The London Pass is the most famous tourist pass in London that will allow you to save a lot of money if you are planning to visit several attractions in London. With this card you can enter the attractions included, saving you the queues, since you simply have to show the card at the entrance of each attraction. This way you can make the most of your time in London.
We explain below what this tourist pass is and how it works . Find out if it’s worth it and how to make the most of it with the routes we’ve designed. In addition, we have a discount code available that you can use to save 10%.
What will you find in this article?
- What is London Pass
- Where to Buy the London Pass
- How to use the London Pass
- Card activation
- Attractions included in the London Pass
- Attractions not included
- London Pass Prices
- 10% Discount
- London Pass with transport card: London Pass + Travel Option
- Choosing the London Pass with or without the transport option: Tips and examples
- Is the London Pass worth it?
What is London Pass
The London Pass is a tourist card that allows you free entry to more than 80 London attractions, including paid museums, sightseeing tours and other places of interest. In addition, with it you can get discounts in various restaurants and shops in London simply by showing it when paying.
You can buy the London London Pass for 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 7 or 10 days.
Skip the queues
One of the biggest advantages is that with this card you can enter many of London’s attractions as a VIP, avoiding queues . and not wasting your time queuing. In many of the attractions there is a fast-track option, in which you will pass without queuing. In others, you can go through the “pre-paid ticket” areas also without practically queuing.
You simply have to pass the card through a reader, either a physical card or the one that you have downloaded on your mobile with the mobile app, and pass without having to queue. This is undoubtedly one of the great advantages of this tourist pass, since the queues to enter some attractions in London can be very long, and time when visiting London is gold!
Where to Buy the London Pass
It is possible to buy the London Pass online on the official website , before traveling to London. By choosing this option you can have the card sent to your home, pick up the card at their offices in London, or you can use the mobile version of the card as explained below. In my opinion, I think that buying it before traveling is much better, since you will be able to take advantage of the time from first thing in the morning without having to travel to buy it or pick it up, and the safest thing is that you will be able to save some money by buying it online.
It is also possible to buy the tourist pass in London, at its offices, or at tourist information centers in the city.
How to use the London Pass
The physical card is a smart card that has a chip inside it (similar to a credit card). They usually give it to you with a plastic cover and a cord so you can wear it around your neck if you want, and I have to say that it is a good way to always have it on hand and not lose it. You’ll see a lot of people in London walking around with one like this! To use it, you simply present the card at the ticket office of the attraction you want to visit, and they will read the chip with a machine.
The other option is to use the mobile version . To do this, you must download its application on your mobile. When you buy the London Pass online, you will be sent a reference code that you can enter in the mobile app. Thus, you will have the mobile version of the card in the application, and to use it you simply have to show your mobile at each attraction to enter. You can activate several cards on the same mobile, so it is not necessary for each person to carry a mobile with the application.
card activation
Normally, the card is valid for 1 year from the date of purchase. But currently, due to the Coronavirus pandemic, the card is valid for 2 years . Therefore, it is possible to buy this card several months in advance without any problem. The first time you use the card at an attraction, be it the physical card or the mobile version, it is activated immediately. Once activated, if you have purchased the London Pass for multiple days, you must use it for that number of days consecutively.
Attractions included in the London Pass
Some of the most famous London attractions that are included in the London Pass are:
- Tower of London : To visit the Tower of London
simply present your London Pass at the entrance, bypassing the ticket office. You will be able to join one of the tours that take place every 30 minutes. If you buy something in the store, present it at checkout to get a discount. - St Paul’s Cathedral : Simply present your London Pass at the entrance to enter. You will have access to all levels, including the Crypt and the Gallery of Sighs.
- The View from The Shard : Go up to the observation deck of the tallest building in London for free with this tourist pass. You do not need to book to enter, just present your card at the entrance. You’ll also receive a discount on champagne (if you want to make your visit extra special) and a discount in the gift shop.
- Tourist bus: You can choose between two different companies, Big Bus Tours or Golden Tours. To ride you simply present the London Pass to one of the employees or the bus driver at any of its stops. They will give you the ticket with which you can get on and off as many times as you want on the different routes during one day. If you have purchased a pass for more than 1 day, it is only valid for one day, and it is only valid for use in one of the two companies.
- Westminster Abbey : Undoubtedly one of the places you should visit on your trip to London. Simply present your tourist pass at the entrance.
- Thames Boat Cruise : One of the things I liked the most the first time we visited London was the Thames Cruise. The pass includes a 24-hour ticket to get on and off as many times as you want on the River Red Rover sightseeing cruise from city cruises, with stops at Westminster (Big Ben), London Eye, Tower of London and Greenwich.
- HMS Belfast
- London Transport Museum
- london zoo
- Shakespeare’s Globe Theater
- kensington-palace
- Windsor Castle (also includes transportation to Windsor , see details below)
- Hampton Court Palace
- Kew Gardens
- Greenwich Observatory
- cutty sark
- Royal Mews
- wembley stadium
- chelsea stadium
- Arsenal Stadium
- Churchill War Rooms
- Tower Bridge Exhibition
- Charles Dickens Museum
- Guards Museum
- Madame Tussauds Wax Museum (during winter months only)
But do not forget that these are just some of the attractions included, since there are more than 80 attractions available.
Attractions not included
The London Pass does not include admission to the London Eye: The Ferris Wheel of London . During the spring and summer months, admission to Madame Tussauds wax museum is also not included .
London Pass Prices
The prices of the London Pass tourist pass for the year 2022 are:
| Number of days London Pass | Adult | Adult + Transportation | Children (5-15 years) | Children (5-15 years) + Transportation |
| 1 day | £69 | £84 | £45 | £54.50 |
| 2 days | £95 | £115 | £59 | £78 |
| Three days | £109 | £139 | £73 | £101.50 |
| 4 days | £141 | £176 | £89 | £122 |
| 5 days | £146 | £201 | £92 | £125 |
| 7 days | £159 | £214 | £105 | £138 |
| 10 days | £169 | £224 | £115 | £170 |
Children under 5 years of age do not need a London Pass, as children under 5 years of age can enter most London attractions for free.
10% discount
Thanks to QverLondres you can now get a 10% discount for the London Pass for 3 or 6 days, you just have to enter the following discount code: QVERLONDRES.
This discount code will be valid for the 3 and 6-day tourist pass offered on its website, either with or without transportation included. (The discount will be applied to the corresponding part of the tourist pass and not to the transport card part).
To get the discount you must choose the number of cards you need on its official website, and once you proceed to the checkout, in step 4 where it says ” additional products ” at the bottom, it gives you the option to add a discount code. If you enter the code QVERLONDRES here, and click to accept, the corresponding discount will be made automatically.
London Pass with Transport Card: London Pass + Travel Option
When buying the London Pass on the official website, you will see that you can choose whether to buy the tourist pass only or with transport. The option that includes transport includes, in addition to the tourist pass to enter London attractions, a transport card that you can use during your stay in London. It is a visitor oyster card that is pre-loaded with a certain balance. The oyster card is the transport card that we advise you to use to use public transport when visiting London. If you still don’t know what the oyster card is, here you will find everything you need to know about it: Oyster card . Do not be confused, although it says «oyster travelcard» on the official London Pass website, it is a visitor oyster card and not a travelcard (which is another type of transport card).
Don’t forget that children under the age of 11 travel for free on the London transport network, and for children between the ages of 11 and 16 it is possible to get a card with reduced prices for transport. For this reason I do not usually recommend that you buy the option of London Pass with transport for children. We explain this in detail here: Transport in London for children .
Choosing The London Pass With Or Without The Transport Option: Tips & Examples
You can use the included visitor oyster card throughout your stay in London, regardless of how many days you have purchased the London Pass for.
Thus, if for example you are going to be in London for 5 days and you have bought a 3-day London Pass + Travel, you can use the oyster card the days before and after using the London Pass without problems. It is totally independent. This visitor oyster card comes pre-loaded with a certain balance (according to the number of days you have chosen) and if you spend this balance you can top it up like a normal visitor oyster card at any metro station. But really, when you buy it with the London Pass you will also be paying management fees, and maybe you won’t need the balance that comes pre-loaded. And since it is a visitor Oyster Card you will not be able to return it at the end of your trip, although many people keep the oyster card as a souvenir of London. The normal oyster card can be bought at any London Underground station, and when you buy it you pay a deposit. At the end of the trip, the oyster card can be returned, recovering the deposit you have paid.
So basically, in my opinion, you can either buy the London Pass with the transport option for ease as it all comes home at once, or you can buy the London Pass and the oyster card alone (or visitor oyster card or travelcard). , depending on what suits you best) when you arrive in London. In this article you can see if a travelcard or an oyster card is better for you: Oyster Card or Travelcard .
Balance included in the Visitor Oyster Card when purchased with the London Pass:
- 1-Day London Pass + Travel = £10 balance
- 2 days + travel = £15 balance
- 3 days + travel = £25 balance
- 4 days + travel = £30 balance
- 5 days + travel = £50 balance
- 7 days + travel = £50 balance
- 10 days + travel = £50 balance
An example:
The 3-day London Pass for 2022 costs £109 and with transport £139, so you’re paying £30 more for the oyster card. Of these £30, £5 is management and £25 is balance.
If you are going to be in London for more than 3 days, you can recharge this oyster card with more balance if you need it, and use it for transportation throughout your stay.
If, on the other hand, you are only going to be in London for 3 days, it is necessary to take into account that the maximum daily limit of an Oyster card in zones 1 and 2 for 2022 is £7.40. Multiplying this by 3 days is £22.20. The deposit of the normal oyster card is £5, and those £5 can be recovered when you return it. So really, when you buy it with the London Pass you are paying an extra £7.80, and the oyster card they give you cannot be returned.
Advantages: The biggest advantage is that the visitor oyster card is sent home with the London Pass and you don’t have to buy it at a tube station.
Transport included to Windsor
You will see that on the official website it explains that the tourist pass includes transportation to and from Windsor to visit Windsor Castle . Although it may seem confusing, for the trip to be included, it is not necessary to buy the option of the tourist pass with transport, since it is only necessary to show the London Pass (either the physical card, or the mobile pass) in it train station to pass the barrier and ride the train (both ways).
The London Pass includes the train ride to Windsor from Paddington Station. As explained on the website, it is necessary to use the service of two trains: First, from Paddington to Slough, and from here it is necessary to take another train, from Slough to Windsor and Eton Central station. We explain this route in a little more detail in our article Visiting Windsor Castle .
Is the London Pass worth it?
One of the things you ask me the most is if this tourist pass is worth it. To get the most out of this card, you must plan your day very well to visit as many attractions as possible. For this, you have to take into account the distance to which the attractions are and how many you can see in one day, and since many of them are quite close to each other, it is possible to enter several in the same day. I would recommend you make a list of the attractions you want to visit, calculate what it would cost to enter the attractions by buying tickets at the box office and then compare this total with the price of the London pass.
But to make it easier, we have prepared an article with Routes to make the most of the London Pass card . Here we have designed routes for 1, 2, and 3 days including the most important attractions in London, and suggestions for attractions that you cannot miss if you have bought the London Pass for 6 or 10 days. We designed these routes when we were planning a week-long visit with friends, and we did it so that they could make the most of their time when they visited London on the days we worked!