About visitor attraction ticket prices?

[KimberleyClark]

DH and I are currently in Cornwall. Went to the Eden Project. Admission is £42 per adult. They justify the price by telling you it includes free admission for a year, but if you are a tourist and don’t live in the area or even the country, that is pretty much useless isn’t it? It was the same at Windsor Castle, £35 each but an annual pass. There should be a cheaper price for those who aren’t going to come back within the year!

It does seem like a poor marketing strategy, essentially denying themselves any tourist income and relying only on locals.

But I suppose tourists will pay the higher fee if they really want to go. How much is a child at the Eden Project?

I went to Alnwick castle the other day and it’s £55 for a family ticket. And £21 for an individual. Fortunately we got in free as members of Historic Houses. But it’s no surprise that people can’t afford days out like that any more.

They know most people will only go once.

But encourages the people who only want to go back for a few things to go again... and spend money in the cafe and gift shop.

The actual price is the year price

They charge more on the door than if you’ve booked in advance, so for adults it’s £38 in advance, £42 on the door, children over 5 £12 in advance, £16 on the door. So for a family of four with 2 kids over 5 booking in advance, £100.

God that is a lot.

I know costs are rising to keep these kind of things going but while we’d usually do a few days out at attractions a year, it’s down to one or two now, and usually limited to the places that do a parent and toddler ticket on an off peak (Chessington and Brighton aquarium)

we did Nottingham castle last year and the price does include re entry for a year but again, we are unlikely to return (and actually probably wouldn’t bother as there’s barely anything to see in the main bit to justify the price at all)

I live in Cornwall and was looking for a day out the other day and realised how most of the attractions here were stupidly expensive. We decided to just stay and do our usual walk/mooch around the area as it was free. I genuinely don’t know how most people can come here to holiday, it costs a fortune.

The Lost Gardens of Heligan and a walk around Mevagissy may be a better day out for you, more entertaining for the children and certainly not as expensive as The Eden Project.

I agree. Especially considering how shabby the Eden Project has become. Once is more than enough. Attraction prices are extortionate so I stick to beaches, walks and the odd game of pitch and putt when on holiday in the UK.

The national minimum wage has gone up by over £3 in the last 5 years which means it cost over £25 a day more to employ a person (that without the other costs such a NI and pensions). Other costs to business have also rocketed so entrance prices have had to increase to reflect this or businesses have to fold. They are giving something back by letting those who are able to return within the year.

We have the 'holiday' trip to stay with relatives towards the end of the school holidays one year, then near the start the following year which means we can return to those types of places if they offer a return visit.

The Eden Project is shit, isn't it? If you're still here, I'll tell you what's better (but also extortionate) is the Maritime museum. Or if its flowers you like, a National Trust membership. Loads of lovely gardens and lots of the beach car parks too.

The Eden Project annual ticket also includes admission to the Lost Gardens of Heligan, The Newt in Somerset and Kew Gardens.

Still ridiculously expensive if you live nowhere near any of the other attractions.

I recently looked at taking the steam train from Paignton to Kingswear, ferry across to Dartmouth, river trip to Totnes and bus back to Paignton - £168 for four adults. We stayed at home!

Yep it's crazy money!
We find it cheaper to have a holiday in Europe then in the UK

Things like Eden project use your club card points, that can help a little to offset the costs. I've found return passes quite handy with little kids on holiday. We went to Cornwall the once and it rained the whole week. We paid for a farm and the kids moaned after a couple of hours that they were tired. We went back again a couple of days later abused the soft play for hours and so didn't seem quite a wasted expense.

If you are still there, I recommend the 2ish mile walk from Sennen Cove to Lands End. There's a shipwreck in one of the coves at about the halfway point that the kids can explore for a couple of hours. Parking at Sennen Cove is about 6 quid for the day.

Depends if they'd make more from a pile it high and sell it cheap. If very few people go because they can't afford/justify it then they won't make more from high prices.

Eden Project used to be wonderful with gorgeous gardens and planting projects. Now it's a run down dump of a place and the prices are astonishing.

I've always had a locals pass, but cancelled it this year.

A few years ago, I took my daughter and granddaughter to Whipsnade Zoo. As we lived very close by, we'd previously had annual passes, but took a few years' break.

It was 2 x adult tickets and 1 x car pass (because my granddaughter liked going through the Passage Through Asia, which is drive-through only. This was pre-pandemic, so quite a few years ago.

It was £101. I wouldn't have minded so much, but shortly after we arrived, the rain came and it absolutely hammered down

So we ended up eating our picnic in the car and going home after a couple of hours 😂

Having the annual pass is brilliant, as it pays for itself after three or four visits. But goodness only knows how families afford days out when the prices are so high.

Yes! We went to Cornwall in 2021 (first post lockdown holiday) and visited both the Eden Project and the Lost Gardens of Heligan. We enjoyed both but, for me, the Lost Gardens had it by a country mile.

But £42? That's steep. We are a bit insulated from entry fees to attractions because we are NT members. However, when we visit a non-NT property I am braced for it being well into £20 something. E.g. went to Haddon Hall recently and it was over £25 and at Chatsworth if you want to do the House and Garden I think it is £32.

But, still, £42! Yesterday we had a day out at a local County Show. Entry on the gate was £36 but if you bought the tickets in advance, which we did, it was £33. Actually I think it was well worth the money as we had a full day out with loads to see and thoroughly enjoyed it. Much more fun than the Eden Project😃

I never pay full entry anymore - it’s either annual pass (we normally have about 5 on the go, but we do a day trip at least every weekend so it works out fab value for money) or if DS is keen to go somewhere specific I’ll sign up to the newsletter and wait for a sale. Even if we could afford it, there’s so much great stuff for free it’s hard to justify. It is super annoying with something like the Eden project though where it’s a ‘must see’.

You are being funny, aren’t you? It’s £15 to get in to Nottingham Castle and museum, and kids under 15 go free. What more do you want?? The castle is now a museum, and an excellent one. Did you do the v interactive games in the Robin Hood adventures section? That was great.

And the galleries about the history of Nottingham were really interesting too.

I raise you Blackpool Pleasure Beach.

1 kid, 3 adults (full price for the 12yo) and two non-rider tickets for the grandparents at £25 EACH plus parking is £205 for next week.

For more enjoyment you can pay £20 for a refillable drink (each), £30 each for a speedy pass, £20 for ride photos, and don't get me started on the cost of extras like shows?

It's obscene. I've not been to Blackpool for years after it got so bad with hen/stag parties, vomit and piss everywhere, the cost to even step foot in the pleasure beach does not entice me to return.

It's not just historic attractions. Recently took the family to an indoor trampoline park. £56 entry for 2A2K, oh and you have to buy our special socks if you haven't already got some.

Was looking at some Paw Patrol panto tickets and we'd be at least £100 down and there's no guarantee the kids will even sit through the first 10 minutes.

Any kind of outing is a huge commitment.

But I will definitely get the National Trust annual membership when the kids are a few years older.

It’s crazy money, isn’t it?

i pay into CSSC for £60 which gives me English heritage membership, Kew Gardens passes and access to various attraction around the country, free. This year we will go to a heritage museum (usually £120), a Zoo (usually £70), Burghley House (usually £80), Kew Gardens (usually £53) and a farm (usually £50) all free of charge, as well as our usual English Heritage visits. You have to look around the website a bit but it is so worth it.

No? I have visited a lot of castles, I thought it was poor in comparison 🤷🏻‍♀️ I’ll say that the outdoor bit did look great but it was very icy when we went so couldn’t use it. My son was too young really for the interactive bit and I didn’t find much upstairs. I don’t go to a castle to look around an art gallery. Yes the bit about Nottingham history was very interesting but didn’t take long.

I’d have liked to do the cave tours but couldn’t get on.

cracking pub nearby though (The Jerusalem) really enjoyed looking around that.