The London Pass
How does it work and when is it useful?
The London Pass allows free entrance without queues to more than 50 famous tourist attractions in London.
The travelcard option of the pass also allows unlimited travel on the London underground, buses and city trains in zones 1 to 6 (all London).
You can buy the London Pass online in advance:
In this article we see:
- the attractions included
- the interactive map of attractions
- how the pass works
- prices and when the pass is convenient
Main attractions included
At the time of visiting the London Pass site, of the more than 50 attractions included we highlight the following (normal price without pass is shown in brackets):
Thames River Cruises
This cruise is a good way to experience the magic of London from this famous river. We can see many attractions from a different perspective such as Westminster, the London Eye, the Tower Bridge, the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral and Shakespeare's Globe Theatre. It takes about 50 minutes and leaves from Westminster pier at regular intervals (normal price £9.50).
Tower of London
Fortress, royal palace and prison, it keeps the collection of the jewels of the Crown, of the royal arsenals, the white tower built by William the Conqueror, the prisons exhibition and torture rooms. It is possible to see actors in original costumes and walk on part of the walls (normal price £16.50).
Tower Bridge Exhibition
Breathless views along the pedestrian paths of one of the most famous bridges in the world. The interactive exhibitions and the visit to the engines room with the original steam engines make it a unique experience (normal price £6).
Globe Theatre Tour and Exhibition
Go back in time while visiting Shakespeare's reconstructed and re-sited open-air Globe theatre. In the exhibition you can see the original actors' costumes, techniques used, special effects, music and a replica printing machine used in the theatre (normal price £9).
London Aquarium
It is one of the biggest in Europe and situated in a convenient position, on the south bank, opposite Big Ben and next to the London Eye. Not to be missed is the Pacific Ocean exhibition with sharks (normal price £13.25)
HMS Belfast
Visiting this cruiser built in 1939 offers the unique opportunity to experience just how the sailors lived, worked and fought during the Second World War. It is permanently docked near the London Bridge (normal price £10.30).
St. Paul Cathedral
It is possible to go up the 530 steps of the big dome to 85m and admire the great panoramic view of London. The crypt contains the graves of Admiral Nelson and of the Duke of Wellington (normal price £9.50).
Windsor Castle
A majestic fortress built by William the Conqueror to protect London from attacks from the west and still used by the royal family and one of the official residences of the Queen. It is possible to visit the royal apartments and collections. The dolls' room of Queen Mary and St. George chapel, where many royal weddings were celebrated are not to be missed (normal price £14.20).
Hampton Court Palace
A great royal palace situated outside the centre of London, along the Thames river west of London. For various centuries it was the residence of kings and queens of England. We particularly recommend the impressive gardens and, inside the palace, the old Tudor kitchens and the royal rooms over a number of periods (normal price without londonpass £13.00).
London Zoo
Situated inside Regent's Park, it is ideal for a beautiful day outside, full of over 5000 animals with a total of 755 species, of which 77 are mammals. Some of the most popular are penguins, camels, zebras, gorillas, hippopotamus, giraffes, african lions and the unusual Komodo dragons (normal entrance £15.40)
Kew Gardens
Botanic gardens with a wide range of plants: 2000 protected species of which 15 are unique to Kew and extinct outside these gardens. They range from the greenhouse tropical plants to the various desert plants. There is also an exhibition about the evolution of plants that covers a period of about 3500 million years (normal price £13).
Vinopolis
Tasting tour that allows you to try wines from all over the world with informational programmes (normal price £16).
Bicycle Tours of London
Organised by the Bicycle Tour Company, they take place on Saturdays and Sundays (normal price £17.95).
The full list of attractions available with the pass can be seen on the London Pass website while detailed information about the attractions can be found at an alternative website: LondonTown/lpass.
For the purchase, however, you can buy online directly from the London Pass website at the following link:
Interactive map of the attractions
All the attractions included, as well as restaurants and shops that offer discounts to the owners of the pass, can be visualised in an interactive map based on Google Maps.
How it works
The LondonPass works similarly to a buffet. Once you buy the pass, you do not pay to enter in any of the attractions covered. The more you visit, the more you save.
Image of the London Pass in use
At the entrance to the attractions, the owners of the pass avoid the queues to buy tickets, show the card to the operator, who checks it with a special reader and gives permission to enter.
The guidebook that comes with the pass saves time allowing you to plan in advance and includes many discounts at shops, restaurants and entertainment possibilities in London.
Who makes it
The pass is produced by Leisure Pass Group Ltd (member of Visit London, the official London tourism organisation and of the European association of Tour Operators).
When it is convenient
We considered a few sample cases based on different lengths of stay and number of attractions visited:
1) One day available for sightseeing (1-day LondonPass):
You will find the 1-day pass particularly useful when visiting numerous attractions in one day. The 1-day pass is not convenient if during this day we plan to visit only one or two attractions and so the more we see, the more we save. Also consider the amount of time saved without queuing to buy tickets and so your time can be spent visiting more of London.
2) Two days available (2-day Pass):
The 2-day pass is more cost-effective than the 1-day pass, this means that it is generally more convenient. It would not be useful if, during these two days we plan to visit only two or less attractions in total. It is certainly convenient if visiting two attractions per day or more.
3) Three or more days available for visiting (3-day Pass or 6-day Pass):
These passes are the most convenient. The 3-day pass is convenient if we visit 4 top attractions or more in total during the three days, and the 6-day pass if we visit 6 top attractions or more during the six days (i.e. one per day or more).
As an example, buying a 6-day pass and visiting 3 top attractions per day, the total saving indicated on the LondonPass website is approximately £120, on average, per person.
Where to buy the London Pass
You can buy the Pass online at the link below or in London main underground stations (but the LondonPass with travelcard can be bought exclusively online in advance):
For comments or information about this article contact us at info@lovemarche.com
© 2009 - Graphics, layout and contents are exclusive to Love Marche | Terms & Conditions