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Join Which? TravelWhy you should always take your National Trust card abroad with you
You can get free access to historic sites from Italy to Australia, Malta to New Zealand and beyond
An Orwell prize-nominated investigative journalist, Kate lives in Portugal and covers news, travel rules, tourist taxes and visas.
If you’re a member of the National Trust, you’ll already know that your pass gives you access to over 500 properties across England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
In fact, savvy National Trust members might have even used their passes to access sites in Scotland or Ireland, making using the Trust’s agreements with National Trust for Scotland and An Taisce, the National Trust for Ireland.
But did you know that you can also use your National Trust card to get free access to over 1000 sites in 80 different nations and territories all over the world? Historic houses, castles, expansive living museums, wildlife sanctuaries, nature reserves, art galleries and World-heritage listed gardens are among the attractions National Trust card holders can visit.
Not only can you use your pass to visit properties in popular European tourist hotspots like Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, Germany and Poland — you can also use it in Australia, New Zealand, Canada, South Korea, Zimbabwe, Malaysia and beyond.
Read on to find out how to unlock free and discounted entry to cultural and historic sites on your next holiday overseas, using just your National Trust pass.
How does it work?
The National Trust belongs to the International National Trusts Organisation, which calls itself a ‘global family of heritage trusts’. All 106 of its worldwide members — including the UK’s National Trust — share reciprocal agreements, meaning they allow visits from members of other organisations.
That means that if you’re a member of the UK’s National Trust going on holiday to Italy, for example, you can visit heritage sites run by the National Trust for Italy (known in Italian as Fondo Ambiente Itaniano or ‘FAI’) for free and at a discount. Likewise, those who hold Italy’s FAI cards can visit UK National Trust sites as part of their membership.
Some properties are free to the public anyway but might offer a free tour to card holders — others can waive significant admission fees. In Italy, we found you could get free access to dozens of castles, gardens, villas and even a winery, which usually charge from 9-15 Euros for one adult ticket.
Further afield in Canada, your National Trust card would save you over $20 (around £10) on the price of admission to Craigdarroch Castle in British Columbia, or $18 on the cost of getting into Toronto Railway museum, along with dozens of other options across the country.
In Australia, you could visit Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in Queensland (usually $70 AUD per adult), Everglades House & Gardens in the Blue Mountains (usually $17 AUD) or Sydney’s S.H Ervin Gallery (usually $15 AUD), all without spending a penny.
How do I do it?
Just look up the destination you’re visiting on the INTO website to check whether its version of the National Trust is an INTO member. If your destination has a participating organisation, you’ll see it on the INTO Places web page, on both the map and the list below.
Then, head to that organisation’s site and navigate to its INTO or ‘reciprocal agreements’ page.You should find a list of sites you can visit using your National Trust card, usually for free, or in a few cases for a discounted rate.
If you can’t find a dedicated page, just navigate to the admissions information for any property you’re interested in, and it should include information for visiting via an INTO partner organisation.
If you’re unsure about anything, you can also contact the relevant organisation about your planned visit — most of them include an email address or contact form on the website.
Finally, remember to pack your National Trust card, and bring it along on the day.
Will my National Trust for Scotland pass work?
Yes — just like the National Trust UK, National Trust for Scotland is an INTO member, meaning you can benefit from INTO reciprocal agreements. This is also the case for members of the National Trust equivalents in Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man.
