I'm considering buying a city pass for London (could include tube transportation, museums, etc.), but I'm not sure how good a deal such passes really are. I like the potential for ease of decision making since I haven't been to London for 20 years and will only have three days this visit. Any advice? thx.
Posted by
Tresana, Highlands Ranch, CO, USA
23624 posts
Without more detailed info it is hard to response to your questions. You need to do a little homework yourself and compare the entry fees, transportation costs, etc. before determine if it is a deal or not. My general experience with city type passes is that they general are a good deal if you are pretty activity and hit a lot of sites. Often these passes include a lot of "B" level that you might not see if you had to pay the entry price and sometimes the "A" sites are not included. Only you can determine this.
Posted by
Bromley, Kent,, UK
1829 posts
This poster on TripAdvisor's London Forum has done a lot of work on comparing the value of the London Pass against the 2 for 1 entry ticket offers that come with using a paper travelcard while in London. The general consensus is that the travel element of the LP is not usually good value.
http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/attraction-types/2for1london.aspx
PS - most, and all the major, London musems are free to enter
Posted by
Washington, DC
888 posts
We purchased the six-day London Pass without the transportation part and found it to be a great value. If you do get the pass, skip the transportation option and travel the tube/public transportation with an Oyster Card. Further, the London Pass lets you skip the lines at the sites and gives you discounts at places you wouldn't expect (i.e., 20% off at the Tower of London cafeteria). As previously stated, figure out how many days you would want the pass for, add up the cost of the sites you want to visit, and compare it to see what works best for you.
Posted by
Anaheim, CA, USA
1455 posts
Jennifer the down side of getting the city pass is you will feel "rushed". My first time getting it had me running around London trying to get the bang for the buck (or in this case, pound).
Now, when I go I just do the places I want to visit, and save the other places for the next visit (which seems to be yearly now).
In order to break even, you have to visit 3 to 4 attractions per day... and most places are open 9 to 6... maybe 7 or 8 pm.
You are better off getting the paper travel pass for the transportation, and getting 2 for 1 deals.