MOST people who visit London do so to see the many attractions the capital city has to offer. But, because the city is the heartbeat of the nation, you can also expect to pay capital prices. And if you are making an extended stay, you may end up seeing things you can afford, rather than the ones you really want to see.

The London Pass could change all that. The Pass, which comes in the form of a smart card, offers free access to more than 60 attractions as well as free public transport.

The attractions include Windsor Castle, The Tower of London and St Paul's Cathedral and the Pass also entitles you to free use of the buses, tubes and trains within certain zones.

On a recent visit to London my partner and I used a three-day adult pass, which costs £49 each. This may seem like a lot, but when you consider entry to most of the attractions is at least £10, and a day's tube ticket is around £5, it is easy to make your money back.

Another key to enjoying the sights and sounds London has to offer is staying somewhere central and we couldn't have chosen a better hotel than the Park Plaza, just a few minutes' walk away from Kings Cross station

On our first day, and with London Passes in hand, we visited London Zoo, which was almost deserted on a cold February afternoon.

Our second, and only full day, was the day we intended to cram in as many attractions as possible. First stop was The London Dungeon, the best attraction we visited. The Dungeon takes visitors on a macabre journey to explore Britain's darker past. You get to tread in the footsteps of Jack the Ripper, run through the streets of London while it's burning and get sentenced to death on a dark barge trip. Actors interact with the visitors... and scare the life out of them.

After spending two hours in the Dungeon, we opted for a more sedate tour around St Paul's Cathedral. Built between 1675 and 1708, the cathedral's huge dome dominates the London skyline and inside you can enjoy the unusual acoustics of the Whispering Gallery. The fascinating crypt also contains tombs and memorials of historic figures, including Lord Nelson and Lawrence of Arabia.

The trouble with trying to cram as many attractions into your visit as possible is that you soon get footsore, so we decided to take a break and do what everyone should do when they visit the capital - take in a show, Notre Dame de Paris at the Dominion Theatre in Tottenham Court Road. The theatre is impressive, the show, sadly, wasn't.

On our final day we visited the British Library, near King's Cross. On display are more than 200 items, including the Magna Carta, and historical and musical works in the handwriting of Lord Nelson and Sir Paul McCartney.

We were happy with the number of attractions we visited during our stay, although there were many more we had to give a miss because of lack of time. Still, that's the beauty of London, there's always something to go back for.

* Train tickets were provided by GNER. For reservations and bookings telephone 08457 225 225. The journey from Darlington to King's Cross takes just over 2 hours.