London Pass Review – 2024 London Travel Pass Discount and Prices
London is famously one of the most expensive cities in the world, and when you see how much the famous attractions cost, you’ll know why. Not everything in London is super expensive, and many of the famous museums such as the British Museum and Tate Modern are actually free for all. But the remaining non-museum attractions such as the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and the football/soccer stadium tours, are all surprisingly expensive. See where London lands on our list of European cities from cheapest to most expensive (it’s near the bottom).
The London Pass is a great way to save time and money for people who are well organized. It also covers almost all of the top attractions, including the popular and worthwhile hop-on, hop-off bus tours, a Thames cruise, and even entry to Windsor Castle. In fact, if this is your first trip to London, the London Pass is a great tool for planning your trip because you’ll see almost all of the best attractions in one list and you’ll be able to choose the ones that interest you most. Scroll down for prices, tips, and an exclusive discount for our readers that is on TOP OF discounts offered on the London Pass website.
So many people want to visit London and Paris on their first visit to Europe that I wrote a detailed London and Paris itinerary for a week, and the London Pass can save a lot on that visit as well. Nearly every London attraction raised its prices again in 2023, but the good news is that London Pass actually lowered their price so it’s now an even better deal.
This article was last updated in March, 2024.
The London Pass – Is it worth it?
London Pass has changed its strategy once again in 2023 and the new version is MUCH cheaper and better in almost every way. They literally cut the pass prices in half on average and the only negative is that there is now a “max credit” amount that each visitor gets depending on the length of the pass they buy.
When I saw that I was first concerned that they would have the max credit value so low that saving money would be a challenge, but instead it’s a VERY generous amount of credits so it really shouldn’t be a constraint on almost anyone. For example, a 3-day London Pass now costs £138 for an adult and the “max credits” allowed are £385 during the 3 days. Since most of the included attractions cost between £30 and £40 each, you can still do 3 or 4 of them each day for three days and still have credit available.
We’ve previously reviewed the Paris Pass and reviewed the New York Pass, and the answer here is at least as complicated.
Short version: If you want to visit the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and Windsor Castle, then a London Pass is probably going to save you time and money. Better still, if you can get a London Pass at a discount, it’s obviously even easier to save money.
And if you will be in London for at least four days then getting a London Pass is an easy decision. It’s still better to start early and plan ahead, but now it’s such a bargain that anyone can save time and money with the thing.
Exclusive discount for Price of Travel readers
- Get an ADDITIONAL 5% off all London Passes
Use promo code: GO5POT (Look for “promo code?” in Step 4 of checkout)
>>>Click this link and use code GO5POT to receive and ADDITIONAL 5% off all London Passes.
Note: The official site usually has its own discount, and if a larger discount is being offered, you’ll automatically get the best discount with the above link.
3 categories of London attractions
Free attractions
- British Museum*
- Tate Modern Museum* (plus about 20 other state-run museums)
- Speakers’ Corner
- Hyde Park
- The Changing of the Guards
- and many more
London attractions NOT included in the London Pass
- The London Eye (Ferris wheel)
- Madame Tussauds Wax Museum
The 80+ attractions that ARE included in the London Pass
- One-day hop-on, hop-off bus tour – £37
- View from the Shard (London’s new tallest building) Observation Deck – £37
- Uber Boat by Thames Clippers 1-day River Roamer – £23.50
- Tower of London – £33.60
- Windsor Castle – £33
- Westminster Abbey – £27
- St. Paul’s Cathedral – £23
- London Bridge Experience – £31.95
- Chelsea FC Stadium Tour – £28
- Arsenal Stadium Tour – £30
- Tottenham Hotspur Stadium Tour – £30
- Hampton Court Palace – £26.00
- London Zoo – £41.80
So look at the lists above. If you are on a backpacker budget it’s obvious that you can have a great time in London without buying the London Pass. Or, if you are only in London for a few days and you have your heart set on doing the London Eye and Madam Tussaud’s, then the London Pass might actually slow you down more than it helps.
However, if you look at the things the London Pass offers it’s a very impressive list. Many of us don’t like museums, or at least not for more than an hour or so at a time, and a great number of the more exciting attractions are included with the London Pass.
New: London Explorer Pass
Introduced a few years ago, the London Pass company has introduced the London Explorer Pass as an alternative or complement to the London Pass. It provides prepaid entry to 3, 5, or 7 of the most expensive London attractions including the London Eye, Madame Tussauds, DreamWorks Tours Shrek’s Adventure, and the SEA LIFE London Aquarium. None of these is covered by the normal London Pass and if you want to visit those places you WILL save money with the London Explorer Pass.
>>>Read our full London Explorer Pass review
2024 Prices of the London Pass
The standard all-inclusive London Pass now comes with a credits package based on the number of days you purchase. They drastically lowered the prices to implement this system, but in exchange they put a cap on the value of the attractions you can visit during your trip. Fortunately it’s a VERY generous credit package so nearly all visitors are better off with this system.
New London Pass system: Credit Packages based on days purchased
With the possible exception of a 1-Day Pass, the new London Pass system provides enough free credits to do just about anything you can imagine from the included attractions. The “max credit” amounts are below next to the prices and you can see that they provide amazing value, even for visitors who want to cram in as many attractions as possible.
- 1-Day Adult Pass: £90 (£180 max credit)
- 1-Day Child Pass: £55 (£145 max credit)
- 2-Day Adult Pass: £125 (£290 max credit)
- 2-Day Child Pass: £70 (£230 max credit)
- 3-Day Adult Pass: £138 (£385 max credit)
- 3-Day Child Pass: £80 (£290 max credit)
- 4-Day Adult Pass: £151 (£475 max credit)
- 4-Day Child Pass: £96 (£345 max credit)
- 5-Day Adult Pass: £166 (£585 max credit)
- 5-Day Child Pass: £101 (£410 max credit)
- 6-Day Adult Pass: £171 (£670 max credit)
- 6-Day Child Pass: £106 (£465 max credit)
- 7-Day Adult Pass: £182 (£785 max credit)
- 7-Day Child Pass: £112 (£515 max credit)
- 10-Day Adult Pass: £202 (£865 max credit)
- 10-Day Child Pass: £117 (£555 max credit)
Note: As of March 2024, an Oyster travel card is an option to add to any London Pass. You’ll be charged a £5 fee for each card plus the amount of travel credit based on the number of days in your London Pass ranging from £10 to £50. An Oyster travel Card allows for unlimited travel on the Underground and buses in the central London zones and is by far the cheapest and easiest way of getting between sights and around in general.
London Passes with Oyster Card travel credit explained
An OysterCard works as an unlimited travel card, but it is more flexible and doesn’t need to be used only in the days that your London Pass is valid. If you use it only in Zone 1 and Zone 2, which is where most hotels are located and almost all attractions, the maximum daily charge is £8.10 per person. If you only take one or two rides per day, they are charged at £2.80 per ride, so you might have credit left over. Even if you ride the underground and buses all day, it’ll only charge you the £8.10 per day, so most people will have more credit than they need.
Zone 3 starts quite a ways from the city center and it’s probably unwise to stay in a hotel in Zone 3 or higher. Not only will it cost you more for daily transportation, but it will take a long time going back and forth each day as well.
The short version: The Oyster Travel Card that comes with your London Pass will cover unlimited public transport for all of the days your London Pass is valid for, and you’ll have at least a bit more credit left to use on other days, or to get from Heathrow into the city as long as you have your London Pass delivered to your home.
Best London Pass itineraries for 1, 2, and 3-day passes
If you only have 3 or fewer sightseeing days in London, planning it with your London Pass (or without a London Pass) can be confusing. We are here to help so we have visited and reviewed everything, to help separate the lesser and more distant attractions from the absolute best of them that are easy to see on short visits.
>>>Best London Pass itineraries for 1-day, 2-day, or 3-day passes.
London Pass now includes a free smart phone app, and a free electronic guidebook
One of the best features of the London Pass used to be the helpful guidebook that comes along with the deal, but you’d have to wait until the pass was shipped to you (or you picked it up in London) in order to read it. London Pass allows you to download a free 160-page guidebook so you can start figuring out your schedule right away. Better still, you can also download their free iPhone or Android app for your phone or tablet, and you can get these before you even order. The app is helpful for finding your GPS location and which attractions are nearby.
Is the London Pass a good value then?
As long as you are interested in visiting enough of the included attractions, the London Pass is definitely a good value. Unlike some other cities we’ve covered, this pass pays for itself very quickly. If you visit only 3 big attractions in one day you’ve already saved money, not to mention the fact that you can skip the notoriously long queues in the process.
If you opt for the 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, or 10-day option then you can take in as few as 2 attractions per day and still save money. In fact, once you get to about 5 days you can even take a day off during your visit and still do well. Honestly, this is the best-value city pass we’ve looked at, as long as you are actually interested in these attractions.
Important advice for getting value out of your London Pass
Once in a while I hear from someone who feels disappointed with their London Pass experience, and we can all learn from the mistakes that they invariably made. It requires a bit of work and planning to maximize your sightseeing and value with the London Pass.
1. Start early in the day (around 9am if possible)
Most of the top attractions don’t really get crowded until late in the morning, so if you can leave your hotel by around 9am you’ll have time to see two top attractions before lunch. You’ll then have the rest of the afternoon to see two or three more things, and the whole evening to have a leisurely dinner and spend time in a pub or attend the theatre. But if you can’t leave your hotel until close to noon, you’ll find that everything is quite crowded already and you’ll feel behind schedule the whole day.
2. Plan your sightseeing route before you go out of the day
The other mistake that some people make is they only plan one thing at a time, so they have to scramble when they leave to figure out where to go next. London is a huge city, and although many of the included attractions are close to each other, many others are not. The free smart phone app helpfully puts all the attractions on a map and lists the hours for each. With a bit of advanced planning before leaving your hotel, you’ll be able to get from attraction to attraction quickly and efficiently, and get great value out of your London Pass.
Who is the London Pass good for:
As mentioned above, this pass isn’t ideal for everyone, so look at your own circumstances to see if it’s right for you.
- Those who definitely want to visit many included attractions
- Families (skipping queues is invaluable with little ones)
- First-time visitors only in London for a few days
- Visitors who don’t love state-run museums
Who is the London Pass NOT good for:
- Those on backpacker budgets
- People who prefer museums over exciting and unusual attractions
- Visitors staying more than one week in London, and prefer to see no more than one attraction per day
Expert London Pass tips from a pro
I lived in London not long ago for 6 months and I visited nearly every one of these attractions at least once so I could compare them and recommend the ones that are the best value on a short visit.
Here are the best London Pass attractions for visits of 3 days or less:
Hop-on, hop-off bus tour (£34)
If possible you should do the HOHO bus on your first full morning in London, as it’s the best and fastest way to get oriented. The full route takes 3.5 to 4.5 hours depending on traffic, and the first two hours are the best. If you start at Victoria Station you can get off at the Tower of London and you’ve done most of the best parts.
View from the Shard (£37)
Take the elevator up to the 68th floor to enjoy the view from Western Europe’s tallest building and observation deck. The Shard is just south of the Thames and it’s within walking distance of the Tower of London and St. Paul’s Cathedral, which are both also included and highly recommended.
Tower of London (£33.60)
This riverside castle is almost 1,000 years old and it’s the sort of thing that you really have to see in person once in your life. It might be a bit dry for the kids, but you can see the highlights in an hour or so, or take a free tour with the beefeater guards if you come at the right time.
Windsor Castle (£33.00)
If you want to see a historic and fancy castle, Windsor is the one you want. It’s located a bit north of London, but you can get there in less than 45 minutes from Paddington Station, and the trains are included with the London Pass. There is a good chance your hotel is close to Paddington Station, so this one is far faster and easier to reach than you might think. The London Pass now includes only “afternoon entry” which means you can enter anytime after 1 PM and the place closes around 5 PM each day. Most people go in the afternoon anyway and it can be a great way to end a sightseeing day.
Westminster Abbey (£27)
Even if you’ve seen your share of cathedrals in your lifetime, you haven’t seen one like this. Westminster Abbey is by far the most stunning and interesting church on the interior that you’ll ever see. It’s very central so you’ll pass by it no matter what, and you can do the free walking tour with the audio guide in about an hour once inside.
Arsenal, Chelsea, Tottenham, or Wembley Stadium Tours (£26+)
All four of these stadium tours are very enjoyable and impressive. If you are a fan of Chelsea, Spurs, or Arsenal then your choice will be obvious. The tours are quite different from each other, and all are worthwhile. If you don’t care about Wembley then the Arsenal tour is the best of the three, and it’s the most central and easiest to reach.
London Bridge Experience (£31.95)
This “experience” is sort of an interactive comedy and history show for the first 30 minutes, and then a very professionally put together haunted house for the remaining 30 minutes. If you aren’t a haunted house fan then skip this. But if it sounds like fun then it’s a good use of an hour and it’s located near several other attractions.
Conclusion
Here at Price of Travel we are all about value, but it’s important to remember that the whole point of traveling to cities like London is to see the things that interest you there. Fans of the big museums can save a lot of money by skipping the London Pass and concentrating on the British Museum, Tate Modern, Victoria and Albert plus many more.
But if you want to see the Tower of London, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Windsor Castle or even the Chelsea Football Stadium Tour then you’ll be astonished by how expensive everything in London is and the London Pass is a great way to keep you from spending too much or skipping things because you are worried about going over budget. Also, if you haven’t reserved a room yet, check out our recommended London hotels for our expert choices.
Exclusive discount for Price of Travel readers
- Get an ADDITIONAL 5% off all London Passes
Use promo code: GO5POT (Look for “promo code?” in Step 4 of checkout)
>>>Click this link and use code GO5POT to receive and ADDITIONAL 5% off all London Passes.
Note: The official site usually has its own discount, and if a larger discount is being offered, you’ll automatically get the best discount with the above link.
Short video showing the highlights of the London Pass
Here’s a 68-second video I made that shows the top London Pass attractions, including many that allow you to skip the queue.
This is a great resource. I am traveling to London with my wife and 2 children, ages 11 and 8. I think a 6 day pass for myself and my wife is a no braine, with travel. Do I also need for the kids, or are they normally underage and free? Thanks.
Randy,
Thank you. As it says on the London Pass site, “Child Pass is valid for 5 – 15 years. Children under 11 years of age may travel free of charge on the tube, buses, DLR and London Overground if accompanied by an adult holding a valid travelcard.” So that would mean that the 8-year-old wouldn’t need a travelcard (and many people would chance it on the 11-year-old as well because it’s not like kids that age are all carry around ID cards, if you know what I mean).
As for the Child London Pass itself, it gets a bit tricky. Most of the attractions on the card have a “child” price for ages 5 to 15, but at least a few of them are actually free for those under 11 so it’s a bit of a mix. You might check the official websites of a few of the main attractions you plan on visiting to see their age policies and decide from there. Most of the popular attractions seem to only have free entry for those under 5 because they are commercially run as for-profit businesses. Good luck and have a great trip. -Roger
Hi Roger,
Thanks for all the information, really appreciate the time and effort you have put in to help visitors in london. Just wanted to ask a query which we are pondering, planning to be in london for 7 days. As we are a couple w/o children, would it be a good idea to combine Big Bus tour with London Pass or do you think there is a better way to travel to reach destinations which are included in london pass.
Regards,
Sairam
Sairam,
It’s my pleasure to try to help with this. I think those Big Bus hop-on, hop-off tours can be good for sightseeing, especially if you want to see a lot in only a short visit of 2 or 3 days in London (or any other city), but they aren’t good as transportation between sights. Especially if you are going in high season, the buses can get quite crowded and the one you are waiting for might be nearly full when it pulls up because most people stay on it the whole way around. Also, they tend to move very slowly in heavy traffic.
The better way of getting around and between sights is a combination of walking and the Tube/underground. The London Pass comes with an optional TravelCard, and if you get that you’ll have unlimited rides on the Underground during the validity of your London Pass. Once you use the system once or twice, you’ll realize that it’s quite easy and visitor friendly. It’s also the fastest way to get around in almost every case. If you don’t get a TravelCard you’d want to get an Oyster Card, which works the same way after you put a £5 deposit down and then buy credit for the thing, but a TravelCard will be easier.
Another thing to consider is that if you are in London for 7 days, you really won’t need to rush around the city, so that Big Bus Tour wouldn’t be too helpful. You’ll be better off spending most of each day in one smaller area, seeing all the sights in that neighborhood rather than going back and forth across town. The London Pass also comes with a Thames River Cruise, which takes you by many of the most famous sights, and is a very good orientation to the city.
So again, if you were going to be in London for 2 or 3 days, the Big Bus Tour isn’t a bad way of seeing a lot in the time, but for 7 days I don’t think it would be worthwhile. Have a great trip. -Roger
I need to find out do I need children’s passes? I have a 10 year old and 14 year old. I know a friend of mine that did Paris last year said they did not need to buy childrens passes? So do we need a london pass for children. Also for the tube?
Thanks
Andrea
Andrea,
On the London Underground, children up to the age of 10 can ride for free along with a paying adult. Children 11 to 15 get a reduced fare.
The London Pass itself has a child price for ages 5 to 15, and I don’t believe any of the included attractions would be free without it. I think the difference is that the Paris Pass covers many museums and most or all of those museums are free for everyone under the age of 18. In London, the famous state-run museums (British Museum, Tate Modern etc) are free for everyone (actually paid for by taxpayers). And the London Pass obviously covers the other attractions (Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Thames River Cruise, London Bridge Experience etc.) and most of those are quite expensive. Children 5 and over need a ticket, although those are usually around half the price of an adult ticket. -Roger
Roger;
Our schedule is to go from Heathrow to Liverpool on Tuesday. We will go the Euston station. We will be in Liverpool for 2 day then coming back to London on Thursday around 4pm. Friday and Saturday we were wanting to use the London Pass. Sunday going out to Harry Potter Universal. Then Monday leaving at 2pm on Eurostar for Paris. Should I do a 3 day pass for Thursday night or 2 day pass. And should I do the travel part of the pass or get separate oyster card since I have so many other travel trips.
Any advise would be appreciated. Trying ot be the most cost effective
Thanks!
Andrea
Hi Roger ,
We are family n friends ( 4 adults & 4 kids ) ( kids all below 10 ) are visiting London for the first time . We are in London for 9 nights . Planning to take the London pass with travel so it would be easier and cheaper for us . We do plan to visit few places which is mentioned in your attractions .
Is it better to book it online and collect the pass there ?
Is it worth the money or oyster card is better for travel ?
Do we get discounts with London pass on madam tussads , london eye , harry potter , legoland etc ????
Awaiting Reply
Thanks
Payal
Payal,
I used to always recommend that people order the London Pass online and have it delivered to them at home, and that’s still a great option because you’ll get a chance to go through the guidebook that comes with it to help sort out your sightseeing plans. But now London Pass has created an electronic version of the book, as well as an iPhone and Android app with the same information, and you can download those all for free when you buy online for pickup in London. Also, the London pickup point for London Passes is in Leicester Square, which is a very central area for sightseeing, but you might be staying on the other edge of the city so picking them up in person could be a bit of a hassle.
The London TravelCard that comes as an option with the London Pass is almost exactly like an Oyster Card, except that you don’t have to pay the £5 deposit on each card when you buy them. The other difference is that a TravelCard is for unlimited public transport rides (underground, buses), while an Oyster Card allows you to buy just one or two rides per day if that’s all you need. By the time you get to 3 rides per day, the Oyster Card hits its maximum price for the day, and then it’s exactly like an unlimited TravelCard.
In other words, if you think you might only want 1 or 2 tube rides per day, then skip the TravelCard and buy Oyster Cards once you get to London. But if you think you’ll be doing 3 or more rides per day, which is very likely when you are using the London Pass because you’ll want to move around town quickly to take advantage of the included attractions, then the TravelCard is ideal. Most likely it comes down to which area of town you are staying in. Most of the best attractions are on or near the northern bank of the Thames in the Westminster area. If you stayed nearby, you will be able to walk to many attractions, but hotels in that walking area tend to be very expensive compared to almost anywhere else. So if you are staying at least 1 or 2 kilometers from that area, you’ll probably take the tube a couple times each day just going back and forth.
The London Pass does NOT include discounts to those things you mention, but with Madam Tussauds and the London Eye you can get a good discount just by booking online. You might find discount tickets for the others when you are in London, or elsewhere online.
Hopefully this helps, and feel free to ask any other questions if I missed something. -Roger
Hi Roger,
My family (two adults and a 14 year old child)are coming to London in June for 4 nights (3 full days + 1/2 day). I am thinking to get the 3 day London pass (2 adults and 1 child). I thought the travel card only works at off peak hours (www.londonpass.com) and the Oyster card worked all day long with discounted price for each ride. Can you confirm if the travel card works all day long?
I am trying to plan our time in London and hopefully you can help me. We are arriving at London in the morning (Tuesday)so we would have some time in the afternoon. Should I activate the card on the same day or the next day? We would like to visit several places included in the pass and a couple of other places that are not included. We’d like to do the river cruise, Tower of London, Westminster Abby, Churchill War Rooms, Tower bridge and Winsor castle. We’d like to have time to visit Buckmingham Palace, House of Parliment, London Eye. Can you please give us some suggestions on how to plan our 3 and half days?
Looking forward to hearing from you.
Sarah
Sarah,
The TravelCard/Oyster Card thing is indeed confusing. Here’s how it works: London public transport offers two different kinds of TravelCards (along with versions that include suburbs that very few tourists will ever want to visit). A TravelCard is good for unlimited Tube rides on the day it’s valid. The more expensive version is good all day every day (London underground shuts down for about 5 hours overnight), and the slightly cheaper version is only valid after 9:30am on weekdays, and all weekend. This is obviously to encourage tourists (and shoppers etc) to wait until the morning rush hour is over to start riding. The tube tends to be quite crowded until that time, so I personally am happy to save a little by starting after 9:30am, and this is the version you can add on to the London Card when you order.
The Oyster Card requires a deposit of £5 per card (fairly easy to get back when you are done with it, though queues at Heathrow can be long) and then you add ride credit to it. When they introduced the Oyster Card, they jacked up the price of the underground to the point that no sane person would ever NOT use an Oyster Card. Right now, it costs £4.70 for short tube ride WITHOUT an Oyster Card, and £2.20 WITH an Oyster Card. So after only 2 rides, your Oyster Card “discount” has already paid for the deposit.
The best feature of the Oyster Card is that you can use it for “discounts” on a few rides per day, and once you hit about 3 medium-length rides or 4 shorter rides, you’ve reached the maximum fare for the day, and every additional ride is free. So essentially, an Oyster Card automatically turns into a TravelCard after 3 or 4 rides, but it can be even cheaper if you don’t ride as often. But you have to pay the deposit and possibly stand in a longer line to get the deposit back when you are leaving, which can be a hassle.
For a family trying to get the most out of a London Pass, it’s almost certain that you’ll be riding at least 3 or 4 times per day, and even more if you are staying away from the touristy area along the Thames. So the TravelCard is probably exactly what you want anyway, and you’ll have it with you when you arrive, with no deposits and such. (Also, most attractions don’t open until 10am or so.)
As for how to use it most efficiently on your visit, there isn’t a big difference in price between the 2-day version and the 3-day version, so I think it’s wise to get the longer one. Those overnight flights can be problematic for some people, but I’m usually so excited that I prefer to get out and see some sights on the day I arrive (and this helps with jet lag as well). I think doing the Thames River Cruise on the first afternoon would be a great way of getting oriented. You’ll still have time for one or two more attractions in the same area, including the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, and the Churchill War Rooms.
Another day you can come back to that area and see the remaining things you passed on your first day, and you’ll have time for a ride on the London Eye (buy tickets online to save), and maybe a quick visit to the (free) Tate Modern museum nearby. Windsor Castle is in the suburbs, so you’d need to plan ahead to get out there.
It’s hard to offer specific advice without knowing all of the places you want to visit, but I can say that the underground is really efficient for getting around quickly, so you can see a lot. I’ll also suggest downloading the London Pass iPhone or Android app, which you can do for free, even before you buy. On it you’ll see all the places covered along with operating hours and such. That makes choosing where to go much easier, when you can see them all on the same map.
Hopefully this helps. Have a great trip, regardless of what you decide. -Roger
Hi, Roger!
Thanks for the info on the London Pass; I was really confused before reading your comments. You mentioned the river cruise as a good way to start a quick visit. We were also looking at the Big Bus tours as a way to get an overview of the city at the beginning of our trip. Do you recommend that, or will the river cruise be sufficient? Thanks SO much!
Judy,
I’m always happy to hear that this information helps. I think the Big Bus tours are an ideal choice for someone with only a day or two to see a city, but I think there are better ways of getting oriented if you’ve got a bit longer. The Thames River Cruise has excellent views of most of the important sights, and you obviously spend far less time sitting in traffic, which is unfortunately a major feature of the bus tours. So if you have at least 3 days in London, or hopefully even more, I prefer the river cruise early on, and also the “free” walking tours of the city center (Westminster) area. The walking tour goes places where the buses can’t go, and the descriptions and stories are much more vivid. They make money by asking for tips at the end if you’ve enjoyed it, and I always give around £5 because even that feels like a great bargain.
Also, if you are getting the London Pass you’ll be seeing many of these attractions (Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Churchill War Rooms, Windsor Castle etc) from the inside and outside as you visit, so seeing them from the top of a bus as it drives by is not as important. But again, if you have a very limited time, I do think the bus tours are far better than nothing. -Roger
Roger,
You are awesome! I really appreciate your taking time to share your very helpful insights. We have just five days in London, and now we know just what we are going to do with them! Many thanks!!
Hi Roger!
Me and my family of 4 (3 adults + 1 Child) are planing on going to London in early July. We only have one day to see the city and planing on visiting about 3 or 4 attractions. I was going to purchase to one day pass to avoid the “lines” and to save some dimes, what would your recommendation be? And one more question, where exactly do I click to apply the 6% coupon code you provided? Couldn’t find it in check out…
Thank you in advance for your reply Roger!
Patty,
Personally, I like to start quick city visits with a tour, so I’d recommend the Thames River Cruise in the morning. After that you’ll easily have time to see at least 3 more things, as most of the most famous sights are within walking distance of each other and near the river. Westminster Abbey and the (very interesting) Churchill War Rooms are close together, and from there you can take a long stroll (or fast taxi or tube ride) to the Tower of London. There are a few other included sights along the way, so you’ll have many options.
London Pass now has a free smart phone app (iPhone and Android) that shows you all the attractions on a map, with opening times and descriptions and whatnot, and that can help you choose.
To apply the promo code, go through the Checkout process and under “Step 4 – Additional Products” there is a thing at the bottom that says “Promo code? Click here.” Just click there, put in the code, and it will instantly change the price in the shopping cart. -Roger
Arriving London from Australia on 29th March with voucher for 3 day London Pass. Is the final day to use the Pass to visit St Paul’s Monday 31st March or Tuesday 1st April?
Jan,
That’s a good question. When I wrote to them about it, my contact there wrote that St. Paul’s would no longer be included “past April 1,” and I assumed he meant it would drop off at the end of March. But looking at it again, April 1 could be the last day. I’d plan on going in March just to be safe, though you might email them if an April 1 visit would be much more convenient just in case. Fingers crossed that it works out well for you. -Roger
Thanks Roger,
London Pass + London Travel Card (1 day) it is.
I’m try and see if I can squeeze Tate modern and Shakespeare’s Globe on the same day as well.
Thinking about visiting tower of london, tower bridge, westminster abbey and london eye all in a days work. Doable? And, would you recommend the london pass for this?
Simon,
You could definitely see all four of those in one day. Westminster Abbey is just across from the London Eye, and it’s a 40-minute walk or quick tube ride over to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge. However, the London Eye isn’t part of the London Pass (although you can save money if you buy tickets online). So those other 3 are included and you do get to skip the ticket queues at the Tower of London. You’d probably also have time for another attraction or two because so many are just in that same area. -Roger
Thanks Roger,
Do you advise getting the London Pass online or when I arrive at Heathrow? Also should I get it with the travel card or get the oyster card instead? Thanks!
Simon,
If you have time, I’d buy the London Pass online. You can always get a discount of at least 6% online, and sometimes it’s 10%. Better still, you can start planning because it comes with a downloadable PDF guide to London and the Pass, as well as a smartphone app with all the hours and details of each place included.
I’d buy the Travel Card as well because using it is exactly like an Oyster Card, but you don’t have to pay the £5 deposit for it. They both essentially work for unlimited rides on the underground and on daytime buses, and that really comes in handy in a city as spread out as London. -Roger
Simon,
A tip – I went to the Tower of London last year, and while you get to skip ticket lines with the London Pass, there was still a pretty sizable line to get in to see the Crown Jewels. If that’s important to you, you might wish to move the ToL to the top of the day’s activities.
Hi
I am interested in the Lord’s tour and the wimbledon tour which comes with London Pass..Does this tours happen every day or I need to get information beforehand? If so, from where do I get information?
Abhijit.
The Lord’s Cricket Ground Tour that is included leaves daily at 10am, 11am, noon, and 2pm. Starting in May there is also a 3pm tour and an extra 1pm tour on weekends. In November they scale back to 4 per day, but it goes every day of the year except for major match days and match preparation days.
The Wimbledon Tour also goes daily, but they don’t announce all the tours for the year in advance. The Wimbledon Tour does NOT run from 18 June through 14 August, due to tournaments and such.
I was able to get that information from the free iPhone app that you can download even if you don’t buy a London Pass. It should also be in the free pdf guidebook they offer on the London Pass site. -Roger