London Passes
Oct 9th, 2004, 08:54 PM
#1
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London Passes
I will be traveling to London for the first time in February with my husband and daughter. We will be there for one week. I have read about two different types of passes that give admission to various sights. One is the Great British Heritage Pass and I forgot the name of the other.
Any thoughts on which one is better?
Thanks,
Debbie
Any thoughts on which one is better?
Thanks,
Debbie
Oct 10th, 2004, 03:27 AM
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In my opinion, London Pass is a ripoff - Most of the museums are free - the costly 'pay for' attractions are around 9-13 GBP, each.
I love London, but the current exchange rate makes that city so expensive for American tourists, spending a large sum of money for a GBH Pass or London Pass just makes it worse.
The Tube Weekly pass (20 GBP or so) was a great value, though - I was there for a week, and must have used the tube 30+ times.
One of the day trips I took was a train ride to Bath - (34 GBP round trip from Paddington St.) It was a nice relaxing day trip out of the city.
Hope this helps,
Chris
I love London, but the current exchange rate makes that city so expensive for American tourists, spending a large sum of money for a GBH Pass or London Pass just makes it worse.
The Tube Weekly pass (20 GBP or so) was a great value, though - I was there for a week, and must have used the tube 30+ times.
One of the day trips I took was a train ride to Bath - (34 GBP round trip from Paddington St.) It was a nice relaxing day trip out of the city.
Hope this helps,
Chris
Oct 10th, 2004, 07:01 AM
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Sometimes the passes are a good deal, and sometimes they aren't. It's impossible to generalize. Add up the tariffs for the sights you want to see, and compare the total to the passes. And don't forget to factor in the value of being able to jump the line, which can save you a half-hour at some of the more crowded attractions.
We got a two-for-one deal on the London Pass (which LP gives frequently, it seems) which made it a real bargain: using it only for the Tower was a break-even, then everything else was gravy. We got to the Transport Museum, a special Egyptian exhibit at the British Museum, and the kids used the game room at the Aquarium, so we came out about £60 ahead all told.
But be sure to plan your itinerary to include as many paid-for attractions covered by the Pass on the same day(s) it's valid. We got a one-day pass, and it was plenty.
We got a two-for-one deal on the London Pass (which LP gives frequently, it seems) which made it a real bargain: using it only for the Tower was a break-even, then everything else was gravy. We got to the Transport Museum, a special Egyptian exhibit at the British Museum, and the kids used the game room at the Aquarium, so we came out about £60 ahead all told.
But be sure to plan your itinerary to include as many paid-for attractions covered by the Pass on the same day(s) it's valid. We got a one-day pass, and it was plenty.
Oct 10th, 2004, 07:24 AM
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The "jump-to-the-front" option is definitely a plus for us. We are definitely making a list of what we want to see.
From all the posts I have read, it sounds like London has many coupons or offers. Would it be better to purchase everything once we are there and have a chance to look for the offers?
Is there a website or address that I can write to that would send offers to us?
Thanks for all the advice!
From all the posts I have read, it sounds like London has many coupons or offers. Would it be better to purchase everything once we are there and have a chance to look for the offers?
Is there a website or address that I can write to that would send offers to us?
Thanks for all the advice!
Oct 10th, 2004, 01:21 PM
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First of all - don't buy any pass just to "jump the queues". The only places you are likely to run into any lines will be the Tower of London and Madame Tussauds. And in Feb even they will not have terribly long queues.
The GBHP and the London Pass are completely diffent animals. The London Pass is not really a great bargain for most visitors -- remember that most of the famous galleries/museums in London are free and in a short visit you probably won't have enough time to visit much more than the big free sitesand a few of the for pay ones.
The 4 or 7-day GBHP are good values IF you plan on visiting most of the following: Windsor, Hampton Court Palace, the Tower, Tower Bridge, St Paul's and Kensington Palace.
The GBHP and the London Pass are completely diffent animals. The London Pass is not really a great bargain for most visitors -- remember that most of the famous galleries/museums in London are free and in a short visit you probably won't have enough time to visit much more than the big free sitesand a few of the for pay ones.
The 4 or 7-day GBHP are good values IF you plan on visiting most of the following: Windsor, Hampton Court Palace, the Tower, Tower Bridge, St Paul's and Kensington Palace.
Oct 10th, 2004, 02:51 PM
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janis -
Not to disagree, but to clarify slightly: if a prime attraction costs £12 and the pass that lets you jump the queue at that attraction is £13.50, then you have paid £1.50 for an extra half-hour of vacation time (worst case) which you can spend on another attraction, which the pass has already paid for.
A bit of calculus would come in handy sometimes ;-)
Not to disagree, but to clarify slightly: if a prime attraction costs £12 and the pass that lets you jump the queue at that attraction is £13.50, then you have paid £1.50 for an extra half-hour of vacation time (worst case) which you can spend on another attraction, which the pass has already paid for.
A bit of calculus would come in handy sometimes ;-)
Oct 10th, 2004, 06:09 PM
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The GBHP can save travelers a ton of money for sites in the UK. BUT... there are not that many heritage sites in London, so it may not be saving you any money.
You need to:
1. Decide which attractions covered by the pass you wish to visit.
2. Check out the attractions official website to find out what the current admission charges are.
3. Add all the admission prices up to see if purchasing the pass will actually save you money.
Here's a website with info on the GBHP: <b>www3.visitbritain.com/world/heritagepass</b>
If you decide to purchase the GBHP, it's cheaper to buy it here: <b>www.railpass.com/new/passes/pass/heritage.asp</b>
You need to:
1. Decide which attractions covered by the pass you wish to visit.
2. Check out the attractions official website to find out what the current admission charges are.
3. Add all the admission prices up to see if purchasing the pass will actually save you money.
Here's a website with info on the GBHP: <b>www3.visitbritain.com/world/heritagepass</b>
If you decide to purchase the GBHP, it's cheaper to buy it here: <b>www.railpass.com/new/passes/pass/heritage.asp</b>
