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Paris Toolkit Big City Saver pass previously Merlin's Magical London
Visit 2, 3, or all 5 Merlin London attractions - giving you big savings, lasting 90 days
Why buy a Big City Saver pass from Merlin?
SALE 2024: Golden Tours are offering a fantastic sale on Merlin passes. Book now to get big savings on London attractions.
The Big City Saver Pass offer a headline grabbing deal: by buying this pass you can save up to 51% (based on walk-up prices for a 5-attractions pass).
The Big City Saver Pass replaced what was called the Merlin's London Attraction Pass in 2022. It is basically the same product with a few more combinations of attractions. (It is worth noting not all possible combinations are available through the pass website - individual attraction websites have more combinations available).
Merlin is the group that owns 32 popular UK attractions, five of them in central London. Depending on how you book (more on this below) you have options to visit 2, 3, or all five of these top London attractions which include: London Eye, Madame Tussauds, The London Dungeon, SEA LIFE London Aquarium, and Shrek's Adventure! London.
This page will guide you through the savings you can expect to make when purchasing a Big City Saver Pass, as well as help to work out which pass might be right for you.
Plus - new in December 2023: Merlin/Big City Saver added the iconic Tower of London to their list of attractions, which can be combined with Madame Tussauds and the London Eye for a fantastic money-saving package. Discover stories and see the actual Crown Jewels in a new exhibition exploring their history and significance before meeting the legendary Yeoman Warders, better known as “Beefeaters”.
For more information and to purchase a pass please visit: Big City Saver official website
Buy Big City Saver pass Where is best to buy my pass? How does the Big City Saver Pass work? What savings can I make? Add on river cruise and hop on bus What else do I need to know? Merlin Annual Pass
What about the Merlin Annual Pass?
The Merlin Annual Pass is a different product entirely, as it covers many theme parks and other high-value ticket attractions throughout the UK. As the name implies, you have a year over which to use this pass.
BIG CITY SAVER LONDON ATTRACTION PASS 2, 3 OR ALL 5 ATTRACTIONS
HUGE SAVINGS: Buy a 2, 3 or 5 attraction pass for top London attractions
Off-peak prices available
including:
• London Eye • Madame Tussauds London • London Dungeon • Shrek's Adventure! London • SEA LIFE London Aquarium •Tower of London • Big Bus Tour
Adult from £50 for 2 attractions Child (age 2-15) from £45
Adult from £70 for 3 attractions Child (age 2-15) from £63
Adult from £100 for all 5 attractions Child (age 2-15) from £90
MERLIN'S LONDON ATTRACTION PASS 2, 3 OR ALL 5 ATTRACTIONS
HUGE SAVINGS: Buy a 2, 3 or 5 attraction pass
for top 5 London attractions
• London Eye • Madame Tussauds London • London Dungeon • Shrek's Adventure! London • SEA LIFE London Aquarium
Adult from £50 £48 for 2 attractions,
Child (age 5-15) from £45 £43.20
Adult from £70 £68.50 for 3 attractions,
Child (age 5-15) from £63 £61.65
Adult from £100 £87.50 for all 5 attractions,
Child (age 5-15) from £90 £72.92
Do I buy through Big City Saver, the individual attraction's website or a third party?
Prices are variable depending on day of week/time of year visiting
If you purchase through the Merlin website you'll find that it is cheaper to buy a 2,3 or 5 attraction pass for use on a weekday than if you visit at a weekend (excluding school holidays).
If you purchase through a third party website (such as Golden Tours - see banner below), the prices are the same (higher) price for either weekday or weekend.
Big City Saver offers more attraction combinations
The Big City Saver website offers a greater number of combinations than some third party websites.
Individual Merlin attraction websites
The Big City Saver website does not offer all possible combinations of attractions however - if you need a specific combination and they don't cover it, they recommend you to try the individual attraction's website where they also sell Merlin attractions passes.
Third party combinations (Golden Tours)
Golden Tours offer Merlin passes based around the 2-attraction option featuring Madame Tussauds with one other attraction.
They also feature a few passes featuring a combination of 3 attractions, as well as a 5 attraction pass.
At the moment, value wise, if you want all 5 attractions your best value is to go through Golden Tours as they have a sale on for 2024: all 5 attractions for just £80 per person. (See banner above.)
Golden Tours also offer Merlin Big City Saver Passes in combination with a hop-on bus tour of London.
How does the Big City Saver Pass work?
If you book direct with Big City Saver (see official link, above), you can choose various combinations of 2, 3, or 5 attraction passes. The greater the number of attractions, the bigger the savings per attraction.
Each pass has a 'lead attraction' (always the first attraction on the pass) which will be the first attraction you visit. You simply choose a date to visit your lead attraction and then after that you book the remaining number of attractions as you go.
You have 90 days from the date you exchange your voucher to visit the number of attractions (either 3 or 5) you have purchased just one time each. There is some flexibility on changing your tour time within the 90 days, provided you keep your bar-coded ticket.
If you need to reschedule for any reason you can also do this for free.
What savings can I make on a Big City Saver pass 2024?
5 attraction pass
If you buy the 5-attraction pass off peak (or any time through a third party) for the off-peak rate of £100 per person, you could save as much as 51% on the walk up price for the most expensive attractions, compared with walk-up prices.
Taking the £100 price as an example, essentially you get each of the five attractions for £20 per attraction per person.
Note: Off-peak refers to bookings outside weekends and school holidays.
2 attraction pass
Visiting in off-peak periods - savings
Madame Tussauds is currently up to £42 for a standard adult walk up price (cheaper prices are available online and during off-peak times). The London Eye is currently £42 walk-up price.
If you book London Eye + Madame Tussauds with the 2 attraction off-peak pass costing £50 in 2024, you'll save up to £34 or 46% per adult against walk-up prices for the two attractions.
Visiting in peak times - savings
Passes cost around £10 more per person for weekends and in school holidays. Using Madame Tussauds and the London Eye again as an example, if you buy a peak Merlin £60 pass for two attractions you will save you £24 or 35% against walk-up prices for the two attractions.
Savings on Big City Saver Pass against online prices 2024
Savings using the pass against cheaper online prices will obviously be less.
Off-peak savings:
As a rough guide, using London Eye and Madame Tussauds again as an example, you can expect to save around £13 per person if you book off-peak. (Cheapest online off-peak London Eye = £30 pp, cheapest online off-peak Madame Tussauds = £33 pp, together costing £63. (Against £50 for the off-peak pass).
Peak savings:
London Eye and Madame Tussauds: expect to save around £10 per person if you book peak. (Cheapest online peak London Eye = £33 pp, cheapest online peak Madame Tussauds = £37 pp, together costing £70. (Against £60 for the peak pass).
Third party websites
If you book with a third party seller (such as Golden Tours - see banner above) prices are generally the higher price for both weekdays and weekends.
You will also find this same offer on other third party websites such as VisitBritain.
Options to add on hop on bus rides and and river cruises with your Big City Saver pass
Golden Tours hop on bus tour London with Big City Saver
Golden Tours offer a hop on bus plus Thames river cruise and 3 or 5 Merlin attraction/Big City Saver pass - see banner below.
Big Bus hop on bus tour London with London Eye and/or Madame Tussauds Big City Saver
If you choose to book through the Big City Saver website you also have the option to add on a Big Bus Hop On Bus Tour with a ticket for Madame Tussauds + London Eye or London Eye only.
With this add-on you can hop on any the open-top double-decker buses from 50+ conveniently located Big Bus stops, and explore as often as you wish, and re-join the tour when you're ready.
With audio guide onboard with fascinating facts about London's rich culture and dramatic history, this is a great introduction as you pass its famous landmarks and attractions.
Thames River Cruise
The Thames River Cruise option with Big Bus is only available through the Big Bus website. So if this is important to you you will need to book through them directly.
Note: the Big Bus bus tour with add on Merlin attraction through the Big City Saver website only offers bus only (no river cruise). However it is good value as prices are the same for two attractions + hop-on bus tour as they are for one + hop-on bus tour on the Big Bus website (but you don't get the river cruise).
THE ULTIMATE LONDON EXPERIENCE - WITH HOP ON BUS
HUGE SAVINGS: Buy a 3 or 5 attraction pass
for top 5 London attractions plus hop-on bus & river cruise
• 1-day, 24, 48 or 72-hr hop-on bus tickets available • Thames river cruise • London Eye • Madame Tussauds London • London Dungeon • Shrek's Adventure! London • SEA LIFE London Aquarium
Adult from £106 for 3 attractions + 1-day hop-on bus. Child (age 5-15) £87
Adult from £165 for 5 attractions + 24-hr hop-on bus. Child (age 5-15) £140
What else do I need to know about the Big City Saver pass?
When ordering your 90 day pass you choose the date of your first attraction visit - this can be anything up to 31st December in the same calendar year. This first visit kick starts your 90 day validity period.
Note: there are no refunds or exchanges offered on these heavily discounted tickets, though you can reschedule your tickets for free if your plans change within 90 days.
Timeslots
Pre-booking is essential to guarantee entry to all attractions. When you purchase your pass, all you need to do is to book your visit date and time for one attraction (known as the lead attraction). Once you have completed your purchase, you will receive instructions on how to book your visit to the remaining attractions with the online booking portal.
Length of time needed
For all five attractions you will need between thirty minutes (London Eye, excluding queuing time) and two hours.
Note: these are not all day attractions. For example, London Dungeon is one of the longer attractions but at 110 minutes to go around, you are still done in just under two hours, Madame Tussauds in around two hours, but you could spend longer if you wished.
The London Eye River Cruise will take you around 40 minutes while the Big Bus tour offers three different routes, three hours to complete all three without getting off.
BIG CITY SAVER LONDON ATTRACTION PASS 2, 3 OR ALL 5 ATTRACTIONS
HUGE SAVINGS: Buy a 2, 3 or 5 attraction pass for top London attractions
Off-peak prices available
including:
• London Eye • Madame Tussauds London • London Dungeon • Shrek's Adventure! London • SEA LIFE London Aquarium •Tower of London • Big Bus Tour
Adult from £50 for 2 attractions Child (age 2-15) from £45
Adult from £70 for 3 attractions Child (age 2-15) from £63
Adult from £100 for all 5 attractions Child (age 2-15) from £90
MERLIN'S LONDON ATTRACTION PASS 2, 3 OR ALL 5 ATTRACTIONS
HUGE SAVINGS: Buy a 2, 3 or 5 attraction pass
for top 5 London attractions
• London Eye • Madame Tussauds London • London Dungeon • Shrek's Adventure! London • SEA LIFE London Aquarium
Adult from £50 £48 for 2 attractions,
Child (age 5-15) from £45 £43.20
Adult from £70 £68.50 for 3 attractions,
Child (age 5-15) from £63 £61.65
Adult from £100 £87.50 for all 5 attractions,
Child (age 5-15) from £90 £72.92
What about the Merlin Annual Pass - is this better value for money?
Savings on all these passes are generous; between 20-47%, and worth the money if this suits your purposes.
UK residents might really want to consider the Merlin Annual Pass which on sale prices can cost you not much more than £400 for a family of four, but is a pass lasting a whole calendar year and unlike this combination deal, allows you to re-visit the same attractions again and again.
POPULAR LONDON ATTRACTIONS - ADVANCE PURCHASE AND/OR FAST TRACK TICKETS
| London Eye | Amazing panoramic flight on the world's highest observation wheel. » Fast track tickets available. |
| The Shard | Tallest building in Western Europe with viewing of London from the top. » Fast track tickets available. |
| St Paul's Cathedral | Cathedral of the Diocese of London, venue for royal weddings. » Pre-book to guarantee entry. |
| Westminster Abbey | Along with St Paul's, England's main religious building.» Pre-book to guarantee entry. |
| Tower of London | Home of the Crown Jewels and a rich thousand year history. » Fast track tickets available. |
| Madame Tussauds | See wax statues of the most famous people in the world. » Fast track tickets available. |
| London Dungeon | The creepiest attraction in town, the London Dungeon. » Fast track tickets available. |
| Hampton Court Palace | Henry VIII Medieval Palace set in vast grounds. » Pre-book to save money. |
| The London Zoo | World class zoo in the centre of London. » Flexi tickets available. |
