Thoughts on London Pass

Make a list of the sights you want to see that day, then add up the admission prices. Compare it to the cost of a 2-day London Pass and decide if it is worth it for you. What will most likely be a better deal for you is to use 2 for 1 offers, which you can take advantage of when you purchase a paper Travelcard at a train station. Personally, when I had to decide, I felt the only way to get a good value out of the London Pass would be to rush through a bunch of sights, which is not my travel style.

Also be aware that there is a cash limit (purse value) on the pass which means that if you rush around trying to see as many sites as possible you may find that you run out of free admissions. This happened recently to a Tripadvisor poster using the one day pass. From their site "The London Pass is subject to a purse value of maximum gate prices related to the number of days. For example, with a one day adult pass you can visit up to £80 worth of attractions. Here is a breakdown of purse values: Purse Value 1 Day Pass £80 2 Day Pass £160 3 Day Pass £240
6 Day Pass £480 " Do not buy the optional travel pass, for the vast majority of visitors it is not good value.

Many of the museums in London are free; you do know that, right? So if you are planning to spend most of one day at, say, the British Museum, and then go to one other museum, such as the National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Museum of London, Victoria and Albert, Tate Britain, Tate Modern, you wouldn't even need a London Pass. All free. It depends on which sites you want to see. The most important sights for me on a short visit (besides museums) would be the Tower of London, which costs £18.00 per person, but use the 2 for 1 deal mentioned by Bonnie; and Westminster Abbey which costs £16.00 per adult, also see if you can get 2 for 1 deal. Then finish out your visit with free museums and walks all around London as described in the Rick Steves London guidebook. The London Pass may end up costing you more than the total of paying as you go, but this depends on how many of their listed attractions you can cram into one or two days.

Thanks to all for the good advice. I appreciate your thoughts.

The last time I went to London, I brought my mother. I went ahead and purchased the 2-day pass for us. We did use it a lot, but I never added up the admission fees to see if it was worth the cost. Although, July is busy and the lines for some attractions were miserably long later in the day. I felt it was worth its weight in gold when we were able to bypass several lines and be admitted immediately with the pass. This was especially true at the Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral, and Windsor Castle. Weigh the cost against the time saved. If you are planning to visit as many sites first thing in the morning, the lines are less intense so the pass may not be worth it.