Can I buy a London Pass in London? I found it on the web site but I am leaving very soon and don't want to try to find the pick up address the morning I arrive to start using it immediately. If it is available at the airport or at Victoria station I would prefer to buy it there. Thanks for any info.

You don't want a London Pass -- whether bought in advance or in London.

The LP is a complete ripoff for the vast majority of visitors. And even if you spend the ££££ for a LP, the transport option is even worse.

Are you traveling solo? If so, forget about the LP. If you are traveling w/ someone - still forget the LP, but consider the Days Out 2for1 discounts. http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk/

I am traveling with my sister. The London Pass is listed as 44 pounds for one day. I added up the sites we we doing the first day and they came to 90 pounds. They are the Golden Hinde, Tower of London and Hampton Court. I thought it would be a good deal. Thank you so much for your help.

ALso 2 for 1 is not available to me as I have already purchased BritRail passes.

"<i>ALso 2 for 1 is not available to me as I have already purchased BritRail passes. </i>"

That is incorrect. All you need is a paper travel card bought in any train station. You presumably will be using public transport in London and your Brit Rail pass doesn't cover that. So buy paper travel cards for your London transport --and you'll be set for the 2for1's.

"<i>They are the Golden Hinde, Tower of London and Hampton Court</i>"

This is essentially impossible. The Tower and Hampton Court are each '1/2 day sites' -- and they are 20+ miles apart. That is one reason the LP is a rip off. It overwhelms one w/ this looooong list of covered properties, when it is really tough to hit enough of the biggies in the covered period.

You <i>could</i> fit in the Tower, Golden Hind and St Pauls in one day. (BTW - the Tower+HCP+Golden Hind = £41.75. Tower = £19.80; HCP = £15.95; Golden Hinde = £6)

I agree with everything said here. Tower and HCP are 241 with paper ticket and you can't beat that deal. AND you can do it whenever you want.

If you don't have the paper ticket, buy your Tube pass at a rail station. You might have to walk an extra block or two, but they are all over the city.

Skip the tour buses, but do your own city bus tour OR skip a day in the Tube and ride the city buses. There is a tour guide with printed information available online.

That 6 quid for the Golden Hinde seems a bit steep - nearly $10 to see a replica when all you really need to do is walk around it for pictures. Are you also thinking of wasting money at the London Dungeon or Madame Tussaud's?

You need to get a travelcard at London Bridge rail (not Tube) station, print out the two-for-one vouchers before you go and use the two-fers for the Tower. HCP is a different day - the train from Waterloo takes 45 minutes and is the fastest way out, the tour of the grounds should blow about 3-4 hours of your day, then the trip back to Waterloo means you have no time for the Tower and HCP on the same day, period. Plus, HCP is covered by the two-for-one passes just as the Tower. If you're in London for four-seven days, just get the seven-day travelcard because it will essentially pay for itself with the savings.

You also need to check the map - London is the largest city in Western Europe (it's not close) and has the population of New York. You're not going to be in Prague or Krakow with a smallish population and where the major sites are clustered and all within walking distance.

Are you also thinking of wasting money at the London Dungeon or Madame Tussaud's>

Well zillions of Brits do themselves at two of the very top paid admission sights in all of the UK. the London Dungeon is very popular - could be the top paid admission place in London.

I guess all those Brits are idiots for constantly wasting their money at places like Madade Tussaud's and the London Dungeon, two me two really interesting sights - ah the Fodor's Culture Snobs!

If you think Madame Tussaud's and the London Dungeon are high culture, then 85% of this board is a snob. And if you think either should be in a list of top attractions for folks with LIMITED TIME to VISIT a city, as opposed to Brits who LIVE in and around London (all 15,000,000 or so in the metropolitan area), then you're just giving bad advice.

"<i>If you think Madame Tussaud's and the London Dungeon are high culture, . . . then you're just giving bad advice.</i>"

PQ doesn't think that, he is just being a gadfly (and giving bad advice )

"Well zillions of Brits do themselves at two of the very top paid admission sights in all of the UK"

What makes you think the majority of the people who visit either are British?

There's such a lot of London that is historic and interesting that I'd say that a good rule of thumb is to avoid anything that is obviously "for" tourists. Of course, that would include the Eye, but you know what I mean ;-)

Day's Out 2-for-1 is the absolute best deal in town. Follow the afore-mentioned advice - buy day travelcards at a RAIL STATION, and you can use them on tube, bus, train (depending on zones - Tower is within zone 1-2, HCP is zone 6 and you'll take a train). print the coupons out before you leave.

There is more detail elsewhere here at Fodor's, but we'ved used them on all four of our visits (from USA) in the past six years - saved hundreds of dollars.

BTW - IMO, Hampton Court is a full day trip, and the Tower is easily a half-day. As stated they CANNOT be done on the same day.

SS

Just the other day, I posted more detailed info (including links ot 2-for-1 and to the Transport page that shows the travelcard prices):

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...-nov2-2011.cfm

You can buy the travelcards at Victoria Station (or any other major train station.)

SS

What makes you think the majority of the people who visit either are British?>

By visiting them! I guess I am the only one on this thread who actually went to these places and yes on my first visit to London years ago Madame Tussauds ('Too-sods' in British parlance) was an absolute hit and high on my list - now in later years it may not as I have fallen out of popular culture and Tussauds has a constantly changing cast of wax figures of the most popular celebs - celebs that cater mainly it seems to the largely British crowd that seems to go there - football stars, pop stars, British TV celebs, etc. and Michael Jackson, who was a huge celeb that the British and British press were enthralled with known as Jacko (or Wacko in some tabloids)

Russ - I never said Tussauds and London Dungeon were high culture - they are indeed low culture - the cultural snob aspect comes from those who would automatically dismiss low culture sights as a worthless use of one's time - well some folks - zillions of folks it seems enjoy these places, which are in the very very top if not at the top of paid attractions in the U.K., after Blackpool's Pleasure Beach park I believe (now there is a low low class attraction that yes draws mainly Brits - guess there are a lot of low culture Brits out there who flock to those three sights.

There's such a lot of London that is historic and interesting that I'd say that a good rule of thumb is to avoid anything that is obviously "for" tourists.

Guess that includes the Changing of the Guard, riding boats along the Thames, shopping at Harrods, doing anything in Covent Garden, the British Museum, the Tower of London - all these things are today mainly for tourists

Q - what can one see on a limited time in London that ain't for tourists?

The Tube?