How to choose the best pass?

"How do I choose the best pass?" is the big question 🙂
It's definitely the question I'm asked most often, and also the one that — once answered — allows readers to approach passes with much more confidence and effectiveness.

There is no single right answer to this question, but a way of reasoning and approaching this choice that makes everything simpler, more linear, more orderly.

Let's see some good advice 🙂

How do you choose the best pass?

Let's start with the premise that there is no rule or decision-making process that is always valid, everyone has their own method that varies according to their tourism experience and also the type of vacation they are planning.

I try to give you my algorithm that I generally apply when preparing for a vacation, obviously limited to the mere approach of analyzing, comparing and choosing a pass-if indeed I decide to use one.

• I make sure I have firm departure and return dates -> I know how long the vacation is and how many/what days I need to arrange the travel itinerary for
• I read up on the tourist opportunities in the city, and make a note in the first instance of what I'd like to see, without worrying too much about timing and scheduling them
• at this point I start drafting an itinerary, trying to fit all the things together as best I can and verify that it is actually sustainable in the vacation time. I try to leave some buffer time, for later modifications.
• I check the official websites of the individual attractions/excursions/activities to see if there are any promotional initiatives that would allow me to visit them at preferential conditions, whether you have a pass or not. For example, there might be free visiting time slots, family discounts, age group discounts, temporary promotions, etc. If I find a museum free, I may not even consider it as a constraint in choosing a pass, knowing that I can still visit it for free by scheduling it in my itinerary in the right slot where it is free.
• at this point I evaluate the passes that can best cover all the things I have decided to see. And it is at this stage where a site like passturistici.com can be of great help to you, concretely helping you find information quickly and guiding you in your choice.
• Once I identify the best pass, or the combination of pass and single ticket, I reevaluate the itinerary again and ask myself: the pass I have chosen, does it offer me included in the price new opportunities that I had not considered, which I think are interesting? If the answer is positive, I try to revise the itinerary to fit as many things in as possible, and make the most of the chosen pass.
  Important. The goal should not be to see as many things as possible, to the point of condensing the itinerary too much and not enjoying the vacation. You have to be good at keeping the right spaces, slices of free time, time for walking, shopping, and also enjoying the city outside the tourist attractions.
  So the goal becomes: to see as many things as possible while keeping a complete itinerary that is never too cramped.
  You know that you would like to see a lot of things, but that should never outweigh the fact that you can see them at the right time and leave room for the rest as well
• I repeat this evaluation cycle until I get the best design for my vacation

The duration of the pass

The pass duration is another key factor to consider.
Let's take an example.
If I have - for example - 7 days of vacation and I want to take a "duration" pass (i.e., which have different versions and costs depending on the days the pass is valid), it is not a given that I have to take the version of the pass for all 7 days, which has its price for 7 days precisely.

I could also think of planning in itinerary-again for example-the first 5 days of the vacation (or the last 5, it changes little) with all the attractions included in the pass, and for those 5 days take the 5-day version pass that will cost less than the 7-day pass, and leave to the other 2 days not covered by the pass all the other free activities and initiatives where the pass would not have given me any advantage anyway.

public transport

Another factor to consider is public transport (subway, buses, trains, trams). Some tourist cards (passes) include public transport or offer significant discounts on tickets, so we must take into account in our calculations that purchasing the pass does have a cost, but in addition to the direct benefits for attractions, it allows me to use public transport that I would otherwise have to pay for.
This aspect can also influence the reasoning in the previous point, 'duration of the pass'. perhaps in that example I decide to take the 7-day pass anyway, even though I could organize myself to condense everything into 5 days and save money, but I do so because the pass guarantees me public transport for all 7 days, and the price difference becomes negligible (at the same cost, it is better to have the freedom given by having the pass than not to have it).

Choosing the right pass

As you can see, passes and tourist cards are very "powerful" tools, but they must be chosen wisely in order to enjoy them to the fullest and get the most out of your vacation.
This is precisely why this website was created. It is a valuable aid, but the hardest work is up to you: planning your vacation in the best possible way.