Where do German visitors like to go in London?

Last year we collated unique responses from our London Pass customers to understand how visitors from different nationalities like to sightsee when they’re in London and which attractions they prefer over others. Our findings make for quite an interesting read; what we found was how different nationalities naturally gravitate to certain attraction types – the Americans like their royals; the French like their art; and the Germans, what do they like? Looking at our continental counterparts from Germany, true to speciality, their love and appreciation of all things well-engineered continues into the realm of sightseeing. As a growing customer base for The London Pass, it was interesting to see the rising numbers of German tourists translate across London’s popular attractions. We discovered that, top of the list, our German London Pass visitors made a bee-line for the Tower Bridge Exhibition – which features the old bascule bridge and Victorian steam room, as well as the high, iron walkway with views over the Thames. “Germans have a great engineering tradition but we never expected this to show itself in their travel decisions: but in London they seem to flock to attractions that are notable for engineering and design,” said Amanda Truman, Director Product Marketing for the London Pass. As well as this feat of late 19th century engineering, our German customers also made up a significant proportion of all visits to The Monument, one of London’s iconic landmarks and Sir Christopher Wren’s dedication to the Great Fire of London of 1666. As the oldest stone column in the world, built 1671-1677, the Monument stands at 202ft high and 202ft away from the origin of the fire at the bakery in Pudding Lane and you can climb its 311 steps to the top for views over central London and the city. Another must-see feat of engineering for our German pass holders is the HMS Belfast for its iconic structure and role in London’s wartime history. Climb aboard and walk through the galleys and decks to discover the only surviving gun ship from WWII and the Korean War. Similarly, head east to Greenwich and visit the Cutty Sark, another of London’s iconic maritime monuments. Saying that, our German customers are somewhat different to their American equivalents, who like to spread their wings and travel further afield when they’re sightseeing. Instead, we found that the Germans London Pass holders like to stay central rather than travel too far out of London (Greenwich isn’t too far away!) They will go far enough out into zone 4, however, for the iconic Wembley Stadium to indulge in some sporting enthusiasm. Did you know that our German customers trumped British, French and Italian visitors combined? Not only this, but they accounted for the highest proportion of London Pass visitors to all three of London’s top football stadiums put together; Wembley, Arsenal and Chelsea FC. Saying that, no one is as sports mad as our Australian pass holders, who as a nation made considerably more visits than any other to the esteemed Lord’s Cricket Ground. Now that’s fanatical!