Expert: Michael - 5/26/2008

Question
My wife and I are heading to London for the first time in early June. Is the London Pass Discount card with travel(tube, etc) a good deal?

Answer
Hello Mark,

I must confess, your question has left me in something of a quandary - and I'm not sure I can give you a clear answer either way. I have come across the London Pass before, but never used it, and on reading the website again and again, I'm coming to the conclusion that you have to do your research before making a decision!

In terms of travel, the extra money you pay on a London Pass to get free travel is slightly less than it would cost you to buy a Travelcard alone, although if you tend to stay in the city, and only travel after 9.30am, then your saving could be as little as 30p per day.

As for discounts and free entry, that will depend entirely on the sorts of activities you are likely to enjoy during your visit. The vast majority of museums in London now offer free entry, so if the bulk of your visit is likely to be spent in places such as the British Museum, Natural History Museum, Tate Modern Art Museum, the Science Museum, or the National Gallery, then the London Pass won't offer you any real benefits. If, however, you'll be looking to visit the major Royal Palaces - Tower of London, Hampton Court Palace, Windsor Castle - and other major attractions like London Zoo, Shakespeare's Globe, St Paul's Cathedral, and maybe take a river cruise, then the London Pass is more likely to offer you savings. This is particularly the case if you plan to buy a pass lasting 3 or 6 days, and visit plenty of attractions during that time.

I ought to add that the London Pass does also allow you direct access to some attractions without queueing, which can be a real boon if you plan to visit during the summer months of July & August!

I have to say, the one-day pass seems particularly expensive to me -I'd be hard pushed to find £36-worth of attractions to visit in just one day to make it worthwhile. However, a 6 day pass would be worthwhile if I just visited one £13 attraction each day, and so becomes much more worthwhile. At these extended stays, the travel benefits are also more obvious, when compared to a week travelcard costing nearly £50.

I'm sorry I can't be clearer in my response to you - in essence, the whole value of the tickets comes down to how much you intend to use it, and where! If you were able to give me a suggested itinerary of your activities, I might be able to give a clearer idea of the costs involved for you to make a fair comparison.

I hope that what advice I have been able to offer has been of use.

Kindest Regards
Michael