🎟️ Tourist cards in Europe: prices, validity and when they are worth it

City tourist cards promise savings on museums, transport, and discounts. In practice, they don't always pay off. We gathered twelve cards from nine European countries and broke down what each one includes. One of them, the Great British Heritage Pass, has already been discontinued.

The main question is simple: will you visit enough paid museums during your trip to exceed the card's price? If your itinerary has three sights and you're walking everywhere, you don't need a card. If you're hitting five museums over two or three days and using the metro often, do the math carefully. A good card saves both money and time in lines.

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How to quickly calculate a card's value

💡 In short:

List the paid sights on your itinerary and add up their ticket prices.
Compare that total with the card's price: buying only makes sense if the tickets cost more.
Check whether transport is included and how many sights offer free entry.
Prices and terms: 09/2026, Vienna data verified on the official Vienna website, sources for other cards are listed in their sections.

The process is the same: add up the tickets for your itinerary and include transport costs. If the total exceeds the card's price, get it. Then look at the duration: a longer card is almost always a better deal than a shorter one. Below we break down each card individually. The table includes only cards currently on sale.

Card	City	Transport	What it offers
Venezia Unica (formerly Venice Card)	Venice	included	transport and museum discounts
Barcelona Card	Barcelona	included	transport and discounts
Dublin Pass	Dublin	not included	free museum entry
Budapest Card	Budapest	included	museums and bath discounts
Prague Visitor Pass (formerly Prague Card)	Prague	included	museums and transport
Stockholm Card	Stockholm	partially	museum entry and cruises
Malmö Card	Malmö	included	museums and discounts
Omnia Card	Rome, Vatican	bus tour	Vatican and Colosseum
Berlin WelcomeCard	Berlin	included	transport and discounts
Vienna City Card	Vienna	included	transport and discounts
Salzburg Card	Salzburg	included	entry and transport

1. Venice Card in Venice

The Venice Card has been replaced by the city's Venezia Unica system. Check the terms on the official website before your trip. The card is valid for a week and is sold online, at tourist offices, and at vending machines. Buying takes a couple of minutes. The price includes city transport and discounts on museums, churches, and some tours.

What's included: city transport and discounts on sights.
Duration: one week.
Who it's for: if you're staying on the mainland and heading into the center every day.
The catch: not all sights offer free entry, some only give a discount.

2. Barcelona Card in Barcelona

The main advantage of this card is free travel around the city. It covers the metro, buses, and the train from the airport. You don't count rides or stand in line for tickets. The second advantage is discounts on museums and entertainment, and the package includes a metro map and a guidebook.

Panorama of Barcelona with Sagrada Familia and Torre Glòries

What's included: city transport and discounts on attractions.
How to buy: online in advance or on site.
Who it's for: if you travel a lot between different parts of the city.
Price: depends on duration and age, check before your trip.

City tours are easier to book separately: a selection of Barcelona tours on GetYourGuide.

3. Dublin Pass in Dublin

The Dublin Pass is a museum card. With it, entry to many of the city's main sights is free. The list includes Christ Church Cathedral, the city zoo, the National Gallery of Ireland, and the Jameson whiskey distillery. There are also discounts at shops and restaurants.

Panorama of Dublin and the River Liffey from above

What's included: free entry to dozens of sights.
Duration: one to six days.
Who it's for: if you're doing museums and distilleries two days in a row.
Plus: you can buy the card online in advance.

4. Budapest Card in Budapest

The card is available for two, four, or six days. It gives you free city transport and entry to some museums. Separately, you get discounts on thermal baths, restaurants, and shopping. It's a convenient option if you're visiting for a short weekend.

Chain Bridge and central Budapest over the Danube

What's included: transport, museums, and bath discounts.
Duration: two, four, or six days.
Price: depends on the duration you choose, check the official website.
Who it's for: if you're traveling around both banks of the Danube.

5. Prague Card in Prague

The Prague Card has been replaced by the Prague Visitor Pass, check the terms before buying. The card combines a transit pass and a museum card. It includes the metro, trams, buses, the Petřín funicular, and the airport bus. The price includes entry to dozens of sights, including Prague Castle and other major city landmarks. The package comes with a detailed guidebook in seven languages.

Panorama of Prague with Charles Bridge over the Vltava

What's included: transport and entry to major sights.
Duration: two to four days.
Who it's for: if you're visiting Prague for two to four days.

6. Stockholm Card in Stockholm

The old The Stockholm Card has been replaced by the digital Go City pass. It gives entry to 69 museums and sights (as of 09/2026, official page). The list includes the Vasa Museum, Skansen, the Royal Palace, and archipelago cruises. The pass is bought online and activated in the app on the first day of your trip.

Royal Opera House building in central Stockholm

What's included: museum entry, activities, and cruises.
Validity: from one to five days.
Who it's for: if museums are your top priority.
Plus: buy online without waiting in ticket office lines.

7. Malmö Card in Malmö

You can buy the Malmö Card at the city's tourist offices. It gives you free public transport around the city and free entry to a number of museums. There are also separate discounts at cafes and shops. For a small city, that's enough for a day or two.

What's included: city transport and museums, plus discounts.
Validity: a day or two.
Who it's for: if you're stopping in Malmö on your way to Copenhagen.
The catch: the list of attractions is short compared with larger cities.

8. Omnia card in Rome and the Vatican

The Omnia Card is designed for three days and combines Rome with the Vatican. It includes a hop-on hop-off bus tour, entry to the Vatican Museums and St. Peter's Basilica. You also get a Colosseum ticket and access to the Roman Forum. It's convenient if you're visiting Rome for the first time and don't want to stand in lines.

Panorama of rooftops and domes of historic Rome

What's included: bus tour, Vatican Museums, and the Colosseum.
Validity: three days.
Who it's for: if you want to cover the city's main sights in one trip.
Price: check the official website before buying.

It's a good idea to book Vatican Museums and Colosseum tickets in advance: a selection of Rome tickets on Tiqets.

9. Berlin WelcomeCard in Berlin

The Berlin WelcomeCard combines a transit pass with a discount card. You can ride the U-Bahn, trams, and buses without restrictions and get discounts at museums, on tours, and in restaurants. The card is sold at ticket machines, hotels, and tourist centers, so it's easy to buy.

Panorama of Berlin with the TV Tower over Tiergarten

What's included: city transport and discounts from partners.
Validity: from two days to several days.
Who it's for: if you use Berlin transit every day.
The catch: the card doesn't give free museum entry, only discounts.

10. The Great British Heritage Pass is no longer sold

The Great British Heritage Pass has been discontinued and can no longer be purchased (as of 09/2026, Britain Express). It once gave access to hundreds of sites across England, Scotland, and Wales. Today, these places are visited with individual tickets or through English Heritage and National Trust membership.

Palace of Westminster and Big Ben over London

Status: discontinued.
What to use instead: individual tickets or the London Pass for London.
Who it's for: those planning a road trip around the country.
Important: don't buy old paper passes secondhand, they're no longer valid.

11. Vienna City Card in Vienna

The Vienna City Card is the city's official card. It includes travel on all types of public transport and discounts at museums and venues. The price depends on the duration: 24 hours cost 19 €, 48 hours 31 €, 72 hours 37 €, and a week 39 € (as of 09/2026, Vienna Tourist Board website).

St. Stephen's Cathedral in central Vienna

What's included: city transport and partner discounts.
Duration: from one day to a week.
Who it's for: if you're getting around the city and visiting museums.
Plus: you can add an airport transfer or a hop-on hop-off bus.

12. Salzburg Card in Salzburg

The Salzburg Card includes free entry to the main attractions and free public transport. It's valid for 24, 48, or 72 hours (as of 09/2026, official website). The program includes the Hohensalzburg Fortress funicular, the funicular, and the city's museums. You can buy the card online, at hotels, and at tourist offices.

What's included: entry to attractions and city transport.
Duration: one, two, or three days.
Who it's for: if you're in town for the weekend and want to see everything at once.
The catch: for a short stay, the card only pays off with a packed itinerary.

⁉️🤔 Frequently asked questions

Does a tourist card pay off in one day?

Usually not. In a day you can manage two or three paid attractions, and their tickets rarely cost more than the card. The exception is cards with a very packed program and included transport. If you only have one day, price out the tickets in advance: it's usually cheaper to buy them separately.

Which card is better value in Vienna and Salzburg?

In Vienna, look at the duration: prices for each duration are listed in the Vienna City Card section above. The longer the duration, the lower the cost per day. In Salzburg, the card already includes transport and entry to the main attractions. If you have a lot of museums on your list, go for the longer duration and take your time.

Is transport included in the Barcelona Card and Prague Card?

Yes, both cards include city travel. The Barcelona Card covers the metro, buses, and the train from the airport. The Prague Card adds trams, the Petřín funicular, and the airport bus. This saves time at ticket offices: you tap your card at the entrance and keep moving.

What should I do instead of the Great British Heritage Pass?

The pass has been discontinued, so there's no longer a single ticket for the whole country. Attractions in England, Scotland, and Wales are visited with individual tickets or through English Heritage and National Trust membership. For London, get the London Pass; for Edinburgh, the Edinburgh Pass. It's best to buy tickets online in advance.

Can I buy a tourist card online in advance?

Yes, most cards are sold in advance through official websites. The Vienna City Card, Salzburg Card, and Stockholm Card are available digitally and are activated on the first day of your trip. Online is usually more convenient: no lines and you can take your time choosing the duration. Paper cards are still sold at tourist offices and hotels.

In short: what's worth booking

If you're traveling for the weekend, get a two-day card and only count the paid museums. If you're going for a week and use public transport often, a longer card is better value. For Berlin, the Berlin WelcomeCard with transport works well; for Vienna and Salzburg, the official cards with transport; for Rome, the Omnia Card with the Vatican.

If you have	Get
two or three days and lots of museums	a 48-72 hour card
a week in one city	a 7-day card
a city with a metro and trams	a card with transport included

Book what you need first in advance: museum tickets on Tiqets or tours on GetYourGuide.

It's easier to find accommodation before your trip: a selection of hotels on Trip.com.

Tourist cards of Europe: which ones really save money in 2026