Got a hard sell email today for a London Pass "on sale". True, it includes a lot of touristy things, but not all that many of the "important" ones in my estimation, tons of minor ones we'd never have time for. Given that having just 3 days in London, we couldn't take advantage of even a small percentage of the venues offered. And given the price, even paying admissions at the several non-free sites, hard to see how we would reap much if any financial benefit. So I'm thinking we'll probably buy an Oyster card (or just tap our credit card) for getting from one place to another, but just pay admissions out-of-pocket as we go. Any thoughts?
Posted by
Land of La
8660 posts
Not worth it.
Most museums are free. See St Pauls by going to Evensong.
Book Churchill War Room in Advance.
Be first into the Tower of London, see the Crown Jewels, then tour the Armory and the grounds.
Posted by
Colorado
471 posts
I've been in London several times and had the London Pass a few of those visits. Each time, I've done the math on whether or not it is worth it. These passes always change and generally become a less better deal than previously. My thoughts are that it depends upon how long you are there, what you want to visit and IF you have been there before.
The last time I was in London, I was with my sister and it was her first trip there. We got the London Pass because I wanted her to be able to walk into anything that caught her fancy and not feel like she had to pay more to visit. She's very frugal. We got in very quickly to the Tower of London. Westminster Abbey was a long wait. St. Paul's good. Churchill's War Room became a long wait because we didn't have priority entrance.It would have been better to prebook. My sister loved the Horse Guards Museum. The Banqueting Room was a big hit. We also used it for a river cruise. The little serendipitous visits were really special. I think we actually broke even on it.
I didn't think it was advantageous to combine it with a transit pass. We had Oyster Cards which worked pretty well. I think we could have bought daily passes and been just as good. However, some days, we walked more than did public transit. It was nice to jump on a bus or the Tube when we needed it.
Don't feel too pressured. I think the London Pass people are always running some kind of special.
Posted by
Northamptonshire, England
32738 posts
hard sell and it didn't pass your smell test. Go with your instincts.
In this case your instincts are the same as mine.
In rare cases, like just above, they may be appropriate to help the sister, but generally they are not well received.
Posted by
Lynnwood, Washington
8369 posts
Beware of anyone telling you immediately, without knowing your plans, whether this is a good deal for you or not. There is only one way to determine this and that is to look at where you plan to go and compare the sum of the admission prices with the cost of the pass.
I have taken trips where I used it and trips where I have not. It always gets down to my actual itinerary.
I have saved significantly when it worked out to use it. If there wasn’t savings, I skipped it. It can tend to be a better option for a solo traveler versus a couple who might want to take advantage of 2 for 1 offers as a savings vehicle instead.
Posted by
Colorado Mountains, USA
7347 posts
Pass on the London Pass for your 3 days.
Posted by
Lincolnshire, UK
1833 posts
Sensible decision not to buy it. The hard sell is usually an indication they are desperate to sell something nobody needs or wants...
Posted by
Chicago
1325 posts
The London Pass generally only works out as a good deal for a longer stay and bought on sale. That way you can do one of the big expensive sites per day while also having time for free museums, London Walks, theatre or other tourist stuff.
For three days, it isn’t worth it.