London Pass tips: how to get more out of your pass
When to activate The London Pass®, which sights to visit first, where you need a time slot and how the 90-day cancellation protects you. The tips apply to Go City’s London Pass and London Explorer Pass.
Four ways to get more from your pass
People rarely waste money when they buy; they waste it when they use the pass. The tips are grouped into four topics, from activation to cancellation.
1. Activation and validity
Buying does not start anything. Both Go City passes are activated with your first visit to an attraction. With the London Pass, calendar days count from then on: a 3-day pass that you scan for the first time at 4 pm on Monday is valid until Wednesday evening. So the Monday counts in full, even with only two hours left.
The Explorer Pass works differently. After your first visit you have 30 days to use the remaining attractions. Rest days, a day trip or a rainy afternoon cost you nothing there.
Scan the pass for the first time on the morning of your first full sightseeing day. If you use it on your arrival evening for a single attraction, you use up a whole calendar day.
Buy the pass at your leisure from home. It then sits in the Go City app and stays inactive until you visit your first attraction.
With the London Pass, start with the first big attraction in the morning. With the Explorer Pass the start day matters less, as 30 days are enough for almost any trip.
With the London Pass, every extra visit on the same day costs nothing more. Two to three paid sights a day is a realistic target.
2. Saving more
Three things decide how much you have left at the end: where you buy, the order in which you visit the sights and if you use the bus and boat.
LONDONCP05LP saves you 5% on the London Pass on londonpass.com, and LONDONCP05 saves you 5% on the Explorer Pass on gocity.com. The code does not work at Headout, Tiqets or GetYourGuide, and their cancellation rules apply there instead of Go City’s 90 days.
The order of visits is the second lever. If you put the expensive sights first, you earn back the pass price sooner in case a day falls through at the end. These attractions are among the most expensive in the programme; the amounts are the regular adult prices without a pass:
Expensive sights first
- London Eye: £39
- Madame Tussauds: £39
- Tower of London: £37
- Windsor Castle: £36
- The View from The Shard: £32
- Westminster Abbey: £32
The London Eye, the Tower and Windsor Castle alone cost £112 together if bought separately, which is more than the 1-day London Pass (£105.00). You will hardly manage all three in a single day, though, as Windsor alone takes half a day.
Use the bus and boat
- Big Bus hop-on hop-off, 2-day ticket
- City Cruises on the Thames, 24 hours
- £81 together if bought separately
The London Pass includes both. Plan them as links between sights, for example by boat from Westminster to the Tower or to Greenwich. They do not replace public transport for getting between your hotel and the attractions, though; more on that on the Oyster Card page.
The bus and boat are also available to choose with the Explorer Pass, but there each one uses up one of your 2 to 7 attractions. So with the Explorer Pass, pick the expensive sights from the list above on purpose. Whether the pass puts you ahead is shown by the savings calculator. Go City also advertises a savings guarantee that refunds the difference if single tickets would have been cheaper; the terms are on Go City’s site.
3. Planning routes and time slots
London’s attractions are far apart. If you criss-cross the city, you can easily lose an hour a day, and with it an attraction.
The Tower of London, Tower Bridge and The Shard are close together. Only Westminster Bridge separates Westminster Abbey and the London Eye. Greenwich with the Cutty Sark and the Royal Observatory is a half day of its own.
Where no time slot is needed, visit the big sights right at opening time or in the late afternoon. Queues are longest around midday, with or without a pass.
Both passes are digital in the Go City app. The QR code is scanned at the entrance, and you do not need a printout. Download the app before your trip and log in.
For the London Eye, The Shard, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey and Madame Tussauds you need a time slot. You book it in the Go City app after you buy. For the London Eye this is possible about 15 days ahead. You visit the Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral without a booking.
4. Cancellation as a safety net
If you buy directly from Go City, you get a full refund on the London Pass and Explorer Pass within 90 days of purchase, as long as the pass is not activated. That means you can buy early, for example to use the code, and still back out if the trip is cancelled.
The 90 days count from the date of purchase, not from the start of your trip. With the first scan at an attraction the pass is activated and no longer refundable. If your trip is more than three months away, buy later. At Headout, Tiqets or GetYourGuide their own rules apply.
Four mistakes that cost money
All four only happen once you are in London, and a little planning beforehand avoids them.
A visit in the afternoon after landing costs a full calendar day. Start on the morning of your first full day. With the Explorer Pass this hardly matters, thanks to the 30 days.
Small museums and walking tours bring little back. If a day then falls through, you have paid more for the pass than for single tickets. The expensive sights belong at the start.
The London Eye, The Shard, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey and Madame Tussauds only let you in with a booking. If your preferred slot is full, your day’s plan shifts, and with the London Pass the clock keeps running.
The 5% is only available at Go City itself: LONDONCP05LP on londonpass.com, LONDONCP05 on gocity.com. Enter the code before you pay. Other sellers have no field for it.
Checklist before your trip
- Buy the pass directly from Go City and enter the right code (
LONDONCP05LPorLONDONCP05) - Check that your trip starts within 90 days of purchase, so the cancellation option applies
- Download the Go City app, log in and add the pass
- Book time slots for the London Eye, The Shard, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey and Madame Tussauds in the app
- Scan the London Pass for the first time only on the morning of your first full sightseeing day
- Put the expensive sights first and plan the days by area
- With the London Pass, plan the Big Bus and Thames boat as links between sights
- Pay contactless for the Tube and regular buses, or bring a Visitor Oyster Card
Questions about using the pass
When should I activate my London Pass?
The pass is activated at your first visit to an attraction, not when you buy it. From then on, calendar days count. So start on the morning of your first full sightseeing day. With the Explorer Pass you have 30 days from your first visit, so the start day matters less.
Which attractions need a time slot even with a pass?
The London Eye, The Shard, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey and Madame Tussauds. You book the time slot in the Go City app after you buy, for the London Eye about 15 days ahead. The Tower of London and St Paul’s Cathedral do not need a booking.
What happens to days or attractions I do not use?
They expire. The London Pass ends after the number of calendar days you bought, the Explorer Pass 30 days after your first visit. There is no refund for unused days or attractions. Better to make full use of a shorter pass than leave a long one half empty.
Does the discount code work at Headout or GetYourGuide?
No. LONDONCP05LP works on londonpass.com, LONDONCP05 on gocity.com. Other sellers have their own prices and their own cancellation rules. All codes and how to redeem them
Are the bus and boat included with the Explorer Pass too?
They are available to choose, but each counts as one of your 2 to 7 attractions. In the London Pass, the Big Bus (2 days) and City Cruises (24 hours) are included without counting against anything.
Which of the two passes fits your plan
Lots of sights in a few days point to the London Pass; a few highlights over a longer trip point to the Explorer Pass.
The London Pass®
- Every attraction in the programme, 1 to 10 days
- Big Bus and Thames boat included
- from £105.00, 5% with code
LONDONCP05LP
London Explorer Pass
- 2 to 7 attractions of your choice
- 30 days from your first visit
- from £65.00, 5% with code
LONDONCP05
Is the London Pass worth it? With calculator London Pass and Explorer Pass compared
LONDONCP05LP