The London Pass: Is It Worth It?
London’s paid attractions are, individually, very good at making you wince. The Tower of London is £34.80. Westminster Abbey is £31. St Paul’s is £26. You do the maths on a full day of sightseeing and you start seriously reconsidering how much you actually like history.
This is where the London Pass comes in. A one-day adult pass costs £79 and covers over 80 attractions across the city. It is, without question, the best way to see all the must-see sights in one go without haemorrhaging money on individual tickets. The maths only works in your favour if you actually use it properly. And “properly” means one thing: wake up early, plan your route the night before, and move with purpose.
One thing worth knowing before you buy: the attractions included on the pass do change fairly frequently. Always check the current list on the website before purchasing to make sure the sights you want are still covered.
The Strategy
The pass runs from first use to midnight on the same calendar day. There is no easing into it. You need a route planned in advance, preferably grouped by location so you’re not losing an hour to the Tube between each stop. Think of it less as a tourist day and more as a mildly competitive sport. I spent most of my time (fast) walking, only taking 1 bus in an attempt to get to Kensington before the last entry.
Some of the major attractions need timed entry slots booked in advance. Do this before you go, through the Go City app that comes with the pass. Turning up and hoping for the best will cost you time you don’t have. On the list, the only attraction I booked ahead of time was the Tower Bridge.
What I Did in One Day
Here’s the actual itinerary, in order, with what each attraction would have cost paying on the door:
| Attraction | Standard Price |
|---|---|
| Tower of London | £34.80 |
| Tower Bridge | £16.00 |
| Shakespeare’s Globe | £27.00 |
| St Paul’s Cathedral | £26.00 |
| Westminster Abbey | £31.00 |
| Kensington Palace | £20.00 |
| Frameless | £28.00 |
| Natural History Museum guidebook | £6.00 |
| Chocolate Cocktail Club, Strand (Chocotini) | £11.50 |
| Top Hat Monopoly Bar, Strand (cocktail) | £13.00 |
| Total | £213.30 |
The pass cost £79. That’s a saving of over £134 on what the day actually cost in paid entry and drinks.
What I Didn’t Get To
The plan was ambitious. Some of it didn’t happen, either because time ran out or the attraction wasn’t open that day. For reference:
| Missed Attraction | Standard Price |
|---|---|
| Uber Boat single fare | £6.20 |
| Royal Mews | £17.00 |
| Royal Albert Hall tour | £26.00 |
| Science Museum 3D film | £12.00 |
| Total missed | £61.20 |
Had all of those come off, the day’s saving would have been well over £190 on a £79 pass. Six to seven attractions is a solid day. Eight is doable if they’re close together. Ten is a lie you tell yourself the night before.
Tips for Getting the Most Out of It
Start at the furthest point from where you’re staying and work back. It’s easy to run out of time going the wrong direction and find yourself an hour’s Tube ride from the next stop at 4pm.
Start at the Tower of London, if you make the first entry, it’ll be empty. It’s a very popular attraction and you’ll start queuing in no time.
Check each attraction’s opening hours before building your route. One closed venue can throw the whole day off.
The Bottom Line
If you’re planning to visit the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, and St Paul’s in one day, those alone would cost £91.80 without a pass. A one-day London Pass starts from £79, saving £12 before you’ve added anything else. Every attraction after that is a bonus.
Though the 2 day pass is cheaper per day, I couldn’t see the value beyond the 1 day, given the iconic sights were ticked off already. If you don’t want the stress of running around all day, the 2 day pass would still be well worth it.