Can you pre-book attractions with the London Pass?

Attractions that need a pre-booked slot

These attractions check timed entry at the gate. If you turn up without a slot booked through the Go City app, you'll be sent away or asked to come back later — and in peak summer "later today" is often "not available".

Attractions you can just walk up to

Most of the pass list works as walk-up — open the Go City app, scan the QR code, in you go:

• Tower Bridge
• St Paul's Cathedral
• Hop-On Hop-Off bus tour (any stop, any direction)
• Thames river cruise (City Cruises piers)
• Churchill War Rooms (advance booking recommended in summer but not required)
• HMS Belfast
• Royal Observatory Greenwich, Cutty Sark
• Most walking tours (Jack the Ripper, Harry Potter filming locations)
• All smaller museums (Apsley House, Postal Museum, London Transport Museum)

How the booking flow works

1. Buy your London Pass — it appears in the Go City app as a QR code within minutes.
2. Open the app, tap "Attractions", and pick the attraction you want.
3. If a reservation is required, the app shows a "Reserve your time slot" button — tap it and pick a date and time.
4. Confirmation lands in the app and your email. Show the email or app confirmation at the gate.
5. At attractions that don't need a reservation, the app simply shows the QR code — scan in and you're done.

Booking strategy for a 2–3 day trip

The day you buy the pass — even if your trip is weeks away — book the three slots that go fastest:

• Tower of London — opening time on day one (9am) so you finish before the lunchtime tour-group rush
• Westminster Abbey — late morning on day two, after the early service rush
• The View from The Shard — sunset slot on day one or two (best value because you get day-and-night views in one visit)

Everything else can be booked on the day or walked up to. This single booking session takes 10 minutes and removes the biggest source of London Pass disappointment — turning up at the Tower and being told "next available slot is 4pm tomorrow".

What about Fast Track entry?

The London Pass is not a "skip the line" product. The pre-booked time slot system means you don't queue with walk-up ticket buyers, but you'll still queue for security at attractions that have it (Tower of London, Westminster Abbey, Madame Tussauds). Allow 15–30 minutes for security in peak summer.

A handful of attractions do offer genuine fast-track lanes for pass holders — Madame Tussauds and the London Eye both have separate pass-holder queues that move noticeably faster.

If pre-booking sounds like hassle, try the Explorer Pass

The London Explorer Pass uses the same booking system at the same attractions — so it's not a way around reservations. But it does give you 30 days of flexibility, which is useful if your London time is split across multiple weekends.

Decide which pass is right for you

Use our free comparison tool to see which pass saves you the most for your specific attractions and party — and then book your reserved slots the same day.