I will be in London for 3 1/2 days in August and came across the London Pass online. It looks like an amazing deal and I'm thinking about getting a 3-day pass. Has any of you gotten this pass before? Is it a good deal, or are there some hidden loopholes? Any advice regarding this pass would be great! Thanks!
Here the website for the London Pass:
www.londonpass.com
I'm not sure the london pass is a good deal. I looked at this last year during my groups' 10 day stay in London. Most of the museums and churches in London are free. The main attractions that charge a fee are the ones run or owned by the Queen-it is a big source of revenue for the Crown.Windsor and tower of London are the two big ones that have a fee.If you look around there are all sorts of deals on getting tickets. Example-the London tube stations sell tickets to the Tower of London at a slight discount from the main entrance fee.Rick Steves in his London book has lots of tips on getting tickets to events and attractions.
We're getting the one day pass. We'll have it the day that starts at the Tower and ends at the Eye. There are a lot of things along the river that are covered. I'd just figure what you're likely to visit, add up the cost, and there's the answer.
I did the London Pass the first time I went to London and really didnt feel like it was worth it. But that was several years ago, and I was told we could buy the pass with transportation there, and we couldnt. If you buy it before hand it is way better, but you need to buy it before! If you dont, dont bother!
The transport option on the London Pass is definitely NOT a good deal. you can do better with a Transport for London Oyster card or travelcard. See www.tfl.gov.uk.
Most major museums in London are free. The entrance option on the London Pass is worthwhile only if you'll be visiting enough of the covered sights that charge admission to cover the cost of the pass. If you won't, then just pay the individual entrance fees as needed.
The London Pass is worth it if you plan on running from site to site like a headless chicken. I did buy a 1 day pass 2 years ago, and found it to be useful, but it was only cost effective if I were to go to 3 or 4 attractions in 1 day.
What I would suggest is write down what you want to see in your 3 days. Figure your first day will be a 1/2 day since you have to clear passport control, then get to your hotel, unwind, etc.
During your visit, "realistically" plot out if you can go to 1, 2, 3, or 4 places and also give yourself time to visit each place. Remember that many attractiosn close early, and you also have to take account for rest, food, and travel.
Then, compare the cost of the Travel card versus the cost of each attraction. If the cost is far better to get the travel card, then buy it.
As others posted, skip the transportation option. You can get a one or 3 day pass at any kiosk in the tube, or an Oyster card which is a transport pass good for the tube and bus
The London Pass is only worth it if you know you're going to visit a lot of sights.
My wife is an anglophile and british royalty fan, so we visited every major castle: Kensington, Windsor, Hampton Court and tower of london. We also took advantage of the free thames river boat included in the pass, the food discounts at Hard Rock Cafe (the teenagers wanted to go there!) We purchased the 6 day pass.
You need to sit down and figure out what sites you are going to visit and then calculate the price without buying the card. In our case, it made financial sense to buy the London Passes.
Skip the transportation pass that they sell with the london pass. You're better off getting your 7 day travel card or oYster card separately. We purchased a zone 1-2 week card seperately. The children under 11 were free and the 11-16's wee 1 pound for a day travel card after 9:30 am.
