One
of the items often overlooked by travelers to the UK are the variety
of discount passes available. The London
Pass is just the latest in a long line including the Great
British Heritage Pass, the National Trust Pass, the Historic Houses
Association Pass, and variious London transport passes. Most are available
in the UK, but some, like the well-known Britrail
Pass, must be bought outside the UK.
I would advise travelers to get a pass before leaving home even
if they are available in Britain. After all, do you really want to
spend your valuable time queuing to buy a pass, or actually
visiting the attractions you came to see?
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Free Entry with London Pass
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| Location |
Offer |
London Pass Extra Benefit |
| Alexander Fleming Laboratory Museum |
Free Entrance |
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| Apsley House |
Free Entrance |
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| Bankside Gallery |
Free Entrance |
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| Banqueting House |
Free Entrance |
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| Benjamin Franklin House |
Free Entrance |
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| Bramah
Museum of Tea & Coffee |
Free Entrance |
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| Britain at War Museum |
Free Entrance |
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| Cartoon Museum |
Free Entrance |
10% discount in the shop |
| Catamaran Cruisers |
Free Circular Cruise or Day Hoppa Pass |
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| Chelsea
Football Stadium |
Free Entrance to Tour |
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| Chelsea Physic Garden |
Free Entrance |
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| Chislehurst Caves |
Free Entrance |
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| Courtauld Institute of Art Gallery |
Free Entrance |
£1.00 off Hermitage Rooms and Gilbert Collection |
| Cutty Sark |
Free Entrance |
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| Eltham Palace |
Free Entrance |
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| Estorick Collection of Modern Italian
Art |
Free Entrance |
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| Eton College |
Free Entrance and guided tour when available |
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| Fan Museum |
Free Entrance |
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| Fashion & Textile Museum |
Free Entrance |
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| Fire Power |
Free Entrance |
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| Florence Nightingale Museum |
Free Entrance |
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| Guards Museum |
Free Entrance |
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| Hampton Court Palace |
Free Entrance |
FAST TRACK |
| Handel House Museum |
Free Entrance |
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| HMS Belfast |
Free Entrance |
FAST TRACK |
| Jason's Canal Boat Trip |
Free Entrance |
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| Jewel Tower |
Free Entrance |
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| Jewish Museum |
Free Entrance |
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| Kensington Palace and The Orangery |
Free Entrance |
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| Kew Bridge Steam Museum |
Free Entrance |
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| London Aquarium |
Free Entrance |
FAST TRACK |
| London Bicycle Tour Company |
1 hr bicycle hire Mon-Fri or Free
Tour at weekends |
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| London Canal Museum |
Free Entrance |
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| London Wetland Centre |
Free Entrance |
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| London Zoo |
Free Entrance |
FAST TRACK |
| Museum in Docklands |
Free Entrance |
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| Old Operating Theatre |
Free Entrance |
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| Pollock's Toy Museum |
Free Entrance |
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| Queen's Gallery |
Free Entrance |
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| Royal Albert Hall |
Free Tour |
Plus 10% discount on selected items
in the shop and free cup of tea, coffee or soft drink in Café Consort
when purchasing a sandwich and confectionary item. |
| Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew |
Free Entrance |
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| Royal Mews |
Free Entrance |
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| Shakespeare's Globe Theatre Tour & Exhibition |
Free Entrance |
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| Sherlock Holmes Museum |
Free Entrance |
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| St Paul's Cathedral |
Free Entrance |
Plus 10% discount
in both the Cathedral Shop and Domus when spending £10 |
| The Monument |
Free Entrance |
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| Tower Bridge Exhibition |
Free Entrance |
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| Tower of London |
Free Entrance |
FAST TRACK |
| Vinopolis |
Free Entrance to Classic Tour |
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| Wellington Arch |
Free Entrance |
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| Wernher Collection at Ranger's House |
Free Entrance |
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| Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum |
Free Entrance |
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| Wimbledon Tour Experience |
Free Tour |
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| Windsor Castle |
Free Entrance |
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| Other Attractions |
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| Location |
London
Pass Offer |
Notes |
| Big Bus Company |
Save £3 on adult and £1.75 on child |
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| Cucumba Urban retreat |
Free
top up treatment |
choice
of shape and paint manicure or pedicure, eyebrow shaping, hand /
foot massage, mini facial |
| Evan Evans Tours |
Free lunch in London when booking an all day tour |
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| French Brothers
River Cruise |
20%
discount on 35 min cruise |
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| London Brass Rubbing Centre |
£4.50 towards brass rubbing |
General Entry is Free |
| Museum of London |
Free
Entrance to Special Exhibitions |
General
Entry to the museum is Free |
| National Maritime Museum |
Free Guidebook |
General Entry to the museum is free |
| National Portrait
Gallery |
Free
entry to Exhibitions or complimentary Visitor's Guide |
General
Entry to the museum is free |
| Original London Walks |
20% discount on 1st
walk and a free Walkabout card (£6) which offers 20% reduction for
1 month |
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| Royal Air Force
Museum |
Free
Simulator ride |
General
Entry is free |
| Shri Swaminarayan Mandir |
Free Entrance to Special Exhibition |
General Entry is free |
| Southwark Cathedral |
Free
Audio Guide and Souvenir Guidebook |
General
Entry is free |
| Walk-in BackRub |
50% discount on 20 minute backrub |
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| Shopping |
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| Location |
London
Pass Offer |
Additional
Information |
| Blewcoat National Trust |
20% discount in shop |
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| Bluewater |
Free
discount booklet with over 35 vouchers |
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| Bureau de Change |
Commission free currency exchange and preferential
exchange rate |
Cash only |
| Crest of London |
Free
Guardsman Teddy Bear |
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| Foyles |
Free copy of Colours of London when spending £25
or more |
Also free pastry when ordering any drink in the jazz
café |
| Hard Rock Café
gift shop |
Free
collectible gift when spending over £20 |
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| Planet Hollywood |
15% discount in the merchandise shop |
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| Royal Air Force
Museum |
10%
discount when you spend over £10 |
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| St Paul's Cathedral |
10% discount in Cathedral shop and Domus |
Minimum spend of £10 |
| TM Lewin |
Up
to 50% discount and complimentary Silk Knot cufflinks |
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| Vinopolis |
15% discount when you spend £30 or more |
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| Waterford Wedgwood |
10%
discount |
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| Films and Entertainment |
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| Location |
Offer |
Details |
| Curzon Mayfair Cinema |
Free Entrance |
Mon-Thur, Free. Fri-Sun, free before 5pm |
| Curzon Soho Cinema |
Free Entrance |
Films starting before 5pm |
| Les Miserables - theatre show |
£10 off top two prices Monday to Thursday |
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| Namco Station |
6 Free game tokens |
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| Phantom of the Opera - theatre show |
£10 off top two prices Monday to Thursday |
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| Queens Ice and Bowl |
Free bowling or ice-skating |
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| Dining |
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| Location |
Offer |
London Pass Extra Benefit |
| Admiralty Deli |
20% discount on lunch |
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| Bateaux Restaurant Cruise |
15% discount on lunch or dinner
cruise |
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| The Boathouse Restaurant |
20% discount |
valid when spending £10 or more Mon - Fri lunchtimes |
| Bramah Tea and Coffee Museum |
£2 discount on Cream Teas and Afternoon
Teas |
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| Cantina Vinopolis |
10% discount on total bill |
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| Chor Bizarre Indian
Restaurant |
20%
discount from the A La Carte menu before 20.00 hrs, 15% discount
after 20.00 hrs. |
Includes
food and drink |
| Covent Garden Grill |
Free bottle of house wine per couple when ordering
at least two courses from the main menu. |
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| Gardening Club |
Free
entry to the club |
FAST
TRACK |
| Hard Rock Café |
Free Hot Fudge Sundae with every main meal ordered
+ gift from the shop when spent £20 |
FAST TRACK |
| Harrods |
Free
Glass of wine or fresh juice when ordering the buffet lunch |
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| Harry Ramsden's |
Complimentary Starter or Dessert when ordering main
meal |
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| Maxwell's |
£5 off the bill for a two course
meal |
FAST TRACK |
| Medieval Banquet |
15% discount |
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| Navajo Joe |
£5 off the bill for a two course
meal |
FAST TRACK |
| New Armouries Café at the Tower of London |
20% discount |
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| Planet Hollywood |
10% off food and drink |
FAST TRACK |
| Porters English Restaurant |
Free bottle of house wine per couple when ordering
at least two courses from the main menu. |
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| Refectory at Southwark Cathedral |
Complimentary tea or coffee with
any food purchase |
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| Refectory at St Paul's Cathedral |
20% discount after 2pm |
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| Rock Garden |
Free bottle of house wine per couple
when each orders any main course from the a la carte menu. |
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| The Albert Pub |
Complimentary bottle of house wine when 2 or more
dine or Free pint of beer with every bar meal purchased |
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| The Orangery at Kensington Palace |
20% discount |
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| Tiltyard Café and Privy Kitchen at Hampton Court
Palace |
20% discount |
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That's
quite a collection, but before you get out your credit card, think
about the attractions you really want to see in London. Would you,
on your own, choose to visit the attractions listed? How many
of them would you visit?
Remember
that tourist attractions in London (and across the rest of the UK)
tend to be quite expensive - it would not be unusual to pay £8-£14
for adult admission to a popular attraction. For example, a guided
tour of Westminster Abbey costs £7 at the time of this writing.
Some basic math will tell you how quickly the cost of a discount pass
will be recouped.
So if you are planning a trip to London, do yourself a favour and check
out the London Pass. You just might save a bundle (and have a more enjoyable
trip, too).
