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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

Merlin's Magical London Pass
Save up to 45% on walk up prices with Merlin's Magical London

Why buy a Big City Saver or Merlin's Magical London Pass?

Essentially to save a heap of money. The headline grabbing deal is that you can save up to 46% if you buy a pass for all five attractions.

In 2022 Merlin launched a new product: Big City Saver. This is essentially the Merlin's London Attraction Pass - only with 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.

For more information and to purchase a pass please visit:

Big City Saver official website

The Royal Palace at Madame Tussauds London

You're cordially invited to be part of history!

The Royal Experience at Madame Tussauds London
The new Guy Fawkes themed Escape Room at The London Dungeon

Big City Saver Merlin Pass

BIG CITY SAVER LONDON ATTRACTION PASS 2, 3 OR ALL 5 ATTRACTIONS

5-in-1 Merlin's Magical London Pass

HUGE SAVINGS: Buy a 2, 3 or 5 attraction pass
for top London attractions

including:

• London Eye • Madame Tussauds London • London Dungeon • Shrek's Adventure! London • SEA LIFE London Aquarium

Adult from £50 for 2 attractions Child (age 3-15) from £45

5-in-1 Merlin's Magical London Pass

MERLIN'S LONDON ATTRACTION PASS 3 OR ALL 5 ATTRACTIONS

5-in-1 Merlin's Magical London Pass

HUGE SAVINGS: Buy a 3 or 5 attraction pass
for top 5 London attractions

including:

• London Eye • Madame Tussauds London • London Dungeon • Shrek's Adventure! London • SEA LIFE London Aquarium

Adult from £60 for 3 attractions Child (age 3-15) from £54

Do I buy through Big City Saver, the individual attraction's website or a third party?

This is actually a very valid question. Not all passes are alike!

Traditionally third party websites (such as Golden Tours - see banner below), only offer a restricted number of attraction combinations - or the pass which covers all 5 Merlin attractions in London.

Prices vary with holidays/seasons

This is one to look out for. The Big City Saver Pass has higher prices during peak periods such as school holidays (expect to pay around £10 more per pass.)

This is where it's worth shopping around. If you purchase through a third party such as Golden Tours (see banner below), you can buy a Big City Saver Pass at the cheaper price even during peak periods.

Big City Saver offers more attraction combinations

However if it's more options you're after you might be better off checking out the Big City Saver website which has multiple options - 2, 3, or 5 Merlin attractions combinations within London.

Even this website doesn't offer them all though - 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 for two different combinations of 3 attractions or alternatively the Big 5 pass.

3 Merlin attractions in London will save you around 29% on buying tickets separately, while the Big 5 will save you a whopping 46%.

Option one

  • The London Eye
  • Madame Tussauds
  • SEA LIFE London Aquarium

Option two

  • The London Dungeon
  • Madame Tussauds
  • SEA LIFE London Aquarium

Option three

  • All 5 attractions

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.

How does the Big City Saver Pass work?

London Eye - included with Merlin's Magical London Pass
Take a flight on the London Eye

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.

London Attractions 5 in 1 Pass

What savings can I make on a Big City Saver pass?

Madame Tussauds - Little Mix included with Merlin's Magical London Pass
See Little Mix at Madame Tussauds

If you buy the 5-attraction pass off peak (or any time through a third party) for £90 per person (price valid outside school holidays), you could save as much as 46% on the walk up price for the most expensive attractions, compared with walk-up prices.

Please note: the price you pay for a 5 attraction pass will cost you more during the school holidays.

Taking the £90 price as an example, essentially you get each of the five attractions for £18 per attraction per person (£22 per person during school holidays).

Madame Tussauds is currently £36 for a standard adult walk up price (the most expensive attraction in the line-up) - so on this single attraction alone you will save around £18 or 50%.

Savings made with the discounted Big City Saver Pass (outside school holidays)

With the 5-attraction pass you'll save around £60 overall on all attractions tickets compared to buying separately online, and £94 against walk-up prices.

 

Savings made with the full price Big City Saver Pass (during school holidays)

With the 5-attraction pass you'll save around £40 overall on all attractions tickets compared to buying separately online, and £74 against walk-up prices.

 

Third party websites

If you book with a third party seller (such as Golden Tours - see banner above) they will match the deal provided by Merlin.

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

London Eye River Cruise
Enjoy a fabulous 40-min cruise with your Merlin pass

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.

Alternatively 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

Enjoy a  hop on hop off, open-top double-decker bus sightseeing tour around the heart of London.

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

Thames river cruises remain popular with tourists visiting London because seeing London by water is relaxing, informative and memorable.

This 40-minute circular tour, departing from The London Eye pier,will take you past some of the most iconic landmarks from the Houses of Parliament, through to The Tower of London and Tower Bridge.

Enjoy commentary from expert guides or audio commentary available in several languages.

5-in-1 Merlin's Magical London Pass

MERLIN'S LONDON ATTRACTION PASS 3 OR ALL 5 ATTRACTIONS - WITH HOP ON BUS

5-in-1 Merlin's Magical London Pass

HUGE SAVINGS: Buy a 3 or 5 attraction pass
for top 5 London attractions plus hop-on bus & river cruise

including:

• 1-day or 24-hr hop on bus tour London • Thames river cruise • London Eye • Madame Tussauds London • London Dungeon • Shrek's Adventure! London • SEA LIFE London Aquarium

Adult from £88. Child (age 3-15) from £71

What else do I need to know about the Big City Saver pass?

Shrek's Adventure! - with Merlin's Magical London Pass
See Shrek in the Dungeon

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.

Online prices are the best prices

Merlin state that you if you purchase the 5 attraction pass, you will save £75 off the full admission prices if you were to pay separately for each attraction at the ticket desk (online prices always offer better value).

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 Merlin Pass

BIG CITY SAVER LONDON ATTRACTION PASS 2, 3 OR ALL 5 ATTRACTIONS

5-in-1 Merlin's Magical London Pass

HUGE SAVINGS: Buy a 2, 3 or 5 attraction pass
for top London attractions

including:

• London Eye • Madame Tussauds London • London Dungeon • Shrek's Adventure! London • SEA LIFE London Aquarium

Adult from £50 for 2 attractions Child (age 3-15) from £45

5-in-1 Merlin's Magical London Pass

MERLIN'S LONDON ATTRACTION PASS 3 OR ALL 5 ATTRACTIONS

5-in-1 Merlin's Magical London Pass

HUGE SAVINGS: Buy a 3 or 5 attraction pass
for top 5 London attractions

including:

• London Eye • Madame Tussauds London • London Dungeon • Shrek's Adventure! London • SEA LIFE London Aquarium

Adult from £60 for 3 attractions Child (age 3-15) from £54


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.

Merlin Annual Pass - more details

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.

Every effort is made to keep all our information correct and the advertised prices up to date. We endeavour to be as accurate a source of information as possible but Travellers Toolkits cannot be held responsible for any price differential between our stated prices and those of the companies supplying the product or accuracy of information provided on our sites.