The main complaint about sightseeing in London is the expense, seeing some of the cities most famous locations like St Pauls Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Hampton Court and Kew Gardens all cost money and it all adds up. Thankfully, there is a way to still see all of these and more, while saving on costs and avoiding queues – The London Pass.
The way the London Pass works is very simple, you pay a one off fee for either a 1-day, 2-day, 3-day or 6-day pass and that pass will allow you free entry into hundreds of London attractions for the number of days its vaild. The London Pass is a smart-card that records the first time you use it, marking its activation, you then have the rest of your pass time-frame to use the card. You can only use the card on consecutive days, if you have a three day card and activate it on a Monday, it will only be valid Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. To use the card, simply go to the entrance and show you card, the ticket seller or validator will then scan and check your card and allow you entry.
The London Pass grants free entry into over fifty of London’s attractions, its best to check online to make sure thouse you want to visit are included on the list. http://www.londonpass.com/london-attractions/index.html . Don’t forget that many museums and art-galleries are already free to visit, like Tate Modern, Tate Britain, British Museum, the National Gallery, the National Portrait Gallery, the Victoria and Albert Museum, Science Museum, the Natural History Museum and the Imperial War Museum.
Attractions that are on the list include St Pauls, Westminster Abbey, the Churchill War Rooms, HMS Belfast, Eltham Palace, Windsor Castle, Hampton Court, Kew Gardens, Kensington Palace, London Zoo, the Tower of London, The Queen’s Gallery and the Royal Mews – just to name a few. If you saw all the attractions included in the London Pass you could save hundreds of pounds. You can also get special offers at shops and restaurants associated with The London Pass. The website lists the most current offers, and the guidebook included with the Pass will
You will need one pass per person, or per child, and it is advised to keep your purchase receipt with you in-case there is an error with the smart-card technology. You can have the card shipped to your home address before you leave, or you can pick it up from The Britain & London Visitor Centre at No.1 Regent Street. If you have it shipped in advance you will have to pay extra shipping charges, picking up from the vistor centre is free.
The cost of the London Pass starts at £43 for an adult 1-day pass and £28 for a child 1-day pass all the way to £94 for a six day adult pass and £67 for a child 6-day pass. A child is defined as between 5 and 15 years, many attractions allow the under 5s to go free. This is considerably cheaper than visiting each attraction without the pass, its even cheaper than visiting just a few of the attractions without the pass. It is adviside to check that you do want to visit the included attractions to get the most out of your Pass.
As an example of how much you’ll be saving, visiting St Pauls, Westminster Abbey, The Churchill War Rooms, Eltham Palace, Kew Gardens and the Tower of London would cost £89.45 for one adult. Buying a 3-day pass, giving you the most time to see all of these attractions, would set you back £71, a saving of £18.45 – the equivalent of a very nice lunch or dinner!