Cash-saving snack-attack hacks with The London Pass

Food included: traditional English cream tea

So you’ve ticked off the open-top bus tour, executed a perfect curtsey outside Buckingham Palace and nabbed that essential red-telephone-box selfie. Could your London vacay get any more British? Well yes, yes it could: think Hugh Grant, Princess Di, Paddington Bear and scones piled high with jam and clotted cream, and you’ll get the general idea. 

That’s right: our first foodie pitstop is this quite excellent walking tour, which takes in Notting Hill, Portobello Market and Kensington Gardens before rewarding foot-weary travellers with a well-earned scone and cup of tea.

The tour kicks off in Notting Hill, an area of west London best known for the movie of the same name and a carnival as vibrant as Portobello’s Insta-ready candy-coloured houses. Eyes peeled for local celebs as you take a peek at the luxury homes of London’s rich and famous. But it’s along Portobello Road where the real magic happens. For it’s here, among the buzzy bric-a-brac market (don’t miss the chance to pick up a souvenir trinket or six — London bus fridge magnet, anyone?) that you can spot the iconic blue door from rom com ‘Notting Hill’, behind which, for all we know, Hugh Grant (as Will) may well still be bumbling. You might also find Hugh (aka dastardly Phoenix Buchanan) lurking by the bright-red shopfront of nearby Alice Antiques — aka Mr Gruber’s atmospheric emporium from the ‘Paddington’ films.

Onwards now to the somewhat more refined environs of Kensington Gardens, where a tour of the palace’s grounds reveals views of the regal facade, as well as a chance to chill in the sumptuous Sunken Garden. No Hughs to be found here, but you can pay tribute at the memorial statue to Princess Diana, who continued to call ‘KP’ home long after the ink on the royal decree nisi had dried.

A toddle to the almost comically opulent Albert Memorial and the iconic dome of the Royal Albert Hall rounds up the tour, at which point — yes — the moment you’ve been waiting for has arrived. Your takeaway cream tea can be enjoyed wherever you like but, for the most quintessentially English experience, our money’s on the short walk back to Kensington Gardens.

Bag a London Pass and secure your Notting Hill tour and cream tea. 

Drinks included: one Monopoly-themed cocktail

Here’s your chance to come over all Miburn Pennybags at the Monopoly-themed Top Hat bar, a capitalist’s dream of game-inspired decor, decadent dining options and classy cocktails. Tip your top hat, straighten your bow tie and twiddle your moustache (yes, you too, ladies) as you roll the dice on a complimentary cocktail from the Monopoly-inspired list. In a conundrum that’s on a par with whether to pick the Scottie dog, the boot or the iron, guests can choose from The Strand (a gin-spiked iced tea with raspberry, cucumber and elderflower), the Whitehall (a smoky old-fashioned with smooth vanilla and tart cherry flavours), the Old Kent Road (a rich blend of Kahlua, vodka, salted caramel and cream), and several other options from around the board.

Banker's bonus: as well as your cocktail, you’ll also get 20% off any further purchases at the bar. That includes suitably monikered classics like the Cash Cow burger, Hot Property chicken wings and Mr Monopoly’s Millionaire Cheesecake. Your London Pass also snags you 25% off in the Monopoly Lifesized experience next door.

Roll the dice on a London Pass.

Drinks included: a flight of beer tasters

Cutting an imposing dash on the banks of the Thames in Chiswick, west London, the mighty Griffin Brewery requires little introduction. But we’re going to give you one anyway. This landmark brick building has been churning out Fuller’s beers for more than 200 years and is also — brace yourself fact fans — home to the oldest wisteria plant in the UK. You’ll get to meet this extraordinary old-timer during the brewery tour, though it's fair to say that the plant is at its most Insta-friendly in late spring, when those lilac blooms are in full, fragrant flower.

Anyway, speaking of all things full-bodied and fragrant, the brewery also boasts some of the UK’s best-loved beers, including their flagship London Pride, the golden Honey Dew ale and a thirst-quenching Frontier lager. You’ll take a deep dive into the history of beer-making and learn the secrets of the brewing process before the main event: a tutored tasting of some of the brewery’s finest tipples. 

Brewer’s bonus: London Pass holders get 10% off any purchases in the shop, meaning you can fill your boots with Fuller’s socks and your mug with takeaway bottles of the good stuff. 

Say ‘cheers’ to top savings with The London Pass.

Food included: sit-down meal in a Brick Lane curry house

Foodies rejoice! For this guided walking tour is a real doozy. It kicks off at Borough Market, Southwark’s sensory saturnalia of vibrant local produce, heady aromas of oven-warm pastries, pungent British cheeses and freshly-brewed coffee, and the ever-present rumble of trains thundering overhead. Grab a few tasting samples as you browse to fortify yourself for the walk to Leadenhall Market, an opulent Victorian confection that owl-eyed Harry Potter fans may recognise as the entrance to Diagon Alley.

Strike a model pose at your next stop in Spitalfields Market, where hipper-than-thou one-off fashions jockey for position with vintage vinyl stalls, unique souvenirs and food vans serving up everything from Korean kimchi rice to face-sized doughnuts. A short stroll east of the market lies Whitechapel, where your guide will lead you down atmospheric Victorian streets once walked by Jack the Ripper and his victims.

Appetite well and truly worked up, your tour concludes on Brick Lane where, as well as bouji fashion boutiques, supermarkets that brim with exotic fruits and spices, and some of the finest street art you’ll see this side of NYC, you can also expect — thanks to its kaleidoscopic blend of Jewish and Bengali cultures — to sample some of the best bagels and curries in town. The tour includes a sit-down meal in one of Brick Lane’s many fine Indian restaurants, all included with your London Pass.

Discover London’s culinary hotspots with a London Pass.

Drinks included: one very chocolatey cocktail

If you’re the kind of guy or gal who likes chocolate for breakfast, lunch, dinner and every meal in between, well, you’ve come to the right place. For here’s your chance to go full Augustus Gloop at Farringdon’s Chocolate Cocktail Club, a smooth, dark and dreamy kinda joint that is — as the name suggests — all about the sweet stuff. Enter the neon-lit bar and order up your complimentary signature Chocotini, a decadent delight that comes complete with chocolate-dipped glass and choccy garnish. Sticking around for another? Of course you are! Buckle up for a menu that would make Willy Wonka himself blush, with everything from a mint choc chip cocktail to a Biscoff martini and self-explanatory (but frankly essential) boozy Toblerone and Ferrero confections.

Walk it all off with a wander to other nearby attractions included with your London Pass: St Paul’s Cathedral, the Postal Museum and The Monument for the win.

Hit the sweet spot with The London Pass.

Sure, eating out in London can be a challenge for the budget-conscious traveller. So what better way to keep yourself fortified through all that sightseeing than by combining the two? Not only can The London Pass save you wads of cash on some of the biggest tickets in town, it also offers several opportunities to fill your stomach with the finest foods, beers and cocktails in town. Hit the link to choose your pass and start your London sightseeing (and eating, and drinking) adventure!