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Which Charleston Tourist Pass is Best?

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Updated: February 16, 2024

This post will provide details about each of the tourist passes that are available in Charleston, South Carolina.

We will also compare and contrast all of the services they offer to help you make a decision about which one to purchase.​​

Disclosure: We think you should consider our free tours, but we have also provided other options. While our recommendations are always unbiased, we may receive a small share of sales through some of the links below at no cost to you. See the full text.


Charleston Tour Pass (Max Option)

If you’re looking for one easy pass you can use to enter several historic and notable sites in Charleston, this service is definitely worth considering. 

The Charleston Tour Pass Max provides free access to 40 popular attractions and activities in the city, giving you the opportunity to save a lot of money on general admission prices.

Discounts in Charleston SC

There are two different types of attractions included with this pass: Featured and Standard.

The featured attractions tend to be more costly, so the amount included with each pass depends on how many days the pass will be active.

When it comes to standard attractions, you can visit as many as you want for the entire length of your pass.

Here are the amount of featured attractions included with each level of the Charleston Tour Pass Max:

  • 1 Day Pass | 2 Featured Attractions
  • 2 Day Pass | 3 Featured Attractions
  • 3 Day Pass | 4 Featured Attractions
  • 4 Day Pass | 4 Featured Attractions
  • 5 Day Pass | 5 Featured Attractions

In addition to plantations and tours, they also offer free tastings at a few restaurants in the area.

Here are just a few places you can expect to visit with the help of this tourist pass.

We will include the average price you can expect to pay for each activity without the pass.


Included Featured Attractions

  • Schooner Pride Afternoon Sail | $54.50
  • Palmetto Carriage Works Tours | $53
  • Haunted Yorktown Tour | $42
  • Harbor Tour by SpiritLine | $42.40
  • Gray Line City Bus Tour | $34.45
  • Ghost & Graveyard Walking Tour | $39
  • Fort Sumter Tour | $37.10
  • Charleston Harbor Tour | $44
  • Boone Hall Plantation | $29.68

Included Standard Attractions 

  • Charleston Fun Park | $20
  • Aiken-Rhett House Museum | $15
  • Charleston Museum | $12
  • Gibbes Museum of Art | $15
  • Hunley Submarine Tour | $20.50
  • McLeod Plantation | $20
  • Water Taxi All Day Ride Pass | $14
  • Nathaniel Russell House Museum | $15
  • Heyward Washington House | $12
  • Joseph Manigault House | $12

Free Drinks & Meals

  • Glazed Gourmet Doughnuts | $5 Discount
  • Firefly Distillery | Free Tour & Tasting
  • Deep Water Vineyard | Free tasting
  • Holy City Brewery | BOGO Pint
  • The Grit Counter | $7 Voucher

Prices

  • 1-Day Pass: $111/Adults | $85/Children
  • 2-Day Pass: $156/Adults | $97/Children
    • Cost per Day: $78/Adults | $48.50/Children
  • 3-Day Pass: $204/Adults | $124/Children
    • Cost per Day: $68/Adults | $41.33/Children
  • 4-Day Pass: $241/Adults | $164/Children
    • Cost per Day: $60.25/Adults | $41/Children
  • 5-Day Pass: $267/Adults | $169/Children
    • Cost per Day: $53.40/Adults | $33.80/Children

Purchase the Charleston Tour Pass Max or learn more.


There is a lot of potential value behind this tourist pass.

It would be almost impossible to see and do everything they offer – even if you choose the 5-day pass – but you can still save a lot of money with this service.

The Charleston Tour Pass Max includes admission to several locations that would normally cost $20-$40 per person.

If you used the pass for just three of these attractions per day, you’d more than pay for its cost. 

Add in a few of the free drinks and meals and you’ll end up saving a lot of money while taking in the atmosphere of this historic city!


Example Itinerary

Here’s an example of how you could use the 3-day pass to save money:

Day 1

  • Schooner Pride Afternoon Sail | $54.50
  • Charleston Museum | $12
  • Aiken Rhett House Museum | $15
  • Charleston Fun Park | $20
  • Lunch at the Grit Counter | $7

Day 2

  • Harbor Tour | $42.40
  • McLeod Plantation | $20
  • Hunley Submarine Tour | $20.50
  • Deep Water Vineyard Tasting | $15

Day 3

  • Ghost & Graveyard Walking Tour | $39
  • Nathaniel Russell House Museum | $15
  • Gibbes Museum of Art | $15
  • Palmetto Carriage Works Tour | $53
  • Water Taxi All Day Ride Pass | $14

Total Value: $342.40

Total Price: $204

Total Savings: $138.40 (around 41% off)

As you can see, it’s actually not too difficult to save a lot of money with the Charleston tour pass.

You could potentially add a few extra activities to the itinerary we have listed above, making your total savings over 50% off!


Charleston Tour Pass (Select option)

This is a personalized variant of what your are getting in Charleston Tour Pass Max.

This pass lets you choose from more than 30 different categories of tour ranging from bus tours, walking tours, ghost tours to museum and carriage tours.

Based on your choices, you can select any number of tours and you instantly gets 10% flat discount on your total price.

And within seconds after purchase, you'll instantly receive your pass with the selection of tours chosen after checkout.


Example Itinerary

Suppose you choose the following options:

  • Schooner Pride Afternoon Sail
  • Spirits Of Magnolia Cemetery Tour

Normal price for an adult for both the tours are $54.50 & $39 respectively, total $93.50.

Total savings with this pass will be 10% off.

Effective price will be $49.05 & $35.10 respectively, total $84.15. That's almost $10 off, and all you have to do is use this pass to purchase your tickets!


CANDEN'S TIPS FOR USING THE CHARLESTON TOUR PASS

Canden is a Washington DC tour guide and manager of Free Tours by Foot.

I had a whirlwind trip to Charleston from DC, where I was going to be in town for basically 36 hours.

I wanted to get the most out of the trip and since I was traveling by myself and knew I could handle a heavy-loaded day, I decided the 2 Day Charleston Tour Pass was the best match to get in as many attractions as possible.

  • Tip #1: Download the App

I downloaded the pass to my phone prior to my trip. You can access all the features and information right away but it doesn't activate until you use it at your first attraction.

The app has lots of advice in addition to helping you plan what the see, when.

My favorite feature was that there was a map that let me see what was nearby. This came in handy as I was planning, but also on the ground.

For example, when I was walking from one of the morning tours, I saw on the map that there was a discount at a bakery included and it was only one block out of the way. It made the walk much more enjoyable.

When you arrive at your chosen site, you’ll show the pass on your phone and the vendor will log in on your app to check you in.

For this reason, you will need to make sure your phone is charged. A portable battery for your phone will come in handy. I use this one from Amazon (affiliate link)

  • Tip #2: Write down your pass number

There is ONLY a mobile option, which does require data to use, but if you don't want to use data and cannot access free WiFi during the day (or your phone dies), you can access any of the walk in sites just by showing them your pass number. Featured attractions that require reservations must be booked through the pass but you can do this at your hotel or wherever you can connect in advance.

  • Tip #3: Note which attractions require reservations ahead of time.

You must book featured attractions that require reservations ahead of time on the pass (hotel WiFi is a good option), but for walk-in attractions, you can present your Pass ID (located on the main page of the app). Attractions like the Harbor Tour and Ghost Tours require advanced reservations.

I booked a Ghost Tour for my first (and only) night. Walking Tours are limited in size so they can sell out fast. I booked a time that was available and then went a little early to see if they had room on the earlier tour, which they did!

  • Tip #4: Just ask for help!

The customer service and communication with the Charleston Tour Pass representatives and the vendors is phenomenal! 

Questions were quickly answered and during my personal use of the Charleston Pass (and you’d think I’d get this right since I work in the tourism industry) the wrong date was booked but the Charleston Harbor Tour desk was able to right then and there quickly and easily change my reservation to the boat tour I wanted.

We highly recommend this pass! Click here to purchase the Charleston Tour Pass


Charleston Heritage Passport 

The Charleston Heritage Passport focuses primarily on providing admission to historic sites around the city.

Although they don’t offer access to as many attractions, they do provide three pass options depending on how deeply you want to dig into the history of this city.

To top it off, this service is also much more affordable and provides entry to sites not included by their competitors.

Each version of the passport is valid for 5 days and provides one-time admission to several notable locations in the city.

Here is a list of each historic site included with each level of the Charleston Heritage Passport:

Explorer Passport | Included Attractions

  • The Charleston Museum
  • The Gibbes Museum of Art
  • Nathaniel Russell House Museum
  • Heyward-Washington House Museum
  • Aiken-Rhett House Museum
  • Joseph Manigault House Museum
  • Edmondston-Alston House Museum
  • SC Historical Society Museum

Enthusiast Passport | Included Attractions

  • All sites included on the Explorer Passport
  • PLUS admission to ONE of the following:
    • Drayton Hall OR Middleton Place

Connoisseur Passport | Included Attractions

  • All sites included on the Explorer Passport
  • PLUS admission to BOTH of the following:
    • Drayton Hall AND Middleton Place

Prices

  • Explorer Passport: $59.99 per person
  • Enthusiast Passport: $79.99 per person
  • Connoisseur Passport: $99.99 per person

Although it might be difficult to see all of these places in just 5 days, you’ll still be saving quite a bit of money on admission by purchasing the Explorer Pass.

The Charleston Heritage Passport allows you to save up to 48% on everything. Travelers who have an interest in seeing all of these sites will definitely get a lot of value out of this tourist pass.

Click here to purchase the Charleston Heritage Passport.


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