Is the London Explorer Pass Worth it?

There’s a sightseeing pass in London called London Explorer Pass. If you want to hit some major tourist attractions in London, it might help you save money, but for many people, it won’t. I’m breaking down the pros and cons of the London Explorer Pass, how to best save money with it, and comparing it to the London Pass.

*This blog post was first published in 2017 but it was updated in October 2022.

Not sure what the London Pass is? Here’s my breakdown of it.

What is the London Explorer Pass?

The pass gives you free entrance to 2-7 attractions in London. You pick from the list of 60+ that are included in the pass. The idea is that by buying in “bulk”, you’ll save money. You have 60 days from when you use the pass for your first attraction to use it up. Non-activated passes are valid for two years from the date of purchase.

How is the London Explorer Pass different than the London Pass? We’ll talk about that in a bit.

Pros of the London Explorer Pass

You can save money

Of course, saving money is a huge bonus because some of London’s most popular attractions have mega price tags attached to them.

Flexibility

You can rock up to the attraction you want to visit on a whim. You might have to wait on line depending on how busy it is, but if it IS busy, you can always come back later that day. For people who don’t want to be tied down to reservation times and dates, this is helpful.

Longer time period

You can use your pass over 60 days, which means if you’re in London for quite a bit of time, you can space out your sightseeing without feeling like you need to rush around to get your money’s worth.

Lots of sales

The London Explorer Pass is often on sale and you can save a nice chunk of money on the pass. All of our calculations below are based on the regular price, if the pass is on sale, you’ll save even more.

Big selection of attractions

Over 60 attractions are included in the pass.

Most attractions listed are worthy of a visit

Back in time this pass included a lot of stuff that I don’t recommend like Shrek’s Adventure, Madame Tussaud’s, Planet Hollywood, the London Dungeons or the aquarium, but you can do that stuff anywhere (even the dungeons), so book a trip to Orlando if you’re really keen to do that. Instead, with the pass you can see and do things that are London exclusive, places like the Royal Albert Hall, Tower of London, Cutty Sark, andd so many others are now included in the pass.

Cons of the London Explorer Pass

Not every combo saves money

In order to get your money’s worth, you need to be smart about which attractions you visit. For the most part, the attractions under £10 aren’t going to make your pass worth it, unless you’ve paired them with some of the most expensive attractions too, and only with the 7-attraction pass.

For top attraction combos that do make the pass worth it, keep reading.

Savings based on door price

If you’re not that bothered about booking in advance for a reservation time, the prices on the London Explorer Pass site are incorrect and more than what you’d end up paying. Those prices are the “at the door” prices, which are always higher. As mentioned before though, if you’re keen on flexibility, you’re going to end up paying those door prices anyways.

Best combos for saving money with the London Explorer Pass

Generally speaking, you need to be including at least one of the most expensive ticket prices in your attraction selection in order to make the pass work for you. This includes the Hop On Hop Off (HOHO) Bus Tour (£41 at the door), Westminster Abbey (£25 at the door), and the Tower of London (£29.90 at the door).

I’ve done the math for you, here are the top combos for each type of pass. I’ve included only the sites that I don’t feel are a complete waste of time and money, as mentioned above.

2 Attractions London Explorer Pass (Adult £49, Kid £34)

3 Attractions London Explorer Pass (Adult £64, Kid £43)

4 Attractions London Explorer Pass (Adult £79, Kid £49)

5 Attractions London Explorer Pass (Adult £98, Kid £62)

6 Attractions London Explorer Pass (Adult £111, Kid £74)

7 Attractions London Explorer Pass (Adult £122, Kid £83)

As mentioned, if you have certain sites that you’re keen to visit that I haven’t listed, it’s worth doing the calculations yourself, especially since there are over 60 attractions included.

London Explorer Pass vs. London Pass

Check out my full guide to the London Pass.

To be honest, each pass has it’s perks and downfalls.

London Explorer Pass is better for:

• People who don’t want to cram things in on consecutive days
• Flexibility for attraction visits (this is the main draw)
• Longer London visits
• People who want to visit Hampton Court Palace, which could take quite a few hours with travel time, and might not be worth it depending on which London Pass you have

The London Pass is better for:

• People who want to see smaller, cheaper attractions (in some cases, for the longer passes)
• More options for getting your money’s worth
• Fast track entry for some sites is included

Which is better? It completely depends on you. Take everything above and determine which one works best for your situation.

Is the London Explorer Pass worth it?

For some people, yes, but for others, no. With everything I’ve said, you’ll need to determine for yourself if it’s going to in the end save you money and hassle.

Get the London Explorer Pass for here.

Let me know what you end up doing in the comments below!

*PS – the links in this post are affiliated, which means I make a small commission if you decide to buy the pass.

Read next:

• Is the London Pass worth it? Tips and Advice for London Tourists
• Is the BritRail London Plus Pass Worth It? I figured it out so you don’t have to.

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