LONDON PASS: How to save on sightseeing in London? (2023)

London Pass includes admission to the most popular sights, museums and attractions in London. In this article, we’ll give a full review of how to save in London and whether the card is a good choice for you.

London is the most visited city in Europe and the third most visited city in the world. But it’s also so much expensive. Entrance fees to many of the sites range from £20-30. You can calculate the entrance fee from our article on what to see in London.

One way to save money in London is with a tourist card. London has several of these and today we’ll take a closer look at them:

How to save money in London: LONDON PASS

London Pass is a tourist card that has been designed in partnership with London’s sights, museums and attractions, so you can save money on admission or make it easier to discover and travel to your favourite London sites.

What are the benefits of the London Pass?

Free entry to more than 90 sights, museums and attractions. The price includes entry to the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Kensington Palace, Tower Bridge, but also, for example, a boat cruise on the Thames or a ride on a sightseeing bus. It includes most of the most famous and popular places in the city.

You have 2 years to activate your card, so if you’re planning to visit London in the next few months, it’s worth getting your card as soon as possible. The price of admission to the various sights is continually increasing, and so the price of tourist cards (not just in London) must also increase.

Free cancellation within 90 days. If you change your mind within 3 months, you will be refunded without giving a reason.

Interactive guide to download as an app to the phone. The link will arrive in your email after purchase. The guide includes maps, sightseeing information and useful information for travelling around London.

Free one-day sightseeing bus tour of central London. The ride also includes an audio guide in English, French, German, Italian and Spanish. You can choose between 2 carriers – Big Bus and Golden Tours. The Big Bus offers 2 routes – Red and Blue, each taking you to a different part of London. You choose where you want to board and just show your card. You can also download the Big Bus Tours app (for Apple) to see timetables, stops and other useful information.

Free one-day Uber Boat cruise on the Thames, stopping at 23 stations. You’ll not only see the historic centre of London (Tower of London, Westminster, London Eye, Tower Bridge), but you’ll also get to Greenwich with the Observatory or the O2 Arena with its famous glittering roof. You can get on and off freely throughout the day, just show your card.

The card is valid for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 days, so you can buy as many days as you need depending on the length of your stay.

Optional:Discounted travel in London with the Oyster Card (more about the Oyster Card and transport in London).

How does the London Pass work?

You buy a London Pass for a set number of days, so you can schedule which attractions you want to visit and when. The pass is available for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 days .

Valid for calendar days, i.e. you need to think in advance whether it’s worth activating your card late in the afternoon or in the morning. Regardless of whether you activate your card at 9:00 am or 4:00 pm, it counts as 1 day.

Once you have purchased your card, you will receive an email with information, a guide and a link to download the London Pass app. Activate your card by scanning the QR code in the app when you enter the first attraction.

What is included in the London Pass?

The London Pass includes entry to over 90 venues in London including:

• Tower of London (£33.60)
• Sightseeing bus ride (£37)
• Boat trip (£23)
• Westminster Abbey (£27)
• Tower Bridge (£12.30)
• St Paul’s Cathedral (£23)
• Windsor Castle (£30)
• Royal Botanic Gardens Kew Gardens (£21.50)
• Kensington Palace (£25.40)
• London Zoo (£41.80)
• Arsenal Stadium Tour (£28)
• …and many more ( A complete list of attractions can be found here )

Please note: Some attractions require a reservations , but these are mostly tours, not entry to the sights.

Does the card include London Eye?

The London Eye is a popular attraction, but not on the tourist cards, nor is the Shard. With the London Pass, you can enjoy views from the Great Fire of London, St Paul’s Cathedral and Tower Bridge.

If you’re planning to visit the London Eye, book your ticket in advance to skip the line at the venue.

What is the price of the London Pass?

Prices for the London Pass vary depending on how many days you buy the card for – there are 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 day passes available.

The prices are as follows:

Tip: Children under 5 years old get free entry to the sights and attractions. When travelling around London, children under 11 years old are free on public transport when accompanied by an adult.

What is the price including shipping?

You can buy a London Pass with a Visitor Oyster card. The Oyster card is the most common and convenient way to get around London.

Public transport in London is complicated and prices vary by zone – London Transport Guide.

The London Card includes an Oyster Card for Zones 1-9, which includes all London landmarks as well as London City and Heathrow airports. You will be charged the London public transport fare for each journey (see link to article above).

The advantage of the card is that over three trips in 1 day you ride for free for the rest of the day. Any unused balance will stay on the card – you can use it on your next visit to London (the Oyster card is not linked to the London Pass).

The prices with the Oyster card are as follows:

Note: The standard £5 fee per card is included in the price of the Oyster card. The Oyster card is preloaded. If you run out of credit, you can top up your card at any time at a machine.

With the Oyster card, you can take advantage of the pay as you go system, which means you only pay for what you actually drive. What do you need for this? You scan your card on entry and exit so that only what you have travelled is actually deducted (this does not apply to the bus, where the same amount is always deducted).

Your own contactless card works on the same principle – you just scan your payment card on entry and exit and the amount is deducted from your account (you don’t need to have an Oyster card). Find out more about transport in London.

If you plan to use a contactless card, buy the basic version of the London Pass without the Visitor Oyster card.

Are there limits on the card?

Yes, but in truth you don’t get a chance to use them all. The limits correspond to the amount of admission you would normally pay without the card. They are so high that even when running around the sights from morning to evening you can’t exceed them.

The limits are as follows:

• 1-Day London Pass: adult 180 max credit / child 145 max credit
• 2-day London Pass credit package: adult 290 max credit / child 235 max credit
• 3-Day London Pass Credit Package: adult 385 max credit / child 305 max credit
• 4-Day London Pass Credit Package: adult 475 max credit / child 360 max credit
• 5-day London Pass Credit Package: adult 595 max credit / child 430 max credit
• 6-day London Pass credit package: adult 700 max credit / child 490 max credit
• 7-day London Pass Credit Package: adult 795 max credit / child 535 max credit
• 10-day London Pass credit package: adult 880 max credit / child 580 max credit

Let’s use an example to show how credits work. Buy a London Pass for £79/1 day and plan to visit several attractions: the Westminster Abbey £27, St Paul’s Cathedral £23, Tower of London £33.60 and Thames cruise £23.

You have used up your limits for a total of 106.60 and can still visit the sights for 73.40 credits. Plus you saved £27.60.

How and where to buy the card?

Simply buy a London Pass online and then download the app. All information will be sent to your email.

The procedure is as follows:

• Buy your London Pass online official website.
• You choose the type of card according to the number of days, the number of cards for adults and children and whether you want an Oyster card (blue button).
• Add to cart and confirm “Checkout”.
• A new page will appear where you can enter your expected arrival date. If it ends up not matching the actual date, nothing happens. This is just an approximate date of card activation.
• You fill in your personal and payment details.
• After payment, you will receive a confirmation email with the necessary instructions.
• Download the app and you’re off to London.

How much will you save with  the London Pass?

We’ll use a real-life example to show you if the London Pass is worth it. At least 3 days are ideal to better explore London. The itinerary could look something like this:

• Day 1 in London: Tower of London (£33.60), Tower Bridge (£12.30), Great Fire of London Memorial (£6), Kew Gardens (£21.50)
• Day 2 in London: Thames cruise (£23), Westminster Abbey (£27), St. St Paul’s Cathedral (£23), Windsor Castle (£30)
• Day 3 in London: sightseeing bus ride (£37), Kensington Palace (£25.40), London Zoo (£41.80)

For 3 days you would pay a total of £280.60 without a card. The London Pass costs £129 for 3 days, i.e. in this case you will save £151.60.

When is the London Pass worth it?

You are neither a student nor a senior citizen – many of the sights are covered by reduced admission for students and seniors over 60. The card can be purchased in two variants – the full variant for adults without discounts and a reduced rate for children. It’s better to calculate in advance whether it’s worth it to go on a student card only (or a senior citizen card) or whether you should get a tourist card.

Planning to visit more sights and attractions – if your goal is to soak up the London atmosphere or perhaps go shopping and only visit 2-3 sights in total, a card won’t be your answer to saving money in London. How to get the most out of the London Card?

• Visit at least 2-3 attractions per day.
• Choose the most expensive sights/attractions.
• Activate the card early in the morning.
• Make a travel itinerary and plan your sightseeing near you – see our London sightseeing map.

Alternatives

Another tourist card is London Explorer Pass where you choose how many attractions you want to visit – 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 or 7 attractions from the most popular places in London.

Choose from Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, Kensington Palace, London Zoo, Thames cruise, sightseeing bus ride and more (some places require reservations required whether you have a card or not). A complete list of attractions can be found here.

You have 60 days from activation to visit the selected sites, so you are not limited by time.

The prices for the London Explorer Pass are as follows:

If you’re planning to visit more expensive sights and attractions, the card is worth it. Examples include the Tower of London (£36.60), Westminster Abbey (£27) and Windsor Castle ((£30). In total, you would pay £93.60 for these attractions, so you will save £19.60 with the card.

You can buy the card online on the retailer’s official website and then download the Go City app. The card is activated by entering the first attraction, where you just scan the QR code from your mobile phone.

If you prefer to hold a printed version, you can simply print the card via a link that will arrive in your email after purchase, along with other information.

More information about London

LONDON ITINERARY: Check out our article with tips on places to visit in London (entrance fees, opening times, map). To help you plan, we’ve created an itinerary for 3 days in London.

LONDON GUIDE: In a separate article you can find out all about transport in London (airport, public transport, underground, bicycle). Read about accommodation, prices, food and safety in our London guide. Our tips for the best hotels in London will help you make your accommodation choices easier.

HOW TO SAVE IN LONDON: Read our 7 tips on how to save in London.

LONDON WITH KIDS: We’ve created a detailed guide to enjoying London with kids.

THINGS TO DO WITH KIDS: Amsterdam and Barcelona are other great places for families with children. Take a look at our guides for Amsterdam with kids. We’ve also got tips on how to enjoy Barcelona with kids.

London Pass: frequently asked questions