My hometown of London has a not totally undeserved reputation for being eye-wateringly expensive. Its state-funded museums are free, but the big attractions can seriously bend your credit card.
The Go City® London Pass is worth buying if you want to see the big paid attractions on two or more consecutive days, though it’s not a good fit for every traveller.
Here’s my honest London Pass review, covering how it works, what’s included, how much it costs and where to buy it. All information and prices are taken from the London Pass official website and are correct as of July 2026.
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How the London Pass works
The London Pass gives you free access to over 100 top London attractions and tours. Some include fast-track admission so you skip the queue, and a few throw in extras like gift shop discounts.
It’s a digital sightseeing pass. Choose your duration (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 days), then download it to your phone, add it to the Go City app or print a copy. At each attraction, someone scans the QR code or types in your pass number.
The pass isn’t activated until you use it at your first attraction, and it runs on consecutive days. A 3-day pass started on a Wednesday covers Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
You can visit as many included attractions as you can manage within your pass’s validity, subject to a generous credits value that won’t be an issue for most travellers.
London Pass vs London Explorer Pass
Go City® offers two London passes: the London Pass and the London Explorer Pass.
Unlike traditional all-inclusive city passes, the London Explorer Pass covers a set number of attractions (2 to 7) over 30 days rather than a fixed run of consecutive days.
What is included in the London Pass?
As of July 2026, over 110 of London’s most popular attractions and activities are free with the Go City® London Pass. You can check the full list on the official website.
In addition to tours and attractions, the London Pass gives you free tickets to screenings at the Curzon cinemas (works for me!).
Free London attractions
Most don’t need pre-booking, though a handful do. You can get the full list of attractions that require reservations here.
Here’s a taster of the best stuff:
- Tower of London – This UNESCO-listed fortress was built by William the Conqueror and is famous as a place of imprisonment and execution and the home of the Crown Jewels.
- St. Paul’s Cathedral – Built by Sir Christopher Wren in 1666, the cathedral has been the setting for many ceremonial events and is famous for its Whispering Gallery and the views over London from its Golden Gallery.
- Westminster Abbey – Founded by Benedictine monks in 960 AD, this Gothic masterpiece is the final resting place of 17 English monarchs, plus writers, artists, scientists and political leaders.
- The View from The Shard – Soaring to a height of almost 310 meters above the River Thames, The Shard is home to the highest viewpoint in London.
- The London Eye – For a bird’s eye view across the Thames
- Buckingham Palace – Tour of the State Rooms (summer opening, August and September)
- Tower Bridge Experience – In this fun and educational visit to Tower Bridge, the most famous of London’s bridges, a lift whisks you up to the walkways, 30 meters above street level.
- Shakespeare’s Globe Theatre – This detailed reproduction of an Elizabethan theatre is located a few hundred meters from the original Globe, where many of Shakespeare’s plays were first performed.
- Kensington Palace – Designed by Christopher Wren, Kensington Palace is best known as the childhood home of Queen Victoria and the official residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
- Kew Gardens – Displaying over 50,000 plant species, the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew is another UNESCO World Heritage Site in London.
- London Zoo – Set in Leafy Regent’s Park and home to over 700 species, London Zoo is a fun family day out.
- Hampton Court Palace – Famously the former home of the Tudor king Henry VIII, this royal palace is one for all fans of Wolf Hall.
- Windsor Castle – One of the easiest day trips from London by train, in just 30 minutes, you can be exploring one of Europe’s historic palaces.
Tower of London
Westminster Abbey
St. Paul’s Cathedral
Globe Theatre
Diana sculpture, Kensington Palace- Hampton Court Palace
Transport & tours
Public transport isn’t included. Buy an Oyster card or use a contactless bank card to get around, but the pass does cover:
- 2-Day Hop-on-hop-off Bus Tour – with an audioguide in five languages.
- Uber Boat by Thames Clippers 1-day River Roamer – stopping at 23 piers that include Greenwich, the Tower of London and Westminster.
- London Bicycle Tour – DIY bike hire is also included in the pass.
What’s not included
Even to my critical eye, this pass is pretty comprehensive. However, it does not include the London Aquarium, the London Dungeon and tours of the Palace of Westminster (Houses of Parliament).
The pass may not cover admission to special exhibitions and events or audioguides at the included attractions. Government-funded museums are not included, but admission to their permanent exhibitions is free regardless.
How much does the London Pass cost?
Cost depends on duration: the longer the pass, the cheaper it works out per day. Adult prices apply from age 16, child prices from 5 to 15, and under-fives usually get in free.
Prices below are full face value as of July 2026; discounts are often available. Check current prices here.
- 1-Day Pass – Adult £99 | Child £79
- 2-Day Pass – Adult £149 | Child £99
- 3-Day Pass – Adult £179 | Child £119
- 4-Day Pass – Adult £199 | Child £139
- 5-Day Pass – Adult £219 | Child £159
- 6-Day Pass – Adult £239 | Child £179
- 7-Day Pass – Adult £259 | Child £189
- 10-Day Pass – Adult £279 | Child £199
Is the London Pass Plus worth it? Two worked examples
The only way to figure out if the London Pass will save you money is to cost a sample itinerary with and without the pass. To give you a head start, I’ve priced one and two-day itineraries, based on a first-time visitor’s solo trip to London.
Day One: Central London on foot
St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, The View from The Shard and an evening Thames boat ride. These sights are clustered along the river, within walking distance of one another.
Cost | |
|---|---|
Individual tickets | £118 |
1-Day London Pass | £99 |
Saving | £19 |
You will save money but this is a busy day, perhaps too busy for many.
Day Two: Westminster Abbey and Windsor
Day two of this sample itinerary starts at Westminster Abbey before taking a short train ride to Windsor.
Cost | |
|---|---|
Individual tickets | £181 |
2-Day London Pass | £149 |
Saving | £32 |
As these examples illustrate, the London Pass Plus is likely to save you money, even without using the hop-on-hop-off bus or taking one of the excellent tours on offer. With a little planning, you can visit enough attractions in two days to be easily quids in.
Add to that the convenience of not having to queue to buy tickets at each place, and fast-track admission where available, and it’s a no-brainer.
Go City also runs a risk-free guarantee. If the pass costs more than your individual tickets would have, they’ll refund the difference, provided you scan it at least three times a day for every day of validity. Find out more here.
Who the pass suits
- You want to see as much of London as possible: the more you use the pass, the more it saves you.
- You’re staying longer: savings on a day or two are good, but they build the longer you stay.
- You want to set your budget in advance: no nasty surprises on your credit card statement at the end of the trip.
- You want convenience: no queuing to buy individual tickets, and fast-track entry where it’s available.
Who should skip it
- You’re on a tight budget: London has excellent free museums, parks and gardens if the paid attractions don’t fit your budget.
- You’ve already seen the big-ticket sites: places like the Tower of London or Westminster Abbey generate the biggest savings, so there’s less to gain if you’ve done them already.
- You want a relaxed pace: getting full value from the pass means packing plenty into each day
If you’ll only visit a few paid attractions, the London Explorer Pass is likely to be a better bet.
My tips for getting the most from your London Pass
- Plan your itinerary first. Work out which attractions you want to see and check they’re included before you decide the pass is worth it.
- Factor in transit times. Some attractions (Kew Gardens, Hampton Court Palace) sit outside central London, so cluster your days by location.
- Don’t try to squeeze too much in. This is the biggest risk with any city pass. Pick a smaller number of high-value places and enjoy them at a reasonable pace, or look at the Explorer Pass if relaxed sightseeing suits you better.
- Prioritise the expensive attractions. You get the most out of the pass by using it for places like the Tower of London, Westminster Abbey and Windsor Castle.
- Plan around what isn’t covered. If the state-funded museums are on your list, visit those on a non-pass day.
- Start early on day one. Validity runs on consecutive days, not 24-hour blocks, so an early start on your first day gets you the most value.
- Check opening hours in advance. Westminster Abbey is closed on Sundays, for instance, and many attractions admit their last visitors by 4.30pm.
- Book ahead where reservations are required.
How to buy your London Pass
The London Pass can only be purchased online from the official site or via GetYourGuide here. It’s worth comparing the prices and cancellation terms between the two..
You can buy your pass up to one year before you intend to use it. But as Go City offers a no-questions-asked guaranteed refund within 30 days of purchase, provided the pass has not been activated, I recommend buying the pass in the month before your London trip.
That said, Go City does run some cracking sales, so if you see one, go for it.
About Bridget
Bridget Coleman is a Londoner who has been a passionate traveller for more than 30 years. She has visited 70+ countries, most as a solo traveller.
Articles on this site reflect her first-hand experiences.
To get in touch, email her at hello@theflashpacker.net or follow her on social media.
Many attractions only allow entrance within a reserved time frame, how does London pass work on this issue? Can card holder visit those places at any time during the open hours?
You need reservations for the walking tours and 4 attractions (Shard, London Eye, Tussauds and Tower Bridge). Most reservations are made through the GoCity Reservations Portal. There’s more information here