A Complete Guide to the London Pass | What it is, What’s Included and Whether it’s Worth Buying

It’s no secret that London is an expensive city to spend time in. If you want to visit many of the attractions of this exciting city, then it may well be worth buying the London Pass to use throughout your stay. 

This London city pass gives you entry to more than 90 of the city’s top attractions. A hop-on, hop-off bus tour is also thrown in. As the pass isn’t activated until you first use it, you also get maximum mileage from it. 

But of course you’ll need to know more than that about what the London pass attractions are before buying. As well as how many days it lasts for, how to get hold of one – and perhaps the most important question of all. Is the London Pass really worth it? 

This guide covers the answers to all these questions – and more. We’ll show you what the pass for London is really like, so you can make an informed choice about whether or not it’s right for you. 

Continue reading to find out all about the London sightseeing pass you (might) really need. Including what the options are, what attractions you can enter as a pass holder, how it works and the key features. 

Ready to buy? Click here to purchase your London Pass

What is the London Pass?

Key points

• 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 days
• Entry to 90+ attractions and activities
• See big city sights or uncover hidden gems
• Saves time and helps you budget for your stay

The London Pass is a sightseeing pass for visitors to London. Each pass lasts for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 days. Once you’ve paid for the pass, you can enter London’s top attractions for that duration without paying at the gate. 

People buy the London Pass because it’s a simple way to see the best of the UK capital. It’s cost-effective and saves time, and covers more than 90 of the city’s leading attractions. Once you’ve paid for the pass, you don’t need to set aside money for entry fees – which in a costly location can be a real bonus!

Big sights like the Tower of London, the View from the Shard, London Zoo, Westminster Abbey and St Paul’s Cathedral are covered by the pass. But it can also introduce you to lesser-known London gems like insider tours of famous football stadiums, a boat trip on Regent’s Canal or the ArcelorMittal Orbit as seen during the 2012 Olympic Games. 

Whether you want a whistle-stop tour of the highlights or want to delve deeper on a second, fifth or tenth visit to the city, buying a London Pass could mean having it all at your fingertips. (Quite literally, as it’s stored digitally on your smartphone.)

If you want to buy the pass at the last minute, don’t despair. It can be sent to your smartphone instantly, and the London Pass app makes it easy to manage your time. 

The London Pass attractions

So what attractions does the London Pass cover? Though it’s often sold as offering entry to 80+ attractions, the truth is that more have been added, and now it’s over 90. (Who knows, by the time you travel they may even have hit the magic 100 mark, but we can’t make any promises.)

Direct from the London Pass website, here’s an up-to-date list of some of the star attractions you can visit with the London Pass. Don’t forget – this list is not exhaustive! It covers just 35 – well under half – of the 90+ attractions that the pass includes. 

Historical sites

• The Tower of London
• Tower Bridge
• The Old Royal Naval College (Greenwich)
• The Royal Observatory (Greenwich)
• The Cutty Sark (Greenwich)
• The Golden Hinde
• Great Fire of London monument

Museums

• Household Cavalry Museum
• London Transport Museum
• Charles Dickens Museum
• Florence Nightingale Museum
• The Garden Museum

Palaces and castles

• The Royal Mews (Buckingham Palace)
• The Queen’s Gallery  (Buckingham Palace)
• Kensington Palace
• Hampton Court Palace
• Windsor Castle

Churches

• Westminster Abbey
• St Paul’s Cathedral 
• Southwark Cathedral

Attractions, activities and experiences

• The London Bridge Experience
• The View from the Shard
• London Zoo
• The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew
• ArcelorMittal Orbit (Olympic Park)
• Curzon Cinemas

Tours

• Shakespeare’s Globe theatre tour
• Royal Albert Hall tour
• Wembley stadium tour
• London bicycle tour
• Fuller’s Brewery tour

Transport

• 1 day hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus tour
• Thames Clippers Uber boats
• Jason’s Original canal coat trip
• London bicycle hire

The London Pass price

The London Pass price is calculated according to how many days you buy it for. The shortest option is one day, and the longest 10 days. Do note that the pass includes a one day hop-on, hop off bus tour of London, so you may like to allow time to use that. 

At the time of writing (Jan 2023), the London day pass costs £76 for adults and £47 for children (more on that below). At the other end of the scale, a 10 day London Pass is £169 for adults and £110 for kids aged 15 or under. These prices are given for guidance only, and are subject to change at any time.

As you can see from these figures alone, the pass becomes better value when you buy it for longer. Our top tip is to plan your London itinerary carefully before travelling – and purchasing your pass. You don’t want to waste money on unused days, so don’t forget to remove days for any trips you’ll take from London. 

For all the days you will spend in the city, though, we’ve found that the pass is the best way to budget for your stay. When you have the London Pass at your fingertips, there’s always lots to do. As well as some less famous sites and experiences to discover!

Click here to check the current London pass price

London Pass child prices

If you’re travelling with kids in tow, then the London Pass discount for kids is really good news. Anyone under 15 pays less than an adult. 

Children aged up to four years don’t require a pass at all, for starters. For their older siblings, child discounts apply to ages five to 15. So even when you have teens to entertain the pass can come in handy (though we cannot help with those hormonal mood swings, sorry!)

How to buy your London Pass

We highly recommend buying your London Pass via Go City using the code UKLP5 at checkout for an exclusive 5% discount off the cost of your pass

You can buy your London Pass by clicking here. This takes you straight to the listing for the London Pass on the Go City website. 

Once there, you can skip the blurb as we’ve told you all you need to know about the pass 😉 You can then choose the duration of the pass that you’d like. Don’t forget to exclude any days that you’ll leave London, such as for full day trips. 

The pass does offer better value for money when you buy more days, however. Purchasing that extra day could mean uncovering a secret London gem that turns out to be the highlight of your trip. Who knew about that side of city life you can see by taking a boat trip on Regent’s Canal, for instance, or what a major football club keeps in their dressing room? 

London Pass reservations

In many cases, you don’t have to pre-book with the London Pass. But reservations are advised for some of the most popular attractions. This applies to tours in particular. 

London Pass provides a complete and up-to-date list of which tours and attractions require pre-booking here. The most popular of the activities which does require a reservation, for example, is The View from the Shard. 

With other popular places, booking can be wise, especially at peak times. For the Tower of London, for example, reservations aren’t necessary, but you might have to wait for an available time slot when it’s especially busy there. If in doubt, check the individual attraction page on the London pass website. 

If you’re visiting in summer, close to Christmas or on a weekend, we’d always advise pre-booking your slot at any popular London attraction. The same applies when you’re on a tight schedule.

7 benefits of the London Pass

So the London pass reviews are positive. It can also show you more of the city while saving you time and money. What other London Pass advantages might there be? 

1. Entry to 90+ attractions (not 80+)

Though third parties list 80+ attractions, it’s now over 90. We got that from the horse’s mouth – and new attractions can be added all the time. 

2. 1 to 10 days’ duration

You can buy a pass for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 days. This gives you plenty of time to explore London fully. 

3. Hop-on, hop-off bus tour included 

Your pass includes a sightseeing bus tour of London that you can use for a full day. Jump on at Tower Bridge or Trafalgar Square, and off at Buckingham Palace or Piccadilly Circus. With this kind of ticket you’re free to explore each area for as long or as little as you please!

4. The pass can be bought in advance…

If you’ve booked your flights and hotel and want to pay upfront for visiting London attractions, then paying for the pass before you travel is the ideal way to budget.

Remember, you’ll need far less spending money when all your activities are covered! As the pass is activated by the first use, you have nothing to lose by buying ahead of time. 

5. …or at the last minute

Because the London Pass is digital, you can buy and download it instantly. Imagine standing in the queue to get in, and buying it right there before you pay the entry fee. It really is that quick and easy. 

6. Famous London landmarks…

All the big name attractions are included. From royal palaces and ancient churches to all the sights of Greenwich or super fun activities, everything you want to do in London should be covered by this London visitor pass. 

7. …and lesser-known sights

Famous London tourist attractions aren’t the be all and end all, especially perhaps for repeat visitors. If you want to discover new things about London, see somewhere you’ve never been or are even stuck for ideas, this is the London sightseeing pass to go for.

No one can surely tick off over 90 in 10 days, but choosing which to visit is all part of the fun!

London Pass FAQs

What is the main advantage of the London Pass?

The London Pass can save you time and money and is also a great way to budget for your trip to the big city. 

Once you have a pass, you can access so many of London’s top attractions, including the likes of The View from The Shard, London Zoo and the Tower of London. Over 90 attractions are covered, including some incredible lesser-known experiences too.

What is the difference between a London Pass and an Oyster Card?

A London Pass primarily works like a ticket to London attractions and activities, while an Oyster Card is used to pay for journeys made by London Transport. 

Though some transport options like boats, bikes and a hop-on, hop-off bus tour may be covered by the London Pass, you may well need to use public transport to visit the attractions spread across the city. 

Does the London Pass include the London Eye?

The London Eye is one of only a few major London attractions that’s not covered by the London Pass. London Eye tickets currently cost £32.50 per adult and £29.50 per child (aged 3 to 15). You can buy these in advance of your visit here. 

Is the London Pass worth it?

So when all’s said and done – is the London Pass worth it? There are certainly advantages but we do recommend doing the maths to make sure it is the right option for your needs.

Paying for all your London attractions tickets in advance in this way really helps you to budget for your trip. There’s less spending money to worry about when you’ve already paid for something to do each day. 

The fact that it’s digital and activated by the first use also makes it a doddle to get to grips with. Whether you opt for a 1 day London sightseeing pass or a longer duration, the London Pass can save you time as well as money.