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London, the vibrant and historic capital of England, welcomes travellers from every corner of the globe with its rich cultural heritage, iconic landmarks, and unparalleled things to do. With so much to see and do, how do you maximise your time in The Big Smoke? That’s where The London Pass comes into play. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll delve into The London Pass’s features, advantages, and potential drawbacks, helping you determine whether it’s the right choice for your London adventure.
London Pass Review
The bottom line is that the Pass will get you into some of the best attractions in the city, but is it worth it? Read on to find out everything you need to know about the Pass.
Is The London Pass Worth It?
Yes, we think it is. Our London Pass Big Weekender, as we named it, was one of the best weekends we’ve had in London. We called it so because we were given two 2-day passes by GoCity to try out and spent a lot of time planning to get the most from it. Of course, we’re going to say it’s worth it because we got them for free, right? But hear us out.
Despite them being free, this is an honest review, as you’d expect from us, and we really loved the Pass. It’s a great way to explore a lot of what London has to offer, from some of the biggest attractions across the Big Smoke to the lesser-known attractions, and ones that might not be worth it otherwise, which we think is an important factor.
The Postal Museum is an example of that. The museum alone is relatively expensive to get in for what you get, and we don’t think it’s worth it without the Pass. We’d also lump a few other things into that category, too, such as the Cutty Sark and Royal Observatory. That’s not because they aren’t good – they are, but they are also expensive for what they are. However, The London Pass makes visiting worth it.
Now that GoCity has partnered with Merlin Entertainment, the London Pass is even more appealing because it allows you to access lastminute.com London Eye, Madame Tussauds, Shrek’s Adventure! London, The London Dungeon, and SEA LIFE London Aquarium. You also get access to Chessington World of Adventures and LEGOLAND Windsor Resort, both of which aren’t in London.
We planned a 2 day London Pass itinerary, with one of the days focussed on the best things to do in Greenwich. Head on over to the itinerary to see how much we saved. You might be surprised!
So, if you’re visiting London for just a few days and want to pack some of London’s best sights into your visit but don’t want the huge bill, The London Pass might be worth it for you. And even if you’re a local, it’s worth it to plan your very own London Pass Big Weekender, where you can visit all those sights you haven’t quite got around to yet!
Of course, there are lots of factors to take into account to determine whether the Pass is right for you and whether it will suit your preferences and travel plan, but here are a few things to consider:
- The number of attractions: The Pass offers access to over 90 attractions, including popular ones like the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and ZSL London Zoo. If you plan to visit several of these attractions within a short period, the Pass can save you money compared to purchasing individual tickets. As an example, see our 2-day itinerary to see an example of potential savings.
- Duration of your stay: The London Pass is available for different durations: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 days. If you’re staying in London longer and have more time to explore, the Pass can be more cost-effective.
- Itinerary and interests: Consider the specific attractions you want to visit and calculate the individual entrance fees. Compare this total cost with the price of The London Pass. If the Pass covers most of the attractions you plan to visit and offers a significant cost saving, it can be worthwhile.
- Flexibility: The London Pass offers the convenience of skipping ticket lines at some attractions, saving you time. It also includes a hop-on-hop-off bus tour, which can be useful for getting around the city and seeing multiple sights quickly. The Uber Boat is also included, which is a useful way to get around the city via the river because it’s quick, convenient and connects you to hot spots for the Pass, like Greenwich and Tower Bridge.
It’s worth noting that the Pass may not be worth it for everyone. Suppose you have a limited budget or prefer to visit fewer attractions at a slower pace. In that case, paying for individual tickets might be more cost-effective.
So, before you buy the Pass, we recommend researching the attractions you plan to visit, calculating the costs, and comparing them with the pass price. This way, you can make an informed decision based on your needs and preferences. It seems like a bit of effort, but it will be worth it.
So, with that question out of the way, here’s some more information on the Pass, the attractions and how it works.
How Does The London Pass Work?
You buy a digital pass, either online or through the app, check out where you want to go and whether you need a reservation, and then turn up, show the Pass, and get in. It’s pretty much as simple as that!
If you buy a pass online, you can add the order number to the app, and your passes will appear. It’s worth noting the passes are for consecutive days, not 24-hour periods, and they start once you activate them with the first scan. So, if you scanned your Pass on Saturday at 1200 and only had a one-day pass, it would expire that same day, not at 1200 on Sunday.
The London Pass App
Generally, the app is really good. It crashed once or twice, but that wasn’t much of a problem. What is great about the app is that it gives you a ton of information. You can explore the attractions by looking on a map, or you can sort them by distance from you if you are going ad hoc between them. However, if you’d like to spend a bit more time planning, the app offers you the option to favourite sites, and you can find out whether you need to book a reservation in the ‘Know before you go…’ section of each attraction.
You can even set up your own itineraries like we did. We set a ‘Saturday and ‘Sunday’ itinerary. How creative?! Ha! Alternatively, you can use their pre-loaded itineraries.
The London Pass Attractions
There are tons of attractions to visit with the Pass – too many, actually. Ha! We spent several weeks planning our weekend to try and make the most of it. Head over to the official website for the latest attractions you can visit on the Pass. We’ve put together posts about visiting ZSL London Zoo and the Tower of London to help plan your itinerary.
There are some of London’s biggest attractions on the list, such as:
- ZSL London Zoo
- Tower of London
- Lastminute.com London Eye
- Madame Tussauds London
- The London Dungeon
- Cutty Sark
- Westminster Abbey
- London Transport Museum
- St Paul’s Cathedral
- Royal Botanical Gardens, Kew
- Shakespeare Globe Theatre Tours
- Fuller’s Brewery
There are also some of London’s lesser-known attractions, such as:
- Jason’s Canal Boat Tour
- The Golden Hinde
- The Fan Museum
There are even some attractions that are not quite worth the fee if you were to visit without the Pass, like the Royal Observatory and The Painted Hall, which is another bonus of the Pass, in our opinion. We get to visit places we wouldn’t otherwise visit because of the price, but The London Pass helps to overcome that a bit. Head over to see the complete list of attractions on The London Pass Website.
Some significant places aren’t included, such as the Houses of Parliament and Buckingham Palace tours, but there are plenty of other big attractions in the city to compensate.
It’s worth noting that the attractions associated with the Pass are occasionally added or removed. It’s worth checking the latest list of attractions before you commit if there is a specific attraction you would like to visit.
Our review of The London Pass reflects the attractions we visited, which included some of the biggest and best in the city. So, at the time of writing, The London Pass was worth it.
The London Pass Travel
Some travel options are included with the Pass, including the hop-on hop-off buses, provided by Golden Tours and Big Bus, and the Uber Boat by Thames Clipper, each of which is valid for one day. We didn’t get a chance to use the hop-on, hop-off buses, but we did use the Uber Boat from Greenwich to Tower Bridge.
There is an option to add an Oyster Travelcard when you checkout, but it’s worth working out whether you will get the best value from it. The Oyster Travelcard is pre-loaded with credit to match the duration of your Pass. For the latest prices, look at the London travel page and weigh them up against TfL’s daily price caps over the duration of your Pass. For one or two days, it might not be worth it if you can tie in the hop-on hop-off buses with the Uber Boat.
Our Passes didn’t include a Travelcard, and because we planned the weekend around using the Uber Boat and travelling by foot, it wouldn’t have been worth buying one.
Money-saving tip: If you have an Oyster card and a railcard, ask a staff member at the Underground to add the railcard to your Oyster card. Your railcard gives you discounts on off-peak fares on the Tube, DLR, London Overground, and Elizabeth Line around London.
The London Pass Price
Head over to the official website for the latest prices because they change. You might even find they have a sale, which you’ll see on the page – no need to add a discount code. Otherwise, check out the price summary below:
Adult (16+):
- £104 for a 1-day pass,
- £144 for a 2-day pass
- £164 for a 3-day pass
- £184 for a 4-day pass
- £199 for a 5-day pass
- £209 for a 6-day pass
- £219 for a 7-day pass
- £244 for a 10-day pass
Child (5 to 15):
- £69 for a 1-day pass,
- £89 for a 2-day pass
- £104 for a 3-day pass
- £109 for a 4-day pass
- £114 for a 5-day pass
- £119 for a 6-day pass
- £124 for a 7-day pass
- £129 for a 10-day pass
Was it Worth it for Us?
To wrap up The London Pass Review: Is The London Pass Worth It? here are our final thoughts. Although we got The London Pass for free, it’s something we would buy; there is no doubt about that. And if we had bought it ourselves, it would have totally been worth it.
We visited 12 attractions over the two days that we had the Pass, some of which are the best things to see in London.
The passes would have cost £290, and the total cost to visit all the attractions would have been a staggering £476.60 for both of us. That would have been a super-expensive weekend in London, right?
And we think we could have squeezed another attraction in somewhere, so it’s possible you might be able to squeeze some more value out of The London Pass if you try hard enough!
FAQs
Is the London Eye included with The London Pass?
Yes, the London Eye is now included in The London Pass. A partnership with Merlin Entertainments means the London Pass now includes access to seven major London attractions, such as The Lastminute.com London Eye and Madame Tussauds London.
What does The London Pass include?
The Pass includes access to a huge range of attractions in London, including some of the city’s best ones, such as the Tower of London and ZSL London Zoo. Also included are the Uber Boats by Thames Clipper and the hop-on, hop-off buses and the lastminute.com London Eye and associated Merlin attractions, such as Madame Tussauds and London Dungeon.
Is The London Pass worth it?
We think it is. It’s a great way to explore London and potentially save some money while doing so. The pass offers access to some of London’s biggest and best attractions, some of London’s lesser-known attractions, and some attractions that might not be worth it without the Pass. Read our in-depth review to make a better-informed decision about whether the Pass is worth it for you.
What is The London Pass?
The London Pass is a sightseeing pass that allows you to access more than 90 attractions in London at a discounted price. It offers a hassle-free way to explore the city’s top tourist spots, including museums, galleries, and iconic landmarks like the Tower of London, ZSL London Zoo, Cutty Sark, Royal Observatory and Westminster Abbey. With the London Pass, you can save time and money while enjoying the best of what London has to offer.
Do I need to pre-book any of the attractions?
Yes, you do. The official website provides a list of attractions where reservation is required.
How do I activate The London Pass?
Upon purchasing The London Pass, it becomes activated once you use it at the first attraction or on the hop-on-hop-off bus tour. From that point, the Pass is valid for the duration chosen.
Can I visit the same attraction more than once?
With The London Pass, you can typically visit each attraction once. However, you should check the specific terms and conditions of each attraction, as some may have restrictions on how many times you can visit.
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