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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 National Trust member, you already know your pass gives you access to more than 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 use of the Trust’s agreements with National Trust for Scotland and An Taisce, the National Trust for Ireland.
Did you know you can also use your National Trust card to access more than 1,000 sites in 80 nations and territories worldwide for free? 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 learn how to unlock free and discounted entry to cultural and historic sites on your next overseas holiday, 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 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 Italiano or FAI) for free and at a discount. Likewise, FAI cardholders can visit UK National Trust sites as part of their membership.
Some properties are free to the public anyway but might offer cardholders a free tour —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 nine to 15 euros per adult ticket.
Further afield in Canada, your National Trust card would save you more than $20 (around £10) on the price of admission to Craigdarroch Castle in British Columbia or $18 on the cost of getting into the 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 SH 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 International National Trusts Organisation (INTO) website to see whether its National Trust is an INTO member. If your destination has a participating organisation, you’ll see it on the INTO Places webpage, 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 with your National Trust card, usually free, or, in a few cases, at a discounted rate.
If you can’t find a dedicated page, go to the admissions information for any property you’re interested in; it should include details on visiting via an INTO partner organisation.
If you’re unsure about anything, you can also contact the relevant organisation about your planned visit – most include an email address or contact form on their website.
Finally, remember to bring your National Trust card 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. The same applies to members of the National Trust equivalents in Ireland, Guernsey, Jersey and the Isle of Man.
