full use of smart card technology, with a computer chip embedded within the pass card, and it’s only activated when you first use the card, rather than when you buy it. The chip also records when and where you use it and for how long the pass is valid.

As well as enabling reduced price entry into a variety of properties, the pass also gives you the ability to skip long queues, which can save valuable time during busy periods. The pass can be purchased online, before you travel, and you can choose how long you want it to be valid for – the options are four, seven, 15 or 30 days. If you’re travelling with children, there’s also a Great British Heritage Family Pass available, which enable two adults and three children, from ages five to 15, to get access to sites.

English Heritage Overseas Visitor Pass

Like the National Trust, English Heritage, a government-funded organization, also offers its own visitor pass for overseas tourists, enabling free access to many historic sites in England.

The pass is available as a seven day or 14 day option and, once purchased, offers free entry to over 100 historic attractions and free or reduced price entry to various events. Various different pass options are available, including: one adult travelling on their own, two adults, or families of up to six.

The pass enables access to many World Heritage Sites, such as Stonehenge, Hadrian’s Wall or Tintagel Castle in Cornwall, where legend has it that King Arthur lived. The pass can be purchased online in advance of travel to England.