7 days in London / London pass

If you put London Pass into the search (good grief it is a poor search engine, but it is what we have - if you are mobile find search under the three bars, if laptop or browser, search is the area in tint at the top of the page with the magnifying glass and says Search) area and you can find many previous threads on it.

I've never used one because I am local.

The general consensus is that they are expensive and you need to carefully do your homework. They include a large number of minor and very minor attractions which makes it look like a great deal, but the reality is that you can only do so much in the time you have. You'll never get to most of the included places.

It is also true that most of the top museums in London are free for entry so you don't need any pass for that.

They market the pass appealing to the desire that many visitors, especially Canadians and Americans, have to "skip the line". The truth is that most places have no line, and the 5 - I believe it is 5 - places which the London Pass actually gets you to the front don't include the worst lines.

You can buy tickets for the worst lines on line and that gets you to the front too. And at more places. And you get a discount.

Nobody skips the security lines at most places, free or with a pass or with a ticket.

Does the pass you are looking at have a transportation component? If you use a normal Oyster for transportation you can get any left over unused money at the end of your trip, and the deposit, back. With the Pass I believe that it in includes all 6 zones which you are unlikely to need - but you have to pay for.

Consider if you want an included hop-on-hop-off bus. Threads about them can also be found in search, or just scroll back a few pages - they are a frequent topic. Traffic in London and slowness of the loops mean that some people don't see them as the value others do.

It is easy to take a normal bus with an Oyster card, and get the great view from upstairs, as you link together places you want to go. The number 11, number 15, number 9 are all good local buses - there are lots more - for viewing London from up high.

Not asked in your question - but here as a bonus answer - is that there are many high vantage points in London now in addition to the Shard (way overpriced) and London Eye (also not cheap, in all the years I've lived near London I've done it once, just after it was built). Places like Tate Modern, One New Change, John Lewis Oxford Street roof event, and the Sky Garden are just some of the free places with great views.

Listen to Nigel

Thank you Nigel for you great advice . I will be getting the Oyster card adding the 7 day Travelcard to it for zone 1-2 and pay the supplement from the LHR airport. If I purchase my attraction tickets it adds up to 111.70 thats regular price , will save extra if purchase on line and will not be restricted on a three day schedule . Any advice on a day trip to Windsor Castle on my own ; and a Tour company for A Salisbury and Stonehenge bus day trip.

Another great vantage point, though it is a climb, is from the top of St. Paul’s. I did it this morning!

I bought the London Pass for my 20 year old grandson and I. My experience is neutral. I think we broke even.

On the plus side, we skipped the line at St. Paul’s, the British War Museum and the Tower of London. Using it was quick and easy, I have the app on my phone.

On the minus side, there are a number of second tier sites that were less interesting than free sites and museums. You are tempted to plan your visit around London Pass sites to feel like you are getting your money’s worth.

I advise you list everything you want to see and do in order. Compare the list to the London Pass list, then compare cost. If it looks like you’ll save money, go for it. The longer you stay, the better the value. If you have only three days, look real hard.

I advise against hop on hop off. I’ve noticed I keep up with them walking. If you have ground to cover, take the Tube. It’s fun people watching.

Speaking of walking, in the week here, I’m averaging just under 10 miles a day according to my iPhone.

Yes thanks again we have seven day but will be making two day trips. We like art and history plus get into the country’s foods ,wine ,beer and tee in London.
My list included not in a particular order:
Westminster Abbey
Churchill War Room
St Paul’s Cathedral
Tower of London
Museums:
National Gallery
Tate Modern
British Museum
Day trip to Windsor Castle and Salisbury with Stonehenge . Some of Rick walks via Buckingham Palace and Parliament/Tower of London .

Rick's coverage of that pass is on p. 550 of London 2019. It primarily comes down to the math.

For your day trips, have a look at London Walks www.walks.com to see if they do any that suit you during your stay. They take the train out of London (much quicker than buses) and then they organise a coach at your rail destination, where necessary.

Edit. They appear to do Salisbury and Stonehenge every Tuesday in July.

Will you be in London on a Sunday?

If so you will have the experience of most of the major churches "ringing changes" on their bells. At most major churches (for example, St Pauls, St Vedast, St Clement Danes (the RAF church), St Martin in the Fields, St Mary-le-Bow, St Barts the Less, St Lawrence Jewry, St Barts the Great, Southward Cathedral, and many more) the ringing begins about half an hour before major Sunday services. Some City churches have services only during the week, so City workers can attend, so don't ring on Sundays. A notable exception is Westminster Abbey which only rings changes on special days, published on line.

You can have a look at a couple of youtubes to see what I mean.

Worcester Cathedral:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AhLX22qoC4
St Pauls:- https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nIkQrJLXCMc

Happy listening

I was pondering the same thing because we have 6 1/2 days in London. I read some articles about it and strongly considered it. Doing the math, if we hit everything on my list, I know we could have saved a few bucks, but ultimately I decided to not get the London Pass bc I wanted the flexibility and didn't want to feel rushed to 'make the most' of the pass. And we likely won't get to all the attractions on this trip. Many sights in London are free, and we plan to take advantage of that. Also I found discounts on many sights online and by getting a 'family ticket', such as Tower of London and Churchill War Rooms. The skip the line feature wasn't that great, and we plan to be there at the opening for ToL and Westminster Abbey. And Churchill War Rooms is timed entry.

I will be getting the Oyster card adding the 7 day Travelcard to it

Do you know about the 2 for 1 offers? Get a 7 day paper travelcard from a train station (instead of an Oyster card) and you can take advantage of the days out offers

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Travel-g186338-c195600/London:United-Kingdom:2.4.1.Travelcards.Step.By.Step.html

https://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london

I agree that usually the shorter duration London Pass almost never makes financial sense and greatly reduces your flexibility. For some, it becomes too much of a challenge to break even with the pass and well as letting the pass drive the itinerary. They can work out for a solo traveller who is buying it on sale for a longer period of time. And as mentioned above, many of the attractions included are second and 3rd tier attractions and some are located fairly far away. There’s only so much you can do during a day. I know I’ve mentioned my dislike of the HOHO bus often, but I do think you spend more time looking at bank buildings than actually looking at interesting sights.