If you’re planning to see lots of tourist attractions while you’re in London, then purchasing the London Pass will help you save money in addition to a bit of time too. For some this isn’t worth it, and in fact could result in more expense then it’s worth.
Here’s how to figure out if this London Pass is worth it for you and your travel situation.
People who are eligible to be eligible for the London Pass
If you’ve got a particular type of travel and interest then this London Pass is worth it. You must purchase your London Pass if:
You’re a fan of popular tourist destinations
The London Pass will save you more money when you use it to gain entry into the most well-known London tourist destinations. That’s because these attractions usually have pretty steep ticket prices, so using the pass to gain access to more expensive attractions is a way to get your money’s worth more quickly and easily.
You don’t mind having little moments of downtime
If you’ve purchased a 1 day, two day, or 3 day pass, to get it to be worth the money you’ve spent, you usually will have to see at least three attractions a day. If you factor in eating and traveling time and meals, you’ll not have much leisure time in between it all. There’s more wiggle room for this when you buy the 6-day or 10- day pass, as the per-day price drops considerably. For example, the per-day price for the 10-day pass is £17.90 that is more than the ticket price for various attractions in London and beyond. So even if you only do one attraction each day it will cost you less.
You don’t want to be dealing with money or tickets
If you’re thinking you’ll skip on the attractions because of cost of individual tickets, perhaps it’s the London Pass will make you feel like you can do it all because it’s technically “free” during the day. It’s also a lot easier to buy passes for yourself and your companions to travel with than to have to worry about the conversion of currency, figuring out where to buy tickets and so on. It’s the convenience aspect.
It’s important to keep in mind that there are certain attractions and tours that require advanced reservations, such as View from the Shard.
You’re on vacation with your family
Many families love using the London Pass because not only can it save them money but it can also make the process of visiting attractions easier. Everyone has their own pass, and when family members decide to separate, you don’t have to fuss with giving the kids enough money to purchase their own tickets to attractions, since they’ll simply show their pass at the entrance.
Who wouldn’t want to get the London Pass
If you fall in one of these categories The London Pass probably isn’t worth your money.
You enjoy experiencing things at a leisurely pace
As mentioned before, if you’re purchasing a 1, two or three day pass, for it to be worthwhile, you need to visit 2-3 attractions per day. If that sounds like a lot for you then you should consider an 8 or 6 day pass, or don’t purchase the pass.
You’re not into the crowded attractions
There are quite a few lesser-known attractions and tours which are part of the London Pass, but the real value usually comes from seeing the city’s most popular attractions, such as Westminster Abbey and the Tower of London. If you’re not interested in that kind of thing, then the pass isn’t for you.
You want to have an experience that is local
The majority of places included as part of the London Pass are super touristy. There’s nothing wrong with wanting to go to them, however, if you’re hoping to hang out with the locals and live like one of the Londoner this pass isn’t going to aid, in fact, generally, it’ll steer you in the opposite direction.
The benefits you can count on from the London Pass include:
Saving money
You can really save some money visiting London with the London Pass If you are planning it well. For example, if one day you go to London’s Tower of London, View from the Shard, St. Pauls and purchase an Uber Boat one-day roamer for £103, you’ll be charged £103 when you purchase tickets during the day. For a single-day London Pass, you’ll save yourself about £32, and even more with the longer passes if you take into consideration how much they’ll cost per day- you’ll be saving a lot more.
Free hop on hop off tour
In exchange for your pass, you will receive one free ticket to spend the day on a “hop on hop off” bus tour. This is an excellent option for a day trip and also adds to your savings since day-of tickets are priced at £41 per adult.
You can see attractions you would not normally consider
There are numerous less well-known activities that come with The London Pass that you might enjoy since it’s totally free, so why not? Explore the things you wouldn’t normally paid the entry fee for. There are also some fascinating tours you can join on a free basis with The London Pass.
Some interesting attractions and passes to consider:
London Bike Tour
Brit Music Tours
Brit Movie Tours
The Garden Museum Garden Museum
Wembley Football Stadium Tour
Jason’s Canal Boat Trip
The cons with using London Pass
It’s crucial to think about the fact that…
Not all attractions in London are included
If you have a specific list of things you want to visit while in London, you’ll need to be sure to check the list of attractions you can visit with the pass. If some of them aren’t included with the pass You could be spending a lot of extra money on tickets to the attractions you’d love to do.
Some of the included attractions aren’t in central locations.
Examples are Kew Gardens, the Wimbledon Tennis Museum, Windsor Castle and Hampton Court Palace. You can still totally do them, but you’ll likely be struggling to fit in one or two other attractions that day. Be aware of this, and if you’re keen to check out these popular destinations, you’ll be able to do so if you purchase the 6 – or 10-day London Pass.
What are the best ways to determine whether you should purchase the London Pass
Make use of all the information I’ve provided above Then, ask yourself…
Are the included attractions ones that I actually want to visit?
This is the main thing to consider when thinking about getting an London Pass.
Tips to make the most of the London Pass
As I mentioned earlier The London Pass has great sample schedule for the 3-day pass that covers attractions which are located close to one others and will ensure that you’ll get value for your pass.
Check opening and closing times for the attractions you plan to visit when planning your schedule. Certain attractions are closed on certain times, and many shut at 5 pm, so you may have to start your day earlier than anticipated in order to ensure you’ve got the time to do. This information can be found on London Pass site and the application.
I would suggest waiting until the final days of your pass to utilize the hop on/hop off tour ticket. Most likely, you’ll be a little tired from all your travels and will enjoy a comfortable bus ride that takes you past some iconic city places and landmarks.
Do you need to purchase it? Oyster Card add-on?
There is no need to. The only benefit to having it is you will have it before your travels. If you don’t have it, you can pay for public transport with credit or debit card with contactless, Google Pay or Apple Pay or even pick up ones own Oyster debit cards in the train station or airport at the time of arrival.