Your Thoughts on Paris Museum Pass vs London Pass?

Willy, I don't know about comparing the two as they're not in the same country and may not cover attractions which are of interest to you.

Referencing just the Paris Museum Pass, yes, it was one of the most valuable 'tourist' passes we've ever purchased. We used our 6-day pass heavily for our week in Paris as there was much it covered that we wanted to see. Additionally, it offered the rare bonus of being able to re-visit any of the attractions it covered so allowed us 3 separate visits to the Louvre. So if you are interested in the Paris museums the pass covers, then spring for it.

While not up on London Pass (and we've been to London for a week), hoho buses are not of interest so.... We also don't schedule our sightseeing so tightly that timing becomes an issue. Any attraction which is top of list is given free rein for however long we want to spend. LOL, I've spent 5 hours JUST in Westminster Abbey, and that was my 2nd time as a visitor! Ton of architecture and history going on in that one!

I can't compare the 2 passes, because on over half a dozen one week visits, I've never felt the need to buy the London Pass. In any given week we might visit only one or 2 sites covered by the pass. The rest of the week being devoted to other sites, particularly the free ( donations given of course) church's, museums, and galleries. Neither the HoHo bus nor the Eye are if interest to us.

OTOH, we always get the museum pass in Paris. It has always saved us money and time. But I'm always leery when new travellers speak of skipping the line. I hope you know that this only means that the pass allows you to skip the ticket purchase line. Nobody, but nobody skips the security line. And only some places have a separate entrance line for passholders or advance tickets holders.

The large number of excellent and potentially time-consuming free/donation-requested museums in London makes the London Pass an iffy proposition for vistors interested in some of those museums.

Note that the 2-4-1 offers linked to rail tickets or weekly Underground travel cards bought at rail stations appear to require the visitor to go through the ticket line to claim the deal, so in many cases visitors interested in efficiency will be limited to the modest discounts available via online ticket purchase.

I am with the others.

I ALWAYS buy a Paris Museum Pass. I'll go again in September/Oct for 2 weeks and will probably get 2 6-day passes. I'll put my non-museum pass sights on the days I don't have a pass. Even if I only use 5 days out of 6 it is still worth it to me to have this pass. BTW, it only allows you to skip the ticket line. Everyone has to stand in the security line altho at some locations there is a separate security entrance.

As above, I love that you can visit museums a 2nd or 3rd time. The Louvre is overwhelming to me. It's big, it's crowded, it's hot. I can feel justified about popping in for just 2 hours at a time to see one floor or part of one wing. I like that it is just museums and doesn't have transportation attached to it. I can manage that on my own either with carnets or a weekly pass.

London? I've been often and never considered a pass. Not interested in The Eye or a HoHo tour or a boat ride (if it still covers it). I AM interested in the big free museums - British Museum, National Gallery, V&A. I also love the Churchill War Rooms which I get a timed entry for - with the London Pass you used to have to stand in the regular ticket line (very long!). I like to go in to smaller churches that don't charge altho I love Westminster Abbey and Saint Pauls. If I want to go to one of the venues that charges I don't mind paying but I don't want a pass that covers the stadiums (totally not interested) or other sights that I'd never be interested in.

Thanks for the thoughts! I'm glad to see folks think the PMP is a good value. I also learned that one can visit a museum more than once with the pass. Not sure we'll do that, but good to know.

As I said in my OP, we will get good value from the LP IF we decide to buy it--the ticket lines are the downside. We plan on seeing Westminster Abbey, Churchill War Rooms, Tower of London, HMS Belfast, Greenwich (including the Cutty Sark and the Naval Observatory), the Shard, Shakespeare's Globe, and the HoHo buses and Thames cruise. We'll also see Darwin's Down House, the British Library, the British Museum, the Natural History Museum, Cambridge (day trip via train), Borough Market, Changing of the Guard, and the London Eye, none of which are covered by the Pass.

I sense that HoHos are scorned by some, but we find them useful for getting the lay of the land, so to speak. We don't do the "off" part unless we jump off to grab a bite to eat. And, since a Thames cruise is a must for us, the LP has the HoHo boat--again, no "off" aspect for us, but a good way to get to Greenwich AND get a cruise to boot. We also like going up the local "high building" in any city, so the Shard and the Eye are appealing and at least the Shard is covered by the LP.

OTOH, if we don't get the Pass and drop the HoHos, the Shard, the Belfast, and the Globe, we'd likely as do well financially without the Pass and the time saved by not going to those sites, plus that saved by timed entries, would allow us to add the V&A and/or the Imperial War Museum... Everything is a trade-off. LOL

Anyway, there's still a lot of time to decide on the LP vs timed entries. I do wish the Brits would mimic the positives of the PMP when designing the LP.

Thanks again for your comments.

All of the London museums that I love the most are free so why buy a pass to a free museum? That said, the Paris Museum pass is fantastic and a money saver for me when I used the 4 day pass several months ago.

As you say, if you are definitely doing the HOHO, the Shard, and a Thames river cruise, then the London Pass immediately becomes a much better deal than it is for people not doing all of these.

While the London Pass is officially only supposed to grant "skip the line" privileges at 6 attractions, there are reports here that you can skip the line at some other places too. Of course, that's not guaranteed.

And if you are getting the London Pass, do look at the complete list of attractions. That's how I learned about the Museum of Brands, Packaging and Advertising, and the Jewish Museum of London; I didn't have the London Pass, but these were both very worthwhile.

First--mucho grassyass to the Webmaster for finding this missing post.

Second--thanks again to those who responded. I am rethinking things, but not yet sure how things will shake out. It looks likes I can fit the "popular museums" as first-thing-in-the morning sites and drop some secondary sites (Shakespeare's Globe, HMS Belfast) and make it work out well financially minus (and versus) the LP. Sadly, the prices listed in the LP literature ARE NOT representative of what might be paid if one is diligent (them gol-durned marketeers). We're still thinking a HoHo bus ride is mandatory--on a Sunday AM when traffic should be light. HoHo to be followed by a train/bus trip to Darwin's Down House--it's a bucket list item. We may well just skip the Shard.

I do recognize a bit of FOMO in me, but even more, I suffer from what I'll call FOMOAB--Fear of missing out on a bargain. LOL Once I looked at the LP sites, things that were of interest, but realistically on a secondary level (Belfast, Globe, Golden Hinde) kind of jump out and make the LP seem more valuable. Stepping back and rethinking things--perhaps not so much. We can just stroll by those things one day when we're in the neighborhood and, in their place, be able to see the V&A!

Regarding your comment, continental, and with all due respect and NO snark intended, our interests evidently differ, so the LP is worth considering for us even if it isn't for you. YMMV

Don't forget the time required to move from place to place in London. It is a huge city. The Underground is a great tool, but there are some long walks inside those stations.

Trying to squeeze the covered sights into the pass days adds another layer of complexity to a sightseeing schedule that already needs to take into account geographical proximity, operating hours and (assuming some outdoor sights) weather.

I'm glad the webmaster found your thread!

When you come back from your trip next year it would be great to have a trip report with mention on what you decided on the London Pass, how it worked for you and whether you'd recommend doing the opposite of what you chose!

Have a terrific time in both locations!

Thanks for the Tube time suggestion, acraven. I'm figuring on RS's advice of 30 minutes per six stops, plus additional time in the AM rush hour. PM rush hour won't be an issue as regards getting somewhere in a timely fashion.

Thanks, Pam. I'm glad the post was found. I WILL post a thorough trip review (next April)--paying it forward so to speak.

At this point, I think we'll avoid the LP and just get to the "biggies" (Westminster, Churchill War Rooms) first thing in the AM. I am currently (and ruthlessly) deleting "minor" sites from our tentative agenda and will post it eventually in hopes of soliciting dining advice and other comments.

Thanks again!

Good plan! Good to have done research on "minor" sights so if you have extra time you can use them to fill in.

Re Westminster Abbey:

• DO download the Westminster Abbey app before you leave home. They have a free audio guide but it's so much easier on your phone with your own ear buds!

• Also consider paying the extra 7 GBP and doing a Verger Tour. They will take you in to the chapel of Edward the Confessor which is not open to the public (due to weak flooring according to one Verger I talked with). https://www.westminster-abbey.org/visit-us/guided-tours

• The Queen's Diamond Jubilee Galleries are new and there is a separate admission fee for them as well as a timed entry.

If you buy the London Pass, consider buying it through Costco travel. You get a 4 day pass for the price of 3.
Worked well for me as a solo traveler.