The best of London with the London Pass

Nowhere else can you immerse yourself in so many different cultural and culinary pursuits and not leave the city walls. Yes, it’s massive and yes, it rains a lot, but instead of these being negatives I’ll argue that they all add to London’s personality.

Whether you’re spending three days or three months, you’ll never run out of areas to explore or adventures to pursue, and the best part is how easy it is thanks to the superb transport network.
For the true London experience, I recommend getting on board with a London Pass.

The pass provides free entry to over 60+ top London attractions and tours, the ability to skip queues (which Londoner’s love so much), a free 160+ page guidebook and much more.

To get the most value for money and to maximise your holiday experience, get a London Pass of three days or more.

Here’s how we used our two day London pass:
Lords Guided Tour
For all the cricket tragics out there, the home of cricket is a must see. The guided tour starts off in the MCC Museum which houses all kinds of memorabilia from England and around the world. It’s also where you’ll find the decidedly unimpressive Ashes earn that is the cause of so much blood, sweat and tears.

The tour continues through the pavilion, long room, dressing rooms and then finishes in the futuristic, imposing and slightly out of place, J.P Morgan media centre which offers an incredible birds-eye view of the playing pitch. When it’s finished, if all the stories of sporting prowess have made you thirsty, there’s a pub right next door.
Design Museum
Located on the Southbank of the Thames, the Design Museum showcases a revolving list of exhibitions that challenge conventional thinking on everyday objects. The highlight is undoubtedly the Designs of the Year exhibition which runs from the 26th March-27th June, next year. On display is a selection of the previous year’s most inventive and creative designs from a range of fields and disciplines. An inspiring few hours.

Tower of London
One of London’s most popular tourist attractions, the Tower of London is truly a must see in every sense of the word. The scene to some of Britain’s most historic events, it’s exceptionally easy to cast off modern life and transport your mind back to the age of Henry VIII.

And you can’t visit the Tower without taking a Beefeater tour where everything is vividly brought to life by the iconic ex-servicemen that now live and work within the castle walls.
After the tour, you’re free to wander around and enter buildings that once housed royalty and are now home to exhibitions like the Crown Jewels and the Armour Hall. Legend has it that the Kingdom and tower will fall if the six ravens within the castle ever leave, so keep your eyes open and make sure they’re all there.

Monument
Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and completed in 1677, the Monument stands as a reminder of the Great Fire of London which started in a nearby bakery and destroyed over 70,000 homes. For more than 300 years, this landmark has offered visitors a view of London from above and despite modern infrastructure surpassing it in height; it still provides an excellent view.

London Zoo
If you find yourself craving a break from the urban jungle, why not head to the London Zoo and enter the real jungle?

Located in Regent’s Park, the zoo houses over 750 different species of animal. 751 if you include the zoo keepers.
This past summer saw the opening of the new exhibit ‘Tiger Territory’ which is five times the size of the previous enclosure and allows you to view two Sumatran giants. If you prefer vegetarian animals, the gorilla house is an excellent way to pass the time. It’s awesome watching them interact with each other and their onlookers.

London Bridge Experience and Tombs
Easing you in, this tour begins with a lively account of the history of the London Bridge, as seen through the eyes of a series of colourful costumed characters. This first section of the tour fills you with a false sense of security as the minor scares create an interesting setting, yet don’t exactly scare your pants off.

This all changes once you reach the Tombs and you’ll quickly realise why this tour has been voted the UK’s best scare-attraction for the past four years! What actually happens in the Tombs is best left for you to experience yourself, but trust me, you won’t soon forget it.
Kensington Palace and the Orangery
No visit to London would be complete without indulging in the English tradition of tea and scones, and where better to do this than Her Majesty’s own Kensington Palace and Orangery? The future home of Wills, Kate and Prince George is more than just a high tea destination, with the current exhibition, ‘Fashion Rules‘, showcasing the wardrobe of HM Queen Elizabeth II, Princess Margaret and Diana the Princess of Wales.

Discover all the London Pass has to offer here: www.londonpass.com