Is the London Pass Worth It?
The London Pass is one of the best tourist passes out there. It includes admission to a massive number of historical and tourist sites, additional discounts, travel options, and a mobile app for super easy access. But it's not cheap. So the question of whether or not The London Pass is worth it comes down to how you will you use it. This is not a sponsored post, this is my financial breakdown of whether the London Pass will work for you and how to make the most of its benefits.
The Overall Cost
The cost of the The London Pass is based on the number of days you will use it. The more days, the higher the cost. Your first inclination might be to just buy one day, but it is impossible to take advantage of everything the London Pass has to offer in just one day. Keep reading to determine which pass is right for you.
During off season there may be some discounts but the general prices are as follows:
1 Day - £75
2 Day - £99
3 Day - £125
6 Day - £169
10 Day - £199
Ease of Use
The London Pass is incredibly easy to use. You can buy it on your phone and instantly have access to 80+ attractions. All locations accept the mobile pass so there is no need to print anything out. The app also includes helpful information such as guides and opening times in one simple portal which is very helpful for your first time in London.
Should You Add the Travel Card
The London Pass offers a convenient add-on in the form of an unlimited travel card. This card is valid for all underground, overground, lightrails and busses (not trains). If this is your first time in London and you hate dealing with transportation, this is a great option. However, it is kind of a rip off. Buying a travel card separately, or using an oyster card or contactless bank card are all cheaper options. All forms of transport have a daily cap, so while "unlimited" sounds nice, it doesn't really offer anything extra and costs more. For example, the 6 day London Pass without travel costs £169, but the 6 Day London Pass with Travel costs £214, making the cost of the travel card £45. If you buy a 7 Day Travel Card at the Airport, the cost is only £35. If you use an oyster card or a contactless debit or credit card, there is a £7 daily cap, making the maximum cost only £30.
In conclusion, no, don't add the Travel Card onto your London Pass. Buy a Travel Card separately, or purchase an Oyster Card, or use your contactless debit or credit card directly at the tube stations.
The Breakdown
So the London Pass is not cheap, but neither is London. While some attractions are quite affordable, others, like the Tower of London, add up quite quickly. The first thing to do is to research all the attractions you want to see and add up the cost. Then figure out how many days you will need to actually see them and compare the overall cost with the appropriate London Pass cost. To make it easy, I have listed the most popular attractions and their cost below.
Attraction Costs
The Tower of London - £27.50
West Minster Abbey - £23.00
The Shard - £32.00
St. Paul's Cathedral - £22.00
Shakespear's Globe - £17.00
Kensington Palace - £19.50
Windsor Castle - £22.50
Hampton Court Palace - £23.70
Tower Bridge - £9.80
Hop-On Hop-Off Bus - £ 34.00
Thames River Boat Cruise - £19.25
Churchill War Rooms - £22.00
The Royal Mews - £12.00
London Bridge Experience - £28.95
HMS Belfast - £16.20
Royal Albert Hall - £14.50
Kew Gardens - £18.50
Royal Albert Hall - £14.50
Royal Observatory Greenwich - £16.00
Cavalry Museum - £8.00
Emirates Stadium Tour - £25.00
London Stadium - £17.00
Wembley Stadium Tour - £20.00
London Pass Cost per Day
In order to break even or save money with the London Pass, you need to see as many attractions (preferably the most expensive ones) as possible. Below I have broken down the per-day cost of each London Pass option.
1 Day - £75
2 Day - £99 - £50 a day
3 Day - £125 - £42 a day
6 Day - £169 - £19 a day
10 Day - £199 - £20 a day
Clearly the 6 Day option is the best deal at £19 a day. But it is also very expensive. So focus on the attractions you really want to see. If the cost exceeds £169 and you actually have 6 days in London, go for it. But remember there are other things to do in London as well. Museums, afternoon tea, markets, shopping and theater are all worth experiencing and take up a significant amount of time. Basically, you probably won't be able to see all the London Pass attractions you think you will, so pick your favorites and choose a London Pass option that saves you money.
How to Make the Most of Your London Pass
Even with the London Pass, you will probably still have to wait in line for some of the biggest attractions. To avoid waisting time, go to the biggest attractions, like the Tower of London and Westminster Abbey, FIRST thing in the morning, and arrive half an hour before opening. This way you can make the most of your day.
Also, plan your day by grouping attractions by location. Windsor Castle is beautiful, but it's about an hour outside of London. It would be quite difficult to see any other included attractions in the same day. See below for suggested itineraries.
Recommendations
If you are in London for less than three days, don't bother buying it. Just pick your top three attractions and buy at face value, it probably won't exceed the 1 Day London pass cost of £75 and you can spread them out so you don't get overwhelmed. If you are in London for 3-5 days, buy the 2 or 3 Day London Pass. If you are in London for longer than 5 days, you can buy the 6 Day London Pass or stick with the 3 Day and take a day trip outside the London instead. Below I have included realistic sample itineraries that take the most advantage of London Pass savings. I have also included the only realistic 1 Day London Pass itinerary if you are really committed to seeing everything. Hint: choose attractions that are close to each other to increase the number of attractions you can see in one day.
