We're visiting Scotland in June. Title says it all. We'll need to reserve tickets at several locations after getting the pass so I'd like to get the pass as soon as I can.
Thanks in advance.
Posted by
58 posts
I believe you can buy it 3 months ahead but you can pre-book your entries to where you want to go even if you don't yet have it - the online ticketing options will have an option for explorer pass that you select and on the day you attend you just need to show the attendants your pass together with the pre-booked ticket.
NB: Depending how long you're visiting and what you want to see, look into the Historic Scotland membership instead. We found that with the multi-membership options (i.e. 2 adults for reduced prices) that it was better value than the explorer pass.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
2838 posts
Historic Scotland annual membership comes with other benefits too - epecially the 20% discount in shops and 10% discount in their cafes. The membership is also valid for a full year and if you are planning to visit anywhere in England or Wales during that time, it gives 50% discount on entry fees to English Heritage and CADW sites.
You don't need to buy in advance as you can buy at the first paying site you visit.
Posted by
Mid-Atlantic area
8237 posts
We bought the Historic Scotland annual pass when we visited in 2022. We bought the two concessions pass as it was less expensive than two individual concessions passes. The same thing applies to the adult passes if you’re not over 65. We bought ours at Edinburgh castle and that was the only place we needed a reserved time slot. Our trip was late September to mid-October.