Is the London Pass worth it? We did the maths
The London Pass® against single tickets and against the Explorer Pass, using Go City’s gate prices. Four trips worked out in full, plus the calculator for your own plans. Including the case where you are better off without a pass.
The short answer
What matters is the number of paid sights per day, not the length of the trip.
- London Pass if you manage three paid attractions a day on two or more days. Then the pass stays well below the total for single tickets.
- Explorer Pass if you have two to seven sights firmly planned and spread them over several days. You have 30 days to use them.
- No pass if you only visit one attraction, only two cheaper ones, or mainly the free museums and parks. Then single tickets are cheaper.
Savings calculator
Tick what you would really visit. The calculator shows the total for single tickets and puts it against the London Pass and the Explorer Pass.
Four trips worked out
Adult admission according to Go City, pass prices at Go City without a discount code. The recommendation follows from the numbers.
Two days, six classics
- Day 1
- Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Thames boats
- Day 2
- Westminster Abbey, London Eye, Madame Tussauds
The London Pass for 2 days saves £35 compared with single tickets. The Explorer Pass costs the same here, but the London Pass leaves room for more sights.
Three days, first trip to London
- Day 1
- Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Thames boats
- Day 2
- Westminster Abbey, Madame Tussauds, London Eye, hop-on hop-off bus
- Day 3
- Windsor Castle, then Kensington Palace
The London Pass for 3 days saves £108 compared with single tickets. The Explorer Pass is not enough for 9 sights, as it stops at seven.
Five days, one sight a day
- Spread over five days
- Tower of London, London Eye, Westminster Abbey, Windsor Castle, Kew Gardens. Free museums and markets in between.
The Explorer Pass for 5 attractions saves £31 compared with single tickets. The London Pass for 5 days would even cost £79 more than single tickets.
One day, one big sight
- One day
- The Tower of London in the morning, then the British Museum and the National Gallery, both free.
Here single tickets are £68 cheaper than the cheapest pass. The Explorer Pass starts at two attractions.
The point at which the London Pass pays off
The attractions in the calculator cost £32 each on average. From that you can work out how many of them you need to visit during the pass period for the London Pass to be cheaper than single tickets.
Scroll the table sideways.
| Validity | Price | Per day | Cheaper from |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 day | £105.00 | £105.00 | 4 attractions |
| 2 days | £155.00 | £77.50 | 5 attractions, about 2.5 a day |
| 3 days | £199.00 | £66.33 | 7 attractions, about 2.3 a day |
| 4 days | £225.00 | £56.25 | 7 attractions, about 1.8 a day |
| 5 days | £245.00 | £49.00 | 8 attractions, about 1.6 a day |
| 6 days | £265.00 | £44.17 | 9 attractions, about 1.5 a day |
| 7 days | £285.00 | £40.71 | 9 attractions, about 1.3 a day |
| 10 days | £305.00 | £30.50 | 10 attractions, about 1 a day |
Calculated with the average, not with your sights. Expensive sights such as the London Eye (£39) or the hop-on hop-off bus (£56) get you over the threshold faster, cheaper ones such as Tower Bridge (£18) more slowly.
When a London Pass is not worth it
Four cases where single tickets or the Explorer Pass are the better choice.
After arriving and checking in, there is time for two sights, say the Tower of London and the London Eye. Bought separately they cost £76, the 1-day London Pass £105.00. So the pass costs more. The Explorer Pass for two attractions saves £11 here.
The British Museum, National Gallery, Tate Modern, Natural History Museum and the big parks charge no entry. If that is your London, you do not need a pass. For a single attraction, buy the ticket directly.
St Paul’s Cathedral and Kensington Palace cost £52 together if bought separately, the Explorer Pass for two attractions £65.00. Here single tickets are £13 cheaper.
The 3-day London Pass costs £66.33 per day. That is more than an average attraction in the calculator. If you only visit one sight a day, you will not make the price back and are better off with the Explorer Pass.
Frequently asked questions
Is the London Pass worth it for 2 days?
If you manage three big sights on both days, usually yes. In the example above with the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, Thames boats, Westminster Abbey, London Eye and Madame Tussauds, the single tickets cost £190 and the 2-day London Pass £155.00. The London Pass for 2 days saves £35 compared with single tickets. The Explorer Pass costs the same here, but the London Pass leaves room for more sights. With only one or two sights a day it is not worth it.
Should I take the Explorer Pass instead?
Both come from Go City and share most of the big sights. Take the London Pass if you want to visit lots of sights in a few days. Take the Explorer Pass if you have two to seven sights firmly planned and spread them over several days. Take no pass if you only plan one paid attraction.
Is the London Pass worth it for families with children?
Children aged 5 to 15 pay the child price, £115.00 for three days. Children under 5 do not need a pass. Many children’s tickets are reduced anyway, and with children you rarely manage three sights a day. So work it out with your actual plans; for families the Explorer Pass is often cheaper.
How many attractions can you manage per day?
Three is realistic, four with an early start and short distances. Go City allows two hours for the Tower of London, three for Windsor Castle and 45 minutes for the London Eye, not counting travel. Plan the time slots for the London Eye, The Shard, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey and Madame Tussauds in the app beforehand.
Can I cancel the London Pass for free?
If you bought it directly from Go City, yes: within 90 days of purchase, as long as the pass is not activated. It is activated with your first visit. At Headout, Tiqets or GetYourGuide their own rules apply.
Is there a plus or premium version?
No. Go City sells the London Pass in a single version that only differs in validity, from 1 to 10 days.
Do I save extra with a discount code?
Yes. LONDONCP05LP on londonpass.com gives 5% off the London Pass, and LONDONCP05 on gocity.com gives 5% off the Explorer Pass. The calculations on this page are without a code.
To both passes
If the calculator recommends a pass, you can go straight to either one here.
The London Pass®
5% off with code LONDONCP05LP
- 1 to 10 days, every attraction in the programme
- from £105.00
London Explorer Pass
5% off with code LONDONCP05
- 2 to 7 attractions, 30 days to use them
- from £65.00
All about the London Pass All about the Explorer Pass Tips for using it
LONDONCP05LP