I am starting research for a 9 day trip to London for hubby and I for the end of April. I decided to buy membership to the Historic Royal Palaces for 89£ for two which will take care of Hampton Court, Tower of London, Kensington Palace, and Kew Gardens. I decided the London Pass was not good for us, but while researching, the London Explorer Pass popped up. My math says it is a good deal since it is usable for a 30 days, don’t need to be consecutive which is a big plus. I can purchase 5 or 7 sights. again, the math adds up in my favor. Finally my question - has anyone used this pass, do you skip the lines? Like many others, I am more concerned with my time then saving a few dollars. If I can’t skip the lines, I will just make individual reservations.
Thanks, Barbara
Posted by
Chicago
1325 posts
I haven’t heard of the London Explorer pass. I will point out that you have to pay admission to Kew Gardens, the HRP membership only gets you into Kew Palace. I believe there’s a discount, however, for Kew Gardens.
Posted by
Hampshire, England.
1069 posts
Posted by
Washington DC
27104 posts
At this time Kew Gardens is one of the sights in London offering 2-for-1 deals to those with qualifying rail tickets. I used a one-week Underground/bus travel card purchased at a National Rail station to qualify. The 2-for-1 deals require standing in the ticket line at each location, which is an unattractive proposition at many super-popular places, but it wasn't a problem at Kew Gardens even during the current Dale Chihuly exhibition.
You can investigate the current 2-for-1 offers on the daysoutguide.co.uk website.
Posted by
OP
Brooklyn, NY
3836 posts
Thank you for the replies, I will just book each sight individually. Yes, I did read that there is an extra charge at Kew Palace for the gardens.