On a recent visit to Battersea Park Zoo, we decided we’d buy an annual family ticket. However we soon changed our minds when we discovered the annual zoo ticket price was £240.00 – around 10 times the family entrance fee. This prompted me to do a bit of research into what other similar places charged for annual entrance, and the results were quite amazing.
Annual Entry Fees 2010
Comparison of Annual Entry Fees for London Attractions
Venue Adult (£) Family (£) Annual (£) Definition of Family Conditions and Notes
Battersea Park Zoo 7.50 25.00 240.00 2 adults & 2 children or 1 adult & 3 children
London Wetland Centre 9.95 27.75 62.00 2 adults & 2 children, 4-16 years Named parents or grandparents with up to 6 of their own children/ grandchildren (aged 4-16 years).
London Zoo 17.20 55.62 162.00 No family annual membership – 2 adults + 2 children priced.
Kew Gardens 13.00 26.00 70.00 2 adults & unlimited children
HMS Belfast 12.95 25.90 70.00 2 adults & 3 children Access Churchill War Rooms, HMS Belfast, and Imperial War Museum Duxford
National Trust 8.80 20.35 84.50 Two adults & their children or grandchildren under 18. One-off admission price varies. Basildon Park picked as example.
Not only was Battersea Park Zoo the highest I found, they were highest by a considerable margin. London Zoo was the only one that came close for an annual membership, but as their daily admission charge is about double that of Battersea Park Zoo, it still comes out as excellent value.
One of the venues in the table above said that their pricing was based on a number of factors including competition, a wish to attract local people who would benefit the most, balance the admission fees with the increase in income from secondary onsite sources and that research had shown that a typical member would visit 2 and a half times.
Many London attractions use their cafe, restuarants and shops to provide revenue. The National History Museum subsidies its activities to the tune of £2.7million. When the competition is fierce it’s a classic marketing technique.
Research has shown a correlation between admission price and visitor numbers so I would be interested to add this data to the venues in my table.
Kew Bridge Steam Museum £9.50 per adult, kids under 16 free. Ticket gives entry for the whole year.
National Maritime Museum – Free entry
The Royal Observatory – Free Entry
London Film Museum – £12.00 – Adults £8.00 – Children (up to 15 years of age) Under 5’s are free of charge. I believe the tickets are valid for the year but you need to check as I can’t find that on their website.
London Canal Museum – Adult £3.00.
Horniman Museum – Free
Pollocks Toy Museum – Adult £5.00
The Old Operating Theatre – Adult £5.80
See also http://www.daysoutguide.co.uk
If you are doing a lot of trips to things in and around London then you might want to investigate a Merlin Annual Pass which gives you access to
* Alton Towers Resort Theme Park
* LEGOLAND® Windsor
* LEGOLAND Discovery Centre Manchester
* THORPE PARK
* Chessington World of Adventures
* Madame Tussauds London
* Warwick Castle
* SEA LIFE Centres & Sanctuaries
* The Dungeons
* The Merlin Entertainments London Eye