On our recent 5-day trip, we decided to do things differently. Instead of zigzagging across the city and booking attractions separately, we chose a comprehensive sightseeing pass that bundled together London’s most iconic experiences for one set fee:

Attractions included with the pass are (links in case you want to buy separate. Prices shown are for buying the experience separately)

• 24-hour Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour (with audio guide) - from £29 per person

• 24-hour Thames River Cruise - from £25 per person

• Entry to Kensington Palace - from £21 per person

• Entry to Tower of London - from £64 per person

• Entry to Hampton Court Palace - from £27.50 per person *Please note due to location you will need to take a bus, train or a scheduled half day tour

• SEA LIFE London - from £28 per person

• ZSL London Zoo - from £31 per person

• Shrek’s Adventure! London - from £21 per person

• The London Dungeon - from £27 per person

• Madame Tussauds London - from £27 per person

• Moco Museum London - from £26 per person

• Up at The O2 (seasonal) - from £37 per person

• Harry Potter Tour London - from £40 per person

• City walking tour (Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace) - from £25 per person

• Guided bike tour of London - from £50 per person including all equipment

• 2-hour bike rental - from £15 per person

• National Gallery guided tour - from £23 per person

• Optional bookable London Eye - from £29 per person

Sightseeing pass for 5 days costs from £200, meaning if you do 6 or more of the above activities the pass is well worth it!

The key to making it worthwhile? Breaking London into neighbourhoods before we even boarded the plane.

Here’s exactly how we structured our five days.

Day 1: Kensington, Hyde Park & Royal London

We started west in Kensington — one of London’s most elegant neighbourhoods.

Our morning began at Kensington Palace, once home to Princess Diana and now the official residence of the Prince and Princess of Wales. The palace exhibits were beautifully curated and gave us insight into royal fashion and history.

From there, we strolled through Hyde Park, stopping by the Diana Memorial Fountain and enjoying the calm before the busy days ahead.

Just steps away, we visited Royal Albert Hall and the nearby Natural History Museum — both architectural masterpieces even if you don’t go inside.

We walked down to Harrods in Knightsbridge for a wander (and a pastry we probably didn’t need).

In the afternoon, we used our included 2-hour bike rental to cycle through Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens — one of the smartest uses of the pass, especially since it was good weather.

Why this worked: Everything was walkable. No Tube hopping. No backtracking.

Attractions used and cost saved - Kensington Palace, National History Museum, Bike Rental - saving roughly £57 per person 

Day 2: Buckingham Palace, Westminster & The South Bank

We timed this day carefully around the Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace.

When does it happen?
Typically Monday, Wednesday, Friday, and Sunday at 11:00am (arrive by 10:15am for a good spot). Always check seasonal schedules in advance.

Our guided city walking tour included the ceremony before leading us down The Mall toward:

• 10 Downing Street

• Houses of Parliament

• Big Ben

• Westminster Abbey

We then crossed Westminster Bridge to the South Bank.

This is where the pass really shines. Within 3 hours we visited:

• London Dungeon - what  fantastic experience. A story of Londons history and parliament bombing plot.

• Shrek's Adventure! London - if you love the green friendly ogre, you will love this. If we were to pay individually we would never have booked being adults, but we are so glad we got to do this experience.

• SEA LIFE London Aquarium - again, would we pay to see some fish, but the fact we had it free we decided to pop in and WOW, we loved it. Never write any experience off and thats why the City Pass is fantastic. It encourages you to do things you otherwise wouldnt.

• London Eye - Unfortunately although we had a great day, by the time we finished the three experiences above it started to rain. We paid additionally to include the London Eye and enjoyed it, but would have been much better without the clouds and rain.

To finish, we hopped on the Hop-On Hop-Off bus toward London Bridge. Along the route we saw:

• St Paul's Cathedral

• Trafalgar Square

• The Shard

No navigating. Just relaxing and listening to the audio guide.

Attractions used and cost saved - guided tour, London Dungeon, Sea Life, Shreks Adventure and Eye, Hope on, hop off bus - saving roughly £167 per person 

Day 3: The Tower, River Thames & Historic London

We dedicated this day to London’s medieval history.

First stop: Tower of London.

We spent nearly three hours here — Crown Jewels, White Tower, Beefeater tour — it’s massive and deserves time.

Directly outside sits Tower Bridge — one of the city’s most photographed landmarks.

From Tower Pier, we used our included 24-hour Thames River Cruise. Seeing London from the water gives a completely different perspective. You pass:

• Shakespeare’s Globe

• The Shard

• HMS Belfast

• Somerset House

We cruised west and hopped off near Embankment before walking to Covent Garden and the National Gallery for our guided tour in Trafalgar Square.

Why this worked: The Tower and river are perfectly paired geographically.

Attractions used and cost saved - Tower of London, Thames boat cruise, National Gallery - saving roughly £112 per person 

Day 4: Camden, Regents Park & Pop Culture London

We shifted north for a completely different vibe.

Our morning started at ZSL London Zoo inside Regent's Park.

From there, we walked into Camden Market — vintage stalls, street food, music history. The Yorkshire Pudding roll was something to write home about!

In the afternoon, we headed to Madame Tussauds London. Surprisingly fun — especially the Marvel and Star Wars sections.

Then we visited Moco Museum London for modern and street art exhibitions.

That evening we did the guided bike tour, cycling past:

• Abbey Road

• Little Venice

• Primrose Hill

Why this worked: Zoo + Madame Tussauds are close enough to combine comfortably.

Attractions used and cost saved - Zoo, Tussauds, Moco, Bike Rental - saving roughly £99 per person 

Day 5: Hampton Court, The O2 & Wizarding Magic

We saved outer London for our final day.

Morning: Hampton Court Palace — Henry VIII’s dramatic former residence. It’s further out, so give half a day.

Back in the city, we headed east to climb The O2 with the Up at The O2 experience (unfortunately this attraction was closed due to weather conditions but we still got to see the area). As it was part of the pass we didnt get a refund but we could still see the area. The views over Canary Wharf are incredible.

For Harry Potter fans, the Harry Potter tour is essential. As our O2 experience got cancelled we spent less time here and booked the Harry Potter experience which was relatively close (in terms of London). We originally were not going to do this as we were going to save it for a time we visited with the kids, but as it was it was the tour of film locations were a major highlight of our trip and somewhere we would do it again.

Attractions used and cost saved - Hampton Court Palace, Harry Potter movie tour - saving roughly £67.50 per person 

Is the Pass Worth It?

Let’s break it down realistically.

If You’re Visiting for a Weekend (2–3 Days)

You will save, the two and three day tickets are cheaper (£139 - 155 per person)

If you focus on:

• Hop-On Hop-Off Bus

• Tower of London

• London Eye

• Thames Cruise

• 2–3 clustered attractions (Dungeon, SEA LIFE, Shrek)

Doing the above you’ll easily save money versus individual tickets which for the above would cost well over £200 and you would have fun packed days.

If You’re Visiting for 5 Days + (Ideal)

This is where the pass becomes exceptional value. You can group neighbourhoods and comfortably see:

• 2–4 attractions per day

• Use the bus as transport

• Add bike rental and walking tours

No rushing.

We visited 5 days and per person if we paid for individual tickets, we would have paid in total over £500 per person (highlighted above). Our London City pass including the London Eye upgrade was £220, saving us £280 per person over the 5 days.

Why Planning by Neighbourhood Changed Everything

London is huge. What looks close on a map can take 45 minutes by Tube.

By grouping areas such as Kensington & Hyde Park, Westminster & South Bank, Tower & River, Camden & Regent’s Park and Richmond & East London, we avoided crisscrossing the city and managed to get so much more activities done making the pass better value for money. 

If we wasted time going back and forth we wouldnt have got half as much done.

Final Thoughts

London rewards planning.

The combination of transport (bus + river), historic icons (Tower, palaces), immersive attractions (Dungeon, Shrek, Madame Tussauds), and cultural experiences (National Gallery, walking tour, bike tour) made this pass incredibly efficient.

Whether you’re visiting for a whirlwind weekend or a full week, structuring your days by area — not just by attraction — will completely transform your experience.

Five days flew by.
And we still left with a list for next time.