London City Pass – the pass we recommend for enjoying a stay in London

Ever been to London? If you haven’t you probably still can name quite a few big attractions. The iconic Big Ben, Parliament Buildings and Buckingham Palace probably come to mind. Those who have visited know London, home to 9 million people, as more than the trappings of the British government.

Try shopping on Oxford Street, Carnaby Street or the flea market in Camden Passage. Lounging in the summer on the grass in Hyde Park. Bouncing through the many excellent museums and art galleries. All amazing things to do in London, and many of them are free!

A weekend break may seem short. You’d need a month at least to sample all of the delicious international cuisine! But, we’re here to help you manage your time if your trip is short.

Here, we’ll take a look at the London City Pass to help you plan your trip to London.

About the Tiqets London City Pass

This Tiqets London City Pass, available on the website Tiqets offers a great opportunity to help you manage your trip to London. There are several similar but slightly different passes on offer here. For the purpose of this article, we will focus on the London City Pass – London Eye access (available here).

This pass covers discounted access to a wide range of London attractions. Highlights include free access to the London Eye and Buckingham Palace (or Tower Bridge if Buckingham Palace is closed)

You will also get discounts of 20% off a huge range of other London attractions, museums and galleries. And one of the best value pieces on this pass? Free airport transfer, and access on one day to the Hop on Hop off Bus network.

How does the London City Pass work ?

An entirely online pass, the Tiqets London City Pass is pretty straightforward to use. Simply visit the Tiqets website and select the date, arrival airport and number of passes you want.

You will then receive a confirmation email with your tickets. In this email you’ll also get the discount code. You’ll need this to avail of the 20% discount on numerous attractions. Some of these can be booked online in advance, helping you to skip the line at the busiest London city pass attractions.

Note – there is a caveat on the airport transfers. If you are coming into London Luton or London Stansted airports, it’s a 2 way transfer to London Victoria. However, London and Gatwick and London Heathrow airports are only includes as a one way transfer with the pass.

London City Pass price and duration

One of the benefits of the London City Pass – London Eye – is that there is no time limit on the pass! You’ll have no pressure in seeing the sights. Take the capital city at your leisure!

Note, there is another London City Pass offered by Turbopass. Make sure you don’t confuse the two!

London City Pass attractions: what’s included ?

Here is the lowdown on what is included in the London City Pass

Airport transfers – One way from Heathrow to Paddington, One way from Gatwick to Victoria. Return from London Stansted or London Heathrow to Victoria Station.

London Eye Tickets – Get up above London and enjoy the views with free entry to the London Eye!

24 Hr access to Hop on Hop off Bus

 Free access to Buckingham Palace Queen’s Gallery. If the Palace is closed due to an event, instead you will get access to the Tower Bridge Exhibition.

Pass Transport Option

The Tiqets London City Pass doesn’t include a travel card (to be fair, it is pretty easy to get an oyster card for the Transport For London network). If you are smart however, you can use the pass to help you get around.

You’ll have access to a 24 hour Hop on Hop off Bus pass. Use this pass to get around London for 24 hours. The 24 hour Hop on Hop Bus will stop at all the major sites. The information for use of the pass will be in your confirmation email.

And as previously mentioned, airport transfers are included too. This can often be one of the biggest expenses of your trip! Save even more money by landing at Stansted Airport or Luton Airport. For these 2 airports you get return transfers to London Victoria.

London City Pass Benefits

There a lots of benefits to this handy London City Pass. Here’s some of them below:

• No time limit

No pressure to explore, no rushing about. Take this wonderful city at your own pace

•  London Eye Access

This popular attractions usually sets you back over €30 per adult

• Access to the Queens Gallery at Buckingham Palace

Rotating exhibition of the Royal Collection. Usually just over €13 per adult

• 24 hour Hop on Hop Off Bus Pass

Use it to get around the most popular sites

• Discount code for major London  attractions

Get 20% off the pay at gate price on some of London’s most popular attractions.

• One pass, one ticket
• Return airport transfers for London Stansted and London Luton, or one way from Heathrow and Gatwick.
• Online ticketing – you don’t have to go anywhere to pick it up when you get there!

London City Pass Cons

Access to the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace is often closed. This is due to special events. In these instances, you will get a replacement ticket to the Tower Bridge Exhibition. So, if you buy your pass specifically for this reason, make sure to check ahead if it will be open

• No travel card included
• Children’s prices stop at age 14
• Only a couple of entirely free attractions. The rest, you still have to pay 80% of the gate entry fee.
• You’ll still have to go online and book into each attraction to avail of the 20% off offer. That’s some extra admin that doesn’t really  fit with the “one pass one ticket” advertising
• Not worth it if arriving at London Southend, London City or  Eurostar terminal

For whom is the City Pass intended ?

The London City Pass is good for those on a short break. If you have the time only to hit off a few attractions, then this is the one for you.

Say you’re only there from Friday to Sunday. A trip to the London Eye, Queens Gallery at Buckingham Palace and a Hop on Hop off Bus tour are probably just about manageable. Then, you might have time for one or two of the other attractions, at which you will get 20% discount.

The pass is not intended for those arriving at other airports or by train from the rest of the UK, as one of the big selling points is the free airport transfers.

If you are looking to hit off some of the more expensive London attractions, such as Madame Tussauds, the Shard and The London Dungeons for example, you might need to consider another city pass. Check out our guide to the Go London Explorer Pass to see if this is better for you.

What you save with the London City Pass ?

Let’s look here at what you can save with the Tiqets London City Pass

• Transfers from your airport of choice. From Luton to Victoria return can cost up to €50
• Hop on Hop off Bus savings. Usually, a 24hr ticket costs between €35 and €40
• Access to the Queens Gallery at Buckingham Palace. Save €13
• London Eye standard entry – Usually €30
• 20% off many other wonderful attractions in London, such as Madame Tussauds and the Shard

Get your London City Pass here

What does the 20% discount cover ?

Here’s an example of the savings you can make on additional attraction with the London City Pass 20% offer

 View from the shard – usually £38, get access for just £30.4

Madame Tussauds – usually £32, get access for just £25

London Dungeon – online prices usually £27, pay at the door £30, get access for £24

Tower Bridge Exhibition (if you use your pass for free access to Queens Gallery) £12, get access for £9.60

What sets it apart from its competitors ?

This little gem of a pass is handy for those who are jetting in and out of London in a short time. This is because it hits off 3 big attractions that you can easily cover in a weekend break.

There is no time limit to the use of the pass, unlike many competitor passes, so you can use it at your leisure.  For longer stays, this means, in theory that you can come into London, use the pass, travel through England, then use the pass again!

Is the London City Pass worth it – our opinion

For us, the London City Pass by Tiqets appears worth it if you are wanting to tick off some key sights in a short weekend break.

If you are in London only for the weekend, it will cover exactly enough to get you a decent taste for the city.

However, those on a short trip may not get to avail of the 20% discounts off lots of other attractions.

It’s also not worth it if you are coming in to a different airport – London Southend or City for example, or arriving by Eurostar.

So think carefully before getting this pass – and check out the Go London Explorer Pass  or the English Heritage Overseas Pass before booking

Tips to get the most of your London City Pass

Try to fly in to London Luton or London Stansted – these 2 airports are covered with return airport transfers. This saves you a big chunk of money on travel.

Check if the Queen’s Gallery at Buckingham Palace is open on the days of your trip – it is often closed for special events

Use the 24 hour Hop on Hop off Bus to cover your travel for a couple of days

Where to buy the London City Pass ?

Get your London City pass online at the Tiqets Website.

Simply select your arrival airport, number of people and start date online.

You will be emailed your confirmation. This will include details on the Hop on Hop off Bus, as well as the airport transfers.

Print out your ticket, or make sure you are able to show your confirmation email on your phone.

Your confirmation email will also include details of your 20% discount code.

How to use the London City Pass ?

Simply present your ticket at the London Eye, Hop on Hop off Bus and Buckingham Palace Queens Gallery. Keep it handy at the other 20% off attractions, however for these you will have a separate online ebooking anyway.

Comparative table on Passes in London

FAQ – London City Pass

Conclusion

This fun little pass can be enough to get you a taste of London. For your first trip, it will cover some of the main things to see and do. The hop on hop off bus and London Eye will both give you a taste for the layout of the city. The Queen’s Gallery will get you your Royal Fix. Let us know if you go for this pass and if you had time to use any of the 20% off discount codes to other attractions.