London Pass?

Questions about passes are pretty common. I have bought passes and not bought passes based on what I have planned. The advice I give is pretty standard so here goes.... I have bought a London Pass. I bought it after I looked at what I wanted to see and then I looked at a reasonable sightseeing schedule to see if it made economic sense. Before you go forward, I suggest you do the same. Don't schedule yourself into a kamakazi sightseeing attack. Take time to enyoy what you see and not force yourself to "get your money's worth." The other benefit of a pass is the ability to skip lines. For most sights in London that isn't worth much. For the London Pass, you might find a line at the Tower of London but probably not if you are there when it opens. Westminster Abbey could also have a line but, again, not if you are there when it opens. I can't think of any other attractions covered by the London Pass that might have serious lines. BTW - Westminster Abbey has been included in the LP in some years but not in others unless I missed seeing it. Passes also allow you to come and go from covered attractions. They also make it more likely you'll pop into a sight that doesn't sound all that interesting but may turn out to be interesting. Another benefit is when you go to an attraction you wanted to see that turns out to be less than you imagined, you don't walk away wondering why you wasted your money to see that. All passes are hard to justify on 1 or 2 days. If you are going to be there 7 days, you are much more likely to be able to financially justify it based on your plans. The cost of the passes are always front loaded so extra days reduce your overall cost per day. With 7 days, you can consider using it for day trips to Windsor Castle and Hampton Court if you are interested in these.

Here is a spreadsheet prepared by a Tripadvisor regular to use when comparing the cost of using a London Pass against going it alone and using the National Rail "2 for 1" deals (second link) instead. Remember that the major London Museums are free. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/ccc?key=0ApAT6ZYPYl1ndFVwOUxpMVl5NHZITHI1NFJyQlBNSHc&pli=1&hl=en#gid=0 http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/2for1-london I agree, the travel pass sold with the LP is an expensive waste of money.