London Pass
Jul 12th, 2010, 10:07 AM
#1
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London Pass
Hi,
I read about the London Pass which is a pass that you pay for ahead of time and it gets you into many attractions, on the tube, and on the busses. In addation to that you also get discounts at selected stores and restaurants.
It appears to be a good deal for me. If I didn't get the pass I would spend more on all the entrance fees for the places I want to visit then what the pass costs.
It actually seems to good to be true. Has anyone purchased this pass? Is it worth it or is there a catch that I am missing?
Thanks for your help.
I read about the London Pass which is a pass that you pay for ahead of time and it gets you into many attractions, on the tube, and on the busses. In addation to that you also get discounts at selected stores and restaurants.
It appears to be a good deal for me. If I didn't get the pass I would spend more on all the entrance fees for the places I want to visit then what the pass costs.
It actually seems to good to be true. Has anyone purchased this pass? Is it worth it or is there a catch that I am missing?
Thanks for your help.
Jul 12th, 2010, 10:12 AM
#2
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the general attitude on Fodor's (this has been asked a lot) is that for the average tourist and what the average tourist plans on doing the London Pass is not cost effective - most museums for instance in London are free and if you buy a paper Travel Card or train ticket (say return ticket from Gatwick or Heathrow to London then you get 2 for 1 entry at most sites that charge an entry fee.
London Pass includes many expensive activites like canal boat rides that most people will find little time to do, etc.
Get an Oyster Card and a paper rail or Travel Card ticket and do the 2 for 1 at sights that do charge.
London Pass includes many expensive activites like canal boat rides that most people will find little time to do, etc.
Get an Oyster Card and a paper rail or Travel Card ticket and do the 2 for 1 at sights that do charge.
Jul 12th, 2010, 10:13 AM
#3
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Days Out Guide - 2FOR1 London
We're offering 2FOR1 entry to over 100 top London attractions, restaurants, theatres, exhibitions and more, when you travel by train to the capital! ...
http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/attrac...or1london.aspx
and paper Travel Cards that you buy at Tube stations also qualify.
We're offering 2FOR1 entry to over 100 top London attractions, restaurants, theatres, exhibitions and more, when you travel by train to the capital! ...
http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/attrac...or1london.aspx
and paper Travel Cards that you buy at Tube stations also qualify.
Jul 12th, 2010, 10:20 AM
#4
It IS too good to be true. If you do a search you will find MANY threads about the London Pass. It "looks" like a great deal because of all the sites it covers.
Unfortunately - it is next to impossible to move fast enough to see more than a couple of major sites a day -- so you end up paying for the LP for what you <i>might</i> squeeze in - but more than likely won't have a prayer of doing so. A 2 day LP won't get you into more than maybe 3 (4 tops) of the sites that cost big ££. The Tower of London for instance eats up 3-4+ hours plus lunch so you might be ableto fit in St Paul's that day
AND - whatever you decide -- <B><u> DO NOT</B></u> purchase the LP transport option. That is an even bigger ripoff.
Also - remember -- many of the biggies - British Museum, V&A, National Gallery, etc - are free
Unfortunately - it is next to impossible to move fast enough to see more than a couple of major sites a day -- so you end up paying for the LP for what you <i>might</i> squeeze in - but more than likely won't have a prayer of doing so. A 2 day LP won't get you into more than maybe 3 (4 tops) of the sites that cost big ££. The Tower of London for instance eats up 3-4+ hours plus lunch so you might be ableto fit in St Paul's that day
AND - whatever you decide -- <B><u> DO NOT</B></u> purchase the LP transport option. That is an even bigger ripoff.
Also - remember -- many of the biggies - British Museum, V&A, National Gallery, etc - are free
Jul 12th, 2010, 10:33 AM
#5
Didn't see PQ's post - was posting at the same time. I assume you are traveling solo since you mention "I" and not "We". If so, the 2for1 deals he mentions won't work for you.
But even so, the LP doesn't make sense for most visitors.
(If there are two of you, then - yes the 2for1's are a bargain. A bit inconvenient due to having to get a paper travel card from a train station - but worth the extra effort for some of the more expensive sites)
But even so, the LP doesn't make sense for most visitors.
(If there are two of you, then - yes the 2for1's are a bargain. A bit inconvenient due to having to get a paper travel card from a train station - but worth the extra effort for some of the more expensive sites)
Jul 12th, 2010, 11:55 AM
#6
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Hi Everyone and thanks for your help. I just have a few more questions. Where can I purchase a London Travel Card and how much is one for a 7 day period?
Janisj, you explained why the LondonPass is a rip off then when on to say the pass with the travel option is an even bigger ripoff, but you didn't say why. We were planning on visiting 12 of the sites on the londonpass totaling 147 pounds, plus trin rides to Hampton Court and Windsor which would cost $30, in addition to that there is all the tube rides I will be taking right in the city. So can you explain why this is a rip off at 137 pounds. I want to do this to try to save money, not spend more so thanks for any help you could offer.
Janisj, you explained why the LondonPass is a rip off then when on to say the pass with the travel option is an even bigger ripoff, but you didn't say why. We were planning on visiting 12 of the sites on the londonpass totaling 147 pounds, plus trin rides to Hampton Court and Windsor which would cost $30, in addition to that there is all the tube rides I will be taking right in the city. So can you explain why this is a rip off at 137 pounds. I want to do this to try to save money, not spend more so thanks for any help you could offer.
Jul 12th, 2010, 12:05 PM
#7
"<i>you explained why the LondonPass is a rip off then when on to say the pass with the travel option is an even bigger ripoff, but you didn't say why.</i>" Because it costs more than just walking into any tube station and buying an oyster card.
I seriously doubt you could make it to 12 major for-pay sites in a week. That would mean you aren't going to any of the MANY free major museums and galleries.
Remember - places like the Tower take hours. And especially Windsor and HCP take fully half a day each plus travel time so you will only get to one major site on those two days.
Which 12 LP attractions are you planning to visit?
I seriously doubt you could make it to 12 major for-pay sites in a week. That would mean you aren't going to any of the MANY free major museums and galleries.
Remember - places like the Tower take hours. And especially Windsor and HCP take fully half a day each plus travel time so you will only get to one major site on those two days.
Which 12 LP attractions are you planning to visit?
Jul 12th, 2010, 12:14 PM
#9
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The travel option covers all zones in London. Most people never go outside of zone 1-2 except when travelling to / from Heathrow
For example a 7 day zone 1-2 Travelcard costs £25.80, the same for zone 1-6 is £47.60
But it is possible to spend a week in London seeing world class attractions without spending money on anything apart from accommodation, travel & food.
For example a 7 day zone 1-2 Travelcard costs £25.80, the same for zone 1-6 is £47.60
But it is possible to spend a week in London seeing world class attractions without spending money on anything apart from accommodation, travel & food.
Jul 12th, 2010, 12:22 PM
#10
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Where you going? Which 12?
The LP offers entrance to certain museums that are free: Imperial War Museum, National Gallery, the Tates. Check out the Days Out Guide sites and you can probably save more money with the 2-for-1 offers -- Hampton Ct. Palace, Cabinet War Rooms, HMS Belfast, Tower -- without the LP. Rough math says those four are around 96 GBP without 2-for-1 offers, 48 GBP with.
Go to National Rail station (Charing Cross, Waterloo, London Bridge, Paddington, Euston, Victoria, St. Pancras, King's Cross, Liverpool Street) and buy 7-day zone 1-2 travelcard from manned ticket window. Costs 25.80 GBP. Covers all your bus and tube rides in central London.
The LP offers entrance to certain museums that are free: Imperial War Museum, National Gallery, the Tates. Check out the Days Out Guide sites and you can probably save more money with the 2-for-1 offers -- Hampton Ct. Palace, Cabinet War Rooms, HMS Belfast, Tower -- without the LP. Rough math says those four are around 96 GBP without 2-for-1 offers, 48 GBP with.
Go to National Rail station (Charing Cross, Waterloo, London Bridge, Paddington, Euston, Victoria, St. Pancras, King's Cross, Liverpool Street) and buy 7-day zone 1-2 travelcard from manned ticket window. Costs 25.80 GBP. Covers all your bus and tube rides in central London.
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Jul 12th, 2010, 01:16 PM
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JanisJ you asked, "Which 12 LP attractions are you planning to visit?" The definites on our list are Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms, City Cruise, Hampton Court Palace, HMS Belfast, Jewel Tower, Jason's Canal Boat Trip, Kensington Palace, London Bridge Experience, National Gallery, St. Paul's Cathedral, Tower Bridge Exhibition, Tower of London, and Windsor Castle. In addition to these we also have Westminster Abbey and the British Museum at the top of our list.
Yes, I speak of we because there is my husband and I. How does this 2 for 1 work. My understanding is that I have to buy a london 7 day travel card, then I could get 2 for 1 offers. Do I buy the card ahead of time or do I purchase it once I get there? Where can I get a list of who has 2 for 1 offers?
Yes, I speak of we because there is my husband and I. How does this 2 for 1 work. My understanding is that I have to buy a london 7 day travel card, then I could get 2 for 1 offers. Do I buy the card ahead of time or do I purchase it once I get there? Where can I get a list of who has 2 for 1 offers?
Jul 12th, 2010, 01:36 PM
#15
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You purchase the card once in London from a train station. 2-4-1 details are in the link posted by PalenQ :
http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/attrac...or1london.aspx
This way you only pay 50% for the sites you do visit and wont feel obliged to cram in more locations just because you have the pass. Visiting all those places in a week will be very hectic.
Have fun!
http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/attrac...or1london.aspx
This way you only pay 50% for the sites you do visit and wont feel obliged to cram in more locations just because you have the pass. Visiting all those places in a week will be very hectic.
Have fun!
Jul 12th, 2010, 02:41 PM
#16
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NATIONAL RAIL station.
The Tube and the national rail are both "trains." Read my earlier post, <b>you buy the Travelcard at a National Rail station in London.</b>
St. Paul's and Windsor aren't on the 2-4-1 offers, but just about everything else on your list is. But you can get a discount on the Windsor tickets at Waterloo (or maybe Paddington, we went from Waterloo so I don't know what offers are available from Paddington) when you buy admission vouchers with your train tickets at a manned ticket booth.
The London Bridge Experience sounds like a serious tourist trap, and severely campy. We took a couple of tours like that in Edinburgh and they certainly didn't cost over $30 per person (21.95 GBP).
The 2-4-1 offers, even adding in what's not covered, will probably be less costly than the 274 quid you were going to pay for two London Passes. Based on your list of 12 sites, there are nine I can see that are covered by the Days Out Guide (all but Canal Boat Trip, Windsor, St. Paul's). The nine cost 116.55 for TWO people. The 7-day travelcards are another 51.60 -- that's 168.15.
The six-day LP for two is 274. Your tickets to Windsor, St. Paul and the train to Hampton Ct. Palace will be far less than 105.85. Likely no more than 60 GBP total. That means another 45 left over for going to Fortnum & Mason and getting some really good stuff to eat.
The Tube and the national rail are both "trains." Read my earlier post, <b>you buy the Travelcard at a National Rail station in London.</b>
St. Paul's and Windsor aren't on the 2-4-1 offers, but just about everything else on your list is. But you can get a discount on the Windsor tickets at Waterloo (or maybe Paddington, we went from Waterloo so I don't know what offers are available from Paddington) when you buy admission vouchers with your train tickets at a manned ticket booth.
The London Bridge Experience sounds like a serious tourist trap, and severely campy. We took a couple of tours like that in Edinburgh and they certainly didn't cost over $30 per person (21.95 GBP).
The 2-4-1 offers, even adding in what's not covered, will probably be less costly than the 274 quid you were going to pay for two London Passes. Based on your list of 12 sites, there are nine I can see that are covered by the Days Out Guide (all but Canal Boat Trip, Windsor, St. Paul's). The nine cost 116.55 for TWO people. The 7-day travelcards are another 51.60 -- that's 168.15.
The six-day LP for two is 274. Your tickets to Windsor, St. Paul and the train to Hampton Ct. Palace will be far less than 105.85. Likely no more than 60 GBP total. That means another 45 left over for going to Fortnum & Mason and getting some really good stuff to eat.
Jul 12th, 2010, 03:23 PM
#17
1) There is almost no way you could manage all those sites in 7 days
2) Two of them - The National Gallery & British Museum - are free.
3) A few - the Jewel Tower, London Bridge Exhibition, Tower Bridge Experience, Kensington Palace (there will be disagreement on this one) are barely worth a detour.
To give you an idea/reality check:
Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms: 2+ hours. And that is conservative - there is a current trip report of a family that spent 3+ hours there and could have spent more. I;ve spent 2+ hours there -- 3 times and still haven't seen everything.
City Cruise: 1hour
Hampton Court Palace: 6+ hours total including travel time.
HMS Belfast: 1-2 hours
Jewel Tower: 30mins
Jason's Canal Boat Trip: 1 hour
Kensington Palace: 2 hours (the audio guide takes FOREVERbut you can skip a lot of it)
London Bridge Experience: 1 hour
National Gallery: 3+ hours or more
St. Paul's Cathedral: 2+ hours
Tower Bridge Exhibition: 1.5 hours,
Tower of London: 3-5 hours
Windsor Castle: 6-8 hours including travel
Westminster Abbey: 2 hours minimum
British Museum: As long as you can manage - minimum 4 hours but can be broken into short visits since it is free.
Not counting day 1 which will be a jet lagged fog, you will have 6 days (probably more like 5+ if you are packing and organizing before flying home) for more than 40 hours of sightseeing. It comes to 7 hours a day. That is JUST for the time walking around inside the sites. It doesn't include 1-3 hours of transport every day, lunches, pub breaks, anything else - just catching your breath now and then.
In other words you'd be running at full tilt the entire time you are in London to get to even most of those sites, let alone all.
The London Pass swamps one w/ all those glittery sites - but in <u>real life</u> it just isn't possible.
2) Two of them - The National Gallery & British Museum - are free.
3) A few - the Jewel Tower, London Bridge Exhibition, Tower Bridge Experience, Kensington Palace (there will be disagreement on this one) are barely worth a detour.
To give you an idea/reality check:
Churchill Museum and Cabinet War Rooms: 2+ hours. And that is conservative - there is a current trip report of a family that spent 3+ hours there and could have spent more. I;ve spent 2+ hours there -- 3 times and still haven't seen everything.
City Cruise: 1hour
Hampton Court Palace: 6+ hours total including travel time.
HMS Belfast: 1-2 hours
Jewel Tower: 30mins
Jason's Canal Boat Trip: 1 hour
Kensington Palace: 2 hours (the audio guide takes FOREVERbut you can skip a lot of it)
London Bridge Experience: 1 hour
National Gallery: 3+ hours or more
St. Paul's Cathedral: 2+ hours
Tower Bridge Exhibition: 1.5 hours,
Tower of London: 3-5 hours
Windsor Castle: 6-8 hours including travel
Westminster Abbey: 2 hours minimum
British Museum: As long as you can manage - minimum 4 hours but can be broken into short visits since it is free.
Not counting day 1 which will be a jet lagged fog, you will have 6 days (probably more like 5+ if you are packing and organizing before flying home) for more than 40 hours of sightseeing. It comes to 7 hours a day. That is JUST for the time walking around inside the sites. It doesn't include 1-3 hours of transport every day, lunches, pub breaks, anything else - just catching your breath now and then.
In other words you'd be running at full tilt the entire time you are in London to get to even most of those sites, let alone all.
The London Pass swamps one w/ all those glittery sites - but in <u>real life</u> it just isn't possible.
Jul 12th, 2010, 03:46 PM
#18
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Do I really need to print 2-for-1 vouchers for every attraction, restaurant, etc., that I may visit? I pretty much know which attractions we're going to, but not restaurants. There are pages and pages of restaurants that I may or may not go to, but in order to take advantage of the vouchers I guess I'll need to have them all -- just in case.
Also, how do the 2-for-1 vouchers work for kids (13 and 16)?
Also, how do the 2-for-1 vouchers work for kids (13 and 16)?
Jul 12th, 2010, 03:57 PM
#19
frberta: If you want to use the 2for1's, yes you need to pre-print the vouchers.
For many sites the 13 yo and often the 16 yo get 'concession' rates (discounts for young/old/disabled/etc). so they are cheaper but that doesn't matter for the Days Out 2for1's
From the website's FAQs: >><i>The voucher entitles one person to get in for free whilst <u>the other pays the full adult rate, regardless of whether they qualify for concessions, e.g. Under 16, Senior, or Student</u>". Please refer to the Terms and Conditions.</i><<
BTW - the answers to most anything you want to know are on the website . . . . http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/attrac...or1london.aspx
For many sites the 13 yo and often the 16 yo get 'concession' rates (discounts for young/old/disabled/etc). so they are cheaper but that doesn't matter for the Days Out 2for1's
From the website's FAQs: >><i>The voucher entitles one person to get in for free whilst <u>the other pays the full adult rate, regardless of whether they qualify for concessions, e.g. Under 16, Senior, or Student</u>". Please refer to the Terms and Conditions.</i><<
BTW - the answers to most anything you want to know are on the website . . . . http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/attrac...or1london.aspx
Jul 12th, 2010, 04:09 PM
#20
freberta: You'll have to decide if the 2for1's make sense for everyone everyplace. Different sites offer different discounts for concessions.
For example at the Tower, adult = £17 but the kids are only £9.50. St Paul's - adult = £12.50 and children up to 16 = £4.50.
It isn't one size fits all.
For example at the Tower, adult = £17 but the kids are only £9.50. St Paul's - adult = £12.50 and children up to 16 = £4.50.
It isn't one size fits all.
