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London Pass

We will be in London for three day in early April. Although the London Pass contains many places we would like to visit, is it really worth the money? Does it save time by not having to wait in line to purchase tickets at each venue?

Posted by
2564 posts

Check out the places you want to visit and their cost. You may not find you save anything. Most ticket lines aren't very long and for places like the Churchill War Rooms, it is advised to prepurchases tickets on line.

Posted by
749 posts

Only you can say whether it's worth the money based on what you're intending to visit, but it's worth bearing in mind that the big public museums and galleries are free.

It's unlikely to save you time - most people buy their tickets directly online rather than on site, and the queues (to the event there are queues) are normally for security.

Posted by
1424 posts

It is pretty rare that the London Pass will offer real value for money. Buying one tends to lead you to race around various attractions in order for you to feel that you have got your money's worth. and, most significantly, many of London's greatest attractions, the museums and galleries, are free to enter.

Also you do not need to buy tickets in advance for most attractions.

Posted by
9163 posts

I disagree with John. The London Pass often does provide money savings, but there are times it does not. It is going to depend on your usage and costs. The best values for London Pass come with the longer passes vs the passes for just a day or two.

Figure out where you want to go, price it out and compare. It is the only way to know if it is a good value.

Posted by
34838 posts

and use the webpages for the actual attractions, not a list provided with merchandising sales pitch - some places listed as having a cost actually are usually free, or are free except for special exhibits.

Do the maths and see if it is worth pushing yourself for, or leaving out a major museum or attraction (which may be free) because you want to see enough stuff to make the money you paid work out.

Posted by
3998 posts

Although the London Pass contains many places we would like to visit,

What places? If you make a list and go to the website of each attraction, you can find prices for each one.
Add the prices, and see if you'd be better off buying the pass.
As Nigel and Carol both said, this is the way to know if it's a good value for you.

Note that most museums in London are free, except for the special exhibitions that they sometimes have.
Many visitors to London (especially those who have been to London before) spend a good part of their time in the museums.

Posted by
3 posts

Thank you all for your responses. I most likely will not get the London Pass. I appreciate you taking the time to respond.

Posted by
2218 posts

Thank you all for your responses. I most likely will not get the London Pass.
Based on my experience with London Pass, I want to reassure you that it is a good suggestion.

We found ourselves slaves to the Pass. If you have a more time than the length of the London Pass, it may work. It did help at the Tower of London and the Churchill Museum. We also enjoyed the second-tier attractions, such as the Beefeater Gin factory.

Cost-wise and convenience-wise, I'd call it a wash.

Posted by
5011 posts

Rick has a section in his guides about passes and he discusses the pros and cons, lately it seems they don't make all that much sense

Posted by
28951 posts

I rarely see a major-city pass that looks like it might be a good deal for many visitors, but there are regional passes in Italy that can save a lot of money for visitors not on blitz trips, and Finland and Estonia have country museum passes I've taken advantage of. Those passes are probably intended more for locals, but there were no purchasing restrictions. I think they're not often mentioned in guidebooks, but you might bump into information about them online.

Some smaller cities have interesting options that seem to be partially intended to encourage visitors to see more than just the single most famous local sight. Padua is one example, though I think the price has increased enough that it's no longer the screaming bargain it was in 2015. Again, the cards tend to work out only for people staying somewhere long enough to breathe.