Whenever I visit a new city, it feels like you need a maths degree to work out which – if any – tourist pass you should get. I’ve lived in London for years, and I constantly see visitors making expensive mistakes – either buying passes they don’t need, or missing out on brilliant attractions because they’re trying to save money.

London’s tourist passes can genuinely save you a fortune. But they can also be a complete waste of money if they don’t match how you actually want to explore the city.

This calculator does the maths for you. Just tick the attractions you want to visit, and it’ll tell you in 30 seconds whether a London Pass will save you money, and which one to choose.

London Pass Calculator – is it worth it for me?

What’s included in the London Pass?

The London Pass managed by GoCity is pretty comprehensive. It gets you free entrance more than 100 attractions across London, including some of the city’s major and most expensive attractions – like the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and Hampton Court.

It also includes several activities which can be costly if you book each of them individually, like tours of London’s major football stadiums (like Arsenal’s) and a Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour.

On top of this, the London Pass offers free entry to several of London’s smaller, hidden gem museums. For example, the Garden Museum, Keats House and the Florence Nightingale Museum are all included in the London Pass – as are the Canal Museum, the London Water and Steam Museum and the Bow Street Police & Crime Museum.

These smaller museums typically cost £5-£12 individually, but they’re included free with the pass. If you love discovering London’s hidden corners, these add real value beyond just the big-ticket attractions.

All of these attractions are included in our calculator above – just select the ones you want to visit to see if the pass makes sense for you.

But remember – many of London’s best attractions are free

This is what many guides trying to sell you a London Pass won’t emphasise: many of London’s best attractions are already free.

If it’s your first time visiting London, I’d highly recommend you visit:

• The British Museum
• Natural History Museum
• Science Museum
• V&A (Victoria & Albert Museum)
• National Gallery
• Tate Modern

Add to this many of London’s other best museums, like the Imperial War Museum, the Wellcome Collection and the British Library, and you could spend many, many days simply exploring London’s free museums. I provide a guide to all of London’s free museums here.

On top of this, several of the attractions on the London Pass could be replaced with free alternatives. For example, the London Pass Plus includes the Shard Viewpoint. You can get just as spectacular views at the Sky Garden, which is free to enter – though you’ll need to buy a drink.

London Pass Pro Tips from a local

I’ve lived in London for years and visited most of these attractions multiple times. Here’s how to make sure you get the best value.

• Build your itinerary first, then buy the pass, not the other way around. List what you genuinely want to see, use the calculator above, and only buy if it saves money.
• Don’t over-estimate what you’ll see. The London Pass is only worth it if you see enough attractions – otherwise you’ll be losing money. Go through the attractions included, think about how far apart they are and how long you’ll spend there, and how much time you’ve got. For example, the pass includes Hampton Court, Tower of London and Kew Gardens – each of these sites are massive, and will need pretty much a whole day to do them justice. And they’re all pretty spread apart.
• Check if there are any Go City discount codes. The official site occasionally runs 5-10% off promotions. Always check if there’s a discount.
• Group attractions by neighborhood to minimise travel time. If you’re planning on visiting multiple attractions in a day, look at where they’re located and visit attractions close by on one day. For example, the Tower Bridge Experience and the Tower of London are right next to each other. The London Eye and Shakespeare’s Globe are close together.
• Build in buffer time. London’s attractions are big and take time to get between. Don’t try to cram 6 major attractions into one day. You’ll be exhausted and won’t enjoy anything.
• Do free museums on non-pass days. For example, if you’re visiting for 5 days, get a 3 day pass and dedicate those three full days to paid attractions only. Use the other 2 days to visit the British Museum, V&A, and National Gallery.
• Visit smaller museums to boost value. There are many small museums included on the pass that only take ~30 minutes to visit – like the beautiful Keats House in Hampstead. These smaller venues are often quieter, off the beaten track, and will enrich your experience of lovely – as well as maximising your value from the pass.

What other tourist passes are there in London?

Other than the three main passes offered by GoCity (the London Pass, the London Pass Plus and the London Explorer Pass), there are a few other passes it’s worth knowing about.

The Merlin London Pass

Completely separate to the London Pass, the Merlin London Pass is an option for families. It gets you free entry to five attractions owned and run by Merlin:

• London Eye
• Madame Tussauds
• SEA LIFE London Aquarium
• The London Dungeon
• Shrek’s Adventure! London

It’s a good option for families, and you can get it cheaper if you’re willing to visit destinations at off-peak times. You can book it here.

Greenwich Day Pass

Maritime Greenwich is one of London’s best days out (and one of the best non-central areas of London to stay in).

It’s home to some of South London’s best museums, and offers a ‘Day Pass’ for £38, covering entry to both the Cutty Sark and the Royal Observatory. This saves £8 compared to buying tickets for both individually. They can both be visited easily in one day.

But note – both of these attractions are on the London Pass anyway, so don’t buy this pass in addition to the London Pass.

You can buy a Greenwich Museums Day Pass here.

The Golden Pass

A final, rival option to the London Pass is the Golden Pass, run by Golden City Tours.

It automatically includes one-day use of a Hop On Hop Off tour, plus entry to 1-5 attractions – from a smaller selection than the London Pass.

Just like the London Pass, the more you visit, the more you can save. Use the calculator higher up the page to see if this option is best for you.

What about London tourist pass for transport?

This often catches visitors out: the London Pass does not include public transport.

This is the case no matter which London Pass you buy – the London Pass, the London Pass Plus or the London Explorer Pass. None of them cover public transport. You will need to pay separately.

To do this you have three options:

• Contactless payment: This is what most Londoners do. Simply tap your phone at tube station barriers, and when getting on the bus. It costs exactly the same as an Oyster Card – but if you’re an international visitor, you may be charged foreign transaction fees.
• Oyster card: You can pick these up at any Tube station. They cost £10, so they’re not cheap, and then you have to top them up. Journeys cost the same as using your contactless card.
• Travelcard: A travelcard provides unlimited travel in chosen zones. But unless you’re staying quite far out of the centre, this option is rarely worth it for visitors.

The only transport that is included in the London Pass is the Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour and the Uber Boat. These are both good tourist activities, but not the best or quickest way to get around London.

My verdict: Is the London Pass worth it?

Sorry for the cop-out answer, but it depends on your itinerary. The pass saves money if you’re visiting multiple expensive attractions, but it’s not a one-size-fits-all solution.

Many travelers save £50-£100+ by using the pass strategically, while others would be better off paying individually or sticking to London’s incredible free museums. The math changes completely depending on what you want to see and how many days you’re visiting.

In general, the London Pass is likely to be worth it if:

• You plan on visiting multiple expensive attractions. If you want to visit a handful of big ticket sites like the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Kew Gardens and Hampton Court, the London Pass will likely be worth it.
• You plan on visiting several attractions a day. To break even, you need to visit enough attractions to justify the daily cost. This means the London Pass is best suited to travellers who pack a lot in.
• Are visiting for longer periods. The longer your pass, the better the value. For example, a 1 day pass is £89, while a 10-day pass works out at around £25 a day. The more days you have the pass for, the more likely it is you’ll save money.
• You’re travelling with kids. Kids’ passes are discounted, and many family-friendly attractions can be expensive and are included in the pass. The hop-on-hop-off bus is also great for tired little legs.

You should probably skip the London pass if:

• You prefer slow travel. If you like to spend half a day in one place, have long lunches, and visit just 1-2 attractions daily, you likely won’t get value from the pass. Test your actual planned itinerary in the calculator – select just 1-2 attractions per day and you’ll see whether the pass still makes sense.
• Only want 1-2 specific paid attractions. Many of London’s main sites (like the British Museum, or the Natural History Museum) are free. So if there are only a few paid sites like the Tower of London that interest you, just by individual tickets.
• Are visiting for just 1-2 days. Very short trips make it harder to extract value from the standard London Pass. You’d need to visit 4-5 attractions per day on a 1-day pass, which is exhausting.

Don’t guess — use the interactive calculator above. Simply check the boxes for attractions that interest you, enter how many days you’ll be in London, and you’ll instantly see:

• Exactly how much you’ll save or lose compared to paying individually
• Whether a pass saves you money
• Which pass type (London Pass, Plus, or Explorer) offers the best value

Thanks for visiting my blog! This post may contain affiliate links - which means if you make a purchase, I'll receive a small commission, at no extra cost to yourself. This helps me keep this site running for free.

Share this:

• X
• Facebook

Like this:

Like Loading...

Latest posts