The London Pass saves money only if you visit several expensive paid attractions in a short time, usually three or more a day on the All-Inclusive version. For a relaxed trip built around London's free museums, or for families with children, buying tickets one by one is almost always cheaper.
A sightseeing pass is a single digital ticket that gets you into a list of paid attractions for a fixed price. The London Pass is made by the travel company Go City, which sells it in two forms: the All-Inclusive Pass, which lets you visit as many attractions as you like on a set number of days, and the Explorer Pass, which lets you pick a fixed number of attractions within 30 days. You scan the pass in the Go City app at each entrance.
Whether it pays off is simple arithmetic. Add up the normal prices of what you will realistically see, then compare that total with the price of the pass. The hard part is being honest about how much you can fit into a day, and remembering that many of London's best sights cost nothing at all. This guide does those sums with real prices from September 2026.
London Pass prices, September 2026
- All-Inclusive, adult (16+)
- 1 day £99; 2 days £149; 3 days £179; 5 days £219; 7 days £259
- All-Inclusive, child (5-15)
- 1 day £79; 2 days £99; 3 days £119; 5 days £159; 7 days £189
- Explorer, adult (16+)
- 2 attractions £64; 3 £89; 4 £109; 5 £129; 7 £159
- Explorer, child (5-15)
- 2 attractions £49; 3 £64; 4 £79; 5 £89; 7 £109
- Transport
- Not included (apart from a river cruise pass and a hop-on hop-off bus tour)
- Where to check
- List prices on Go City's London website; offers change often
How the two versions of the pass work
The All-Inclusive Pass is the classic London Pass. You choose 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7 or 10 days. The clock starts when you scan it at your first attraction, and it runs for that number of calendar days. A one-day pass activated at 15:00 ends that same evening, not 24 hours later. Go City lists 113 attractions on it, including some food, drink and tour extras that are not on the cheaper version.
The Explorer Pass works differently. You buy a set number of choices, from 2 to 7, and you have 30 days from your first visit to use them. It covers a shorter list of 76 attractions. There is no pressure to rush, which suits most visitors better than the All-Inclusive format.
Both versions must be activated within a year of purchase, and Go City says passes that have not been activated can be cancelled for a refund within 90 days of buying them. Go City also advertises a savings guarantee. If you plan to rely on it, read its conditions on the Go City site before you buy.
Which big sights are on the pass, and which are not
The list of included attractions is long, but for most visitors only a dozen or so really matter. These are the headline paid sights that were on the pass in September 2026:
- The Tower of London, St Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Tower Bridge
- The London Eye and The View from The Shard
- Kensington Palace, Hampton Court Palace and Windsor Castle
- The Royal Mews at Buckingham Palace, and (on the All-Inclusive Pass only) the Buckingham Palace State Rooms
- The Royal Observatory (closed from 2 November 2026, with the Meridian Courtyard due back in summer 2027 and the rest of the site by spring 2028) and the Cutty Sark in Greenwich, Kew Gardens and ZSL London Zoo
- Madame Tussauds, HMS Belfast and several stadium tours
Just as important is what is missing. The Warner Bros. Studio Tour (the Harry Potter studios) is not included, and neither is Churchill War Rooms. If either of those is the highlight of your trip, you will pay for it separately anyway. The pass also does nothing for the free national museums, such as the British Museum, the National Gallery and the Natural History Museum. For those, the pass adds only small extras like a guidebook or an audio guide.
Several sights still need a time slot after you buy the pass. Go City marks the London Eye, Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey, The View from The Shard and Madame Tussauds as "reservation required". You book these in the app, your pass must be valid on that date, and popular slots fill up. For Westminster Abbey, bookings open only 10 days ahead.
The real door prices you are comparing against
A pass only saves money against what you would otherwise pay. The table shows the official adult prices for some of the attractions most visitors consider. Go City's own "price without a pass" figures tend to use the higher on-the-day price, which makes the saving look bigger than it is for anyone who books online.
| Attraction | Official adult price (September 2026) | On the Explorer Pass? |
|---|---|---|
| Tower of London | £37.00 (£40.70 with optional donation) | Yes |
| Buckingham Palace State Rooms | £33.00 in advance, £37.00 on the day (summer only) | No, All-Inclusive only |
| Windsor Castle | £32.00 in advance, £36.00 on the day | Yes |
| Hampton Court Palace | £29.00 weekdays, £32.00 weekends | Yes |
| London Eye | Online from £29, £39 walk-up | Yes |
| St Paul's Cathedral | £27 (£29.70 with donation) | Yes |
| Kensington Palace | £24.70 until 8 November 2026, then £19.00 | Yes |
| Royal Mews | £18.00 | Yes |
| Churchill War Rooms | £34 | Not on either pass |
Prices without donation are shown where the attraction offers both. Check each attraction's official website before you commit, because several use demand-based pricing. Our guides to the Tower of London and St Paul's Cathedral explain what each ticket includes and how long you need.
Worked examples: when the sums add up
We have costed four typical trips for one adult, using the lower advance or online prices from the table. Transport, food and free museums are left out, because the pass does not cover them.
A relaxed three-day first visit
Many first-timers see the Tower of London, St Paul's and the London Eye, then fill the rest of their time with free museums, parks and walks. At the door that costs £37.00 + £27 + £29 = £93. A three-day All-Inclusive Pass costs £179, so you would lose £86. A three-choice Explorer Pass costs £89, which saves £4, or £14 if you would otherwise pay the £39 walk-up price at the London Eye. That is a thin margin for committing to a pass. Our three-day itinerary follows roughly this pattern.
One very busy day
Try the same three sights in a single day on a one-day pass at £99. You would pay £93 without it, so you are still £6 worse off. You would need a fourth paid attraction to come out ahead, and the Tower alone recommends at least three hours. Squeezing in four big sights before closing time is possible, but it is not much of a holiday.
Five expensive sights spread over a week
This is where the Explorer Pass works well. The Tower (£37.00), St Paul's (£27), the London Eye (£29), Windsor Castle (£32.00) and Hampton Court on a weekday (£29.00) add up to £154. A five-choice Explorer Pass costs £129, a saving of £25, and you have 30 days to use it. Train fares to Windsor and Hampton Court come on top either way; see our Windsor Castle day trip guide for the journey.
Three packed days of royal sights
Day one: the Tower, St Paul's and the London Eye (£93). Day two: the Buckingham Palace State Rooms, the Royal Mews and Kensington Palace (£33.00 + £18.00 + £24.70 = £75.70). Day three: Windsor Castle (£32.00). That totals £200.70 against £179 for a three-day All-Inclusive Pass, a saving of £21.70. It only works in the summer, because the State Rooms close after 27 September 2026, and it leaves almost no time for anything unplanned.
Count only the sights you would pay for anyway. A pass makes extra attractions feel free, so it is tempting to add a wax museum or a second viewpoint just because it is included. Those visits only count as savings if you would have bought the ticket without the pass. Make your list first, price it, and only then look at the pass.
Why the pass rarely pays off for families
Child passes are expensive compared with child tickets. A two-day child All-Inclusive Pass costs £99, while children aged 5-15 pay £18.50 at the Tower of London, children aged 6-17 pay £10.50 at St Paul's, and under-fives go free at most attractions.
Take a family of two adults and two children aged 5-15 visiting the Tower, St Paul's, Kensington Palace and Windsor Castle over two days. Booked individually, the adults pay £120.70 each and the children £57.40 each (Tower £18.50, St Paul's £10.50, Kensington £12.40, Windsor £16.00), a total of £356.20. Four two-day passes cost £496, so the family would pay £139.80 more with the pass.
Families also move more slowly, and young children rarely manage three big attractions in a day. Our guide to London with children suggests a more realistic pace, with plenty of free options.
Closures and opening days that shrink the value
A pass is only worth what you can actually use during its dates. Several major sights on the list have limited opening in autumn 2026:
- Buckingham Palace State Rooms: the summer opening ends on 27 September 2026, and the palace was closed on Tuesdays and Wednesdays in September.
- Windsor Castle and the Royal Mews: both are closed every Tuesday and Wednesday.
- Kensington Palace: the Queen's State Apartments are closed until spring 2027, and the palace was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays in the week we checked.
- Hampton Court Palace: the Mantegna Gallery is closed until spring 2027, and the palace was also closed on Mondays and Tuesdays in the week we checked.
A two-day All-Inclusive Pass used on a Tuesday and Wednesday would therefore rule out Windsor, the Royal Mews and, in some weeks, Kensington Palace and Hampton Court. Plan your days around opening hours and closing days before you choose your dates.
Cheaper alternatives to a sightseeing pass
For most visitors, the best way to save is to build the trip around what is already free. The permanent collections of the national museums cost nothing, and so do the parks, the Changing of the Guard and many viewpoints. Our list of free things to do in London could fill several days on its own.
For paid sights, a few other tools are worth knowing:
- Book online in advance. Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and the London Eye are all cheaper online than at the door.
- 2FOR1 offers with a train ticket. The National Rail Days Out Guide gives two-for-one entry at participating attractions if you arrive by National Rail with a valid paper ticket. It does not work with Oyster or contactless, or with Travelcards bought at Tube stations. Check which attractions take part before relying on it.
- Tickets that last a year. A Buckingham Palace ticket can be converted into a one-year pass under the Royal Collection Trust's own scheme, which helps if you are likely to return.
- Skip the pass for transport. The London Pass does not include the Tube or buses. Pay as you go with a contactless card or phone, which is capped at £8.90 a day in Zones 1-2. Our guide to contactless, Oyster and daily caps explains how it works.
Our broader guide to seeing London on a budget has more ways to cut costs without missing the highlights.
Who should buy the London Pass
The pass can make sense if
- You want to see at least four or five of the expensive sights in the table
- You enjoy long, busy sightseeing days (All-Inclusive)
- You prefer paying once and not buying tickets as you go
- You have up to 30 days and a fixed list of big sights (Explorer)
- You would pay on-the-day prices anyway, because you cannot plan ahead
Buy tickets separately if
- Your plans centre on free museums, parks and neighbourhoods
- You are travelling with children
- Your must-sees include the Harry Potter studios or Churchill War Rooms
- You visit outside the Buckingham Palace summer opening
- You like a slow pace, long lunches and time to wander
In our view, the Explorer Pass is the better product for most adults. It forces you to pick the sights you really want, and it gives you time to enjoy them. The All-Inclusive Pass rewards stamina more than curiosity. If you are still shaping your plans, our guide on how many days to spend in London and our overview of what a London trip costs will help you decide how much sightseeing to budget for.
Price the pass against your actual dates. Before paying, open each attraction's official website, check that it is open on the days you will be in London, and note its advance price. It takes about 15 minutes, and it is the only way to know whether the pass saves you anything.
Frequently asked questions
Does the London Pass include public transport?
No. The London Pass does not include the Tube, buses or trains. It includes a 24-hour river cruise pass and a two-day hop-on hop-off bus tour, but for everyday travel you pay separately, most easily with a contactless card or phone, which is capped at £8.90 a day in Zones 1-2.
How much can you save with the London Pass?
It depends entirely on what you visit. In our examples, a packed three-day royal itinerary saved about £22 on the All-Inclusive Pass, and five big sights on an Explorer Pass saved £25. A relaxed trip with three paid attractions lost money on the All-Inclusive Pass and saved only a few pounds on the Explorer.
Is the Tower of London included in the London Pass?
Yes. The Tower of London is included on both the All-Inclusive and Explorer versions, and no advance reservation was required in September 2026. The Tower recommends at least three hours for a visit, so it takes up a large part of any one-day pass.
Does the London Pass cover Buckingham Palace?
The Royal Mews is on both versions. The State Rooms are on the All-Inclusive Pass only, and they are open only during the summer opening, which ends on 27 September 2026. Outside that period the State Rooms cannot be used with the pass.
Is the London Pass worth it for children?
Rarely. Child passes start at £49 for a two-choice Explorer Pass and £79 for a one-day All-Inclusive Pass, while child tickets at the main sights are cheap and under-fives usually go free. In our family example, four two-day passes cost £139.80 more than buying the same tickets one by one.
Sources
- Go City - London All-Inclusive and Explorer passes (checked September 2026)
- Go City - London attractions list (checked September 2026)
- Historic Royal Palaces - Tower of London tickets and prices (checked September 2026)
- Royal Collection Trust - Buckingham Palace (checked September 2026)
- Royal Collection Trust - Windsor Castle (checked September 2026)
- St Paul's Cathedral - Ticket types and prices (checked September 2026)
- London Eye - Tickets and prices (checked September 2026)
- Transport for London - Fare capping (checked September 2026)