May 14, 2004 -- Emulating its better-known counterpart, CityPass (which specializes in North American destinations), the Leisure Pass Group has come out with deals that make touring three European cities and New York City less of a headache. Its newest product is the Dublin Pass, launched earlier this month by Dublin Tourism, and it introduces the Irish capital to visitors from as little as €15 per day (about US $18).
This sightseeing smart card gives holders free entry to 33 top Dublin attractions and a bunch of discounts and benefits, as well as queue-jumping privileges. You eliminate the need to stand in line at attractions, since you can show your pass for immediate admission.
There is a variety of passes that are good for one, two, three or six days. A one-day pass starts at €29 ($34.50) for adults; a six-day pass costs €89 ($106), less than €15 ($17.80) per day. You can buy them from tour operators, travel agents, tourist information centers, reservation enters, some hotels and other spots. Perhaps most convenient is via www.dublinpass.com. You also get a free guidebook to use with the pass. Note that the Dublin Pass does not have a local transportation option, as does the London Pass mentioned below.
Some of the attractions included as part of the Dublin Pass are
- The Guinness Storehouse
- Irish Museum of Modern Art
- James Joyce Centre
- James Joyce Museum
- National Gallery
- the three National Museums (Archeology & History, Decorative Arts & History, Natural History)
- Saint Patrick's Cathedral
- The Old Jameson Distillery
- Malahide Castle
- The Shaw Birthplace
- the Dublin Literary Pub Crawl
- The Bram Stoker Dracula Experience
The pass is also good for the Aircoach to get you to and from the airport.
Leisure Pass also has cards for London, York and New York City. Checking out the London Pass, I discovered that a three-day pass with transport privileges costs £71 ($126), three days without transport £52 ($92). Aside from transportation, the card allows you free entry to over 50 attractions; they claim that is over £400 ($709) in entrance fees, and allows you to cut to the front of the lines at these places as well. You also get a 132-page guidebook, and if you purchase a Six-Day London Pass that includes travel, you get a seventh day of travel free.
Contact the group at www.leisurepassgroup.com. Individual pass sites are at www.londonpass.com, www.dublinpass.com, www.yorkpass.com and www.newyorkpass.com.