There’s a sightseeing pass in London called the GoCity 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 August 2026.
Not sure what the London Pass is? Here’s my breakdown of it.
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What is the London Explorer Pass?
The pass gives you free entrance to 2-7 attractions in London. You pick from the list of 70+ that are included in the pass. The idea is that by buying in “bulk”, you’ll save money. You have 30 days from when you use the pass for your first attraction to use it up. Non-activated passes are valid for one year 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.
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 (that are worth of a visit)
Over 70 attractions are included in the pass.
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 (WA*), Tower of London (WA), Cutty Sark (WA), and so many others are now included in the pass.
(WA = Wheelchair Accessible)
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 (£54 at the door), Westminster Abbey (WA) (£31 at the door), and the Tower of London (£37 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 £64, Kid £49)
3 Attractions London Explorer Pass (Adult £89, Kid £64)
4 Attractions London Explorer Pass (Adult £109, Kid £79)
5 Attractions London Explorer Pass (Adult £129, Kid £89)
6 Attractions London Explorer Pass (Adult £149, Kid £99)
7 Attractions London Explorer Pass (Adult £159, Kid £109)
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 70 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.
I messed up my email address. It is annlee1103@gmail.com. my name is Ann. Interested in London Explorer card sales. Also, does it include skip the line for Eye and Zlonfon Dungeon and if not how long would waits be in early March? Does reserved timeslot really get you anything??
Hi Ann, it doesn’t include fast pass entry or skip the line. Wait times vary significantly, but if you visit during a weekday, in the morning, when it’s not a school holiday, that’s your best bet for little to no lines.