Is National Trust membership worth it?
You don’t have to be a National Trust member to visit places owned and managed by the National Trust. The average cost of entry to a National Trust property (correct at the time of writing) is about £15 for an adult – but some places are obviously a lot less than this and others more. Entry fees and opening times for each place are listed on the National Trust website.
Instead of paying per visit, an annual membership of the National Trust allows you free entry to more than 500 places and free parking at most National Trust car parks. You also receive a National Trust Handbook listing information about all the places the National Trust cares for, and the National Trust magazine three times a year. You can apply for individual membership for an adult (age 26+), young person (age 18-25), and junior (age 0-17, under 5s free); joint membership for adults; or family membership including options for one or two adults.
However, with an individual adult membership costing £96 in 2025, you have to ask the question – is National Trust membership worth it? Based on an average entry fee of £15, an adult with National Trust membership would have to visit 6 or more National Trust sites in a year to break even on their annual fee. A couple with joint membership would need to visit 5 or more sites. This may be reasonable if you have a holiday planned that will take in several National Trust sites and/or if you plan to visit a lot of the UK coastline where the National Trust owns and operates a lot of the car parks. Or you may choose to pay per visit.