London is a great city that is best seen from the top deck of a red double-decker London bus. You have a choice of one of three companies that run hop-on-hop-off sightseeing tour buses or much cheaper regular London buses.
Our recommendation is to ride the proper red London buses but to give you the full picture I will give you a brief overview of the hop-on-hop-off sightseeing tour buses.
Hop-on hop-off sightseeing tour buses
There are several tour companies that operate hop-on-hop-off double-decker bus tours around London. Generally, these are overpriced tourist traps that are best avoided.
The five main hop-on-hop-off sightseeing bus operators are:
Big Bus
The Big Bus tour runs a hop-on-hop-off tour with two routes in Central London that take in most sights. A one-day ticket costs £41 (cheaper if you book online) and lets you hop on and off any of the buses operated by the Big Bus company. Big Buses run approximately every 20–60 minutes.
City Sightseeing
City Sightseeing is a large company that runs hop-on-hop-off sightseeing buses in 74 cities around the world and their London hop-on-hop-off bus tour operates on a single route that takes in most major sights in central London. A one-day ticket costs £41.99 (£32 if you buy in advance online) and lets you hop on and off the buses operated by City Sightseeing. City Sightseeing buses run approximately every 30 minutes.
Golden Tours
The Golden Tours hop-on-hop-off bus tour operates on two different routes in central London plus two feeder routes that pick up from London’s main hotel districts. A one-day ticket costs £57 (£48.45 if you pre-book online) or £70 including a river cruise (£63.70 if you pre-book online) and lets you hop on and off the buses operated by Golden Tours. Golden Tours buses run approximately every 20–30 minutes.
Tootbus
Tootbus (formerly the Original Tour) runs a hop-on-hop-off bus tour around London with two sightseeing routes that take in most sights. Now operated by RATP (the same company that runs the Paris metro), Tootbus stands for The Original Open Tour Bus and was the world’s first hop-on-hop-off sightseeing bus tour when it began operating in 1951. A one-day ticket costs £31 (cheaper if you pre-book online) and lets you hop on and off any of the buses operated by Tootbus. Tootbus buses run approximately every 25–40 minutes.
Topview
Topview is the newest of London’s hop-on-hop-off bus operators with a single route that takes in the main sights in Central London. These buses have a live guide, as opposed to a recording, and with one-day passes starting at £27, they are better value than the more established bus operators.
Advantages and disadvantages of sightseeing tour buses
Disadvantages of sightseeing tour buses:
- None of the above hop-on-hop-off bus services allow you to visit the Camden Markets, Imperial War Museum or London Zoo, although most other attractions in London are served by these companies.
- Sightseeing hop-on-hop-off tour buses generally run between 9am and 6pm. Outside these hours you won’t be able to ride these buses.
- They don’t run as frequently as regular buses.
- The hop-on-hop-off sightseeing tour buses are very expensive.
Advantages of sightseeing tour buses:
- These buses have an open-top which may be pleasant on a sunny day giving you a unique perspective so you can take photos without any glass between your camera lens and the view outside.
- Some of these bus tours also include other benefits such as walking tours, river cruises and discounted entry to tourist attractions.
If you decide to take one of these bus tours, our recommendation is to only buy a one-day pass, go on a sunny day and start early so you can take full advantage of any included extras (some of the bus tours include river cruises and walking tours in your ticket). Once you get the tour bus out of your system, ride the local buses for the rest of your time in London. Regular local buses are much cheaper, they give you a more authentic London experience and if you choose the right routes they give you a ride just as scenic as the expensive tour buses.
Proper London buses
In our opinion, it is totally unreasonable to pay over £30 for one day on a bus when £1.75 will let you ride on a regular red double-decker London bus.
There are several other advantages to riding regular London buses:
- London’s iconic buses are one of the city’s main attractions. You get the full experience by riding London’s famous buses.
- Because you’re riding on a bus full of locals (rather than other tourists) you get a more authentic London experience.
- Local buses run more frequently than tour buses. In most instances, you need not wait any longer than five minutes.
Regular buses start earlier and finish later than tourist buses. If you’re eager you can hop on a bus around 5am and keep riding till after midnight. If you’re really keen you can even ride the all-night bus routes.
London’s top six scenic bus routes
We have combed through more than 500 local bus routes to pick London’s top six scenic bus routes. These are the most scenic routes that give the tour buses a run for their money (for a lot less money) while also connecting London’s top tourist attractions.
- Route 8 (Bethnal Green–Tottenham Court Road)
- Route 9 (Aldwych–Hammersmith)
- Route 11 (Chelsea–Liverpool Street Station)
- Route 15 (Trafalgar Square–Blackwall)
- Route 24 (Pimlico–Hampstead Heath)
- Route 74 (Putney–Baker Street)
Route 8 (Bethnal Green–Tottenham Court Road)
London bus route 8 runs from Bow Church to Tottenham Court Road, but I suggest starting at Bethnal Green tube station (Central line) to ride the more interesting portion of the route.
Starting at Bethnal Green tube station (on the Central line, which is in a different location to the Bethnal Green Overground train station) get bus route 8 in the direction of Tottenham Court Road. This will take you through the more interesting parts of the East End, including Brick Lane (noted for its curry restaurants) and Shoreditch High Street (the epicentre of London’s hipster culture) and then through The City stopping at Liverpool Street Station, Bank Station, St Paul’s Cathedral, City Thameslink Station and then via Holborn Circus and Chancery Lane to Tottenham Court Road Station on Oxford Street.
New Routemaster double-decker buses operate on this route.
Route 9 (Aldwych–Hammersmith)
Route 9 runs from Aldwych to Hammersmith in west London, although you may want to take this bus between High Street Kensington and Aldwych to ride the more interesting portion of the route.
Starting outside Somerset House on Aldwych, bus route 9 will take you past Charing Cross Station and Trafalgar Square, down Pall Mall (in London’s Clubland) to St James Palace, past Green Park station and Hyde Park Corner, down Knightsbridge (for Harrods), past Royal Albert Hall and Kensington Palace to Kensington High Street.
New Routemaster double-decker buses operate on this route.
Route 11 (Chelsea–Liverpool Street Station)
Route 11 runs from Fulham Town Hall (outside Fulham Broadway tube station) to All Hallows Church near Liverpool Street Station. This bus route runs up the Kings Road in Chelsea to Sloane Square, to Victoria Station, through Westminster passing Westminster Cathedral, Westminster City Hall, New Scotland Yard, Westminster Abbey, Parliament Square and Horse Guards Parade, past Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross Station, past Covent Garden, Aldwych and the Royal Courts of Justice and through The City stopping at Old Bailey, St Paul’s Cathedral, Mansion House, Bank and terminating near Liverpool Street Station.
New Routemaster double-decker buses operate on this route.
Route 15 (Trafalgar Square–Blackwall)
Route 15 runs between Trafalgar Square and Blackwall in the Docklands.
From Trafalgar Square it runs past Charing Cross railway station, then along the Strand, past Aldwych to City Thameslink station, St Paul’s Churchyard, Mansion House, Cannon Street station, Monument, past the Tower of London, then it heads past Aldgate and along Commercial Road in the East End and along East India Dock Road, just north of the Docklands, and it terminates at Blackwall DLR station.
The section between Trafalgar Square and Aldgate is the most scenic part of the route and it becomes a lot less interesting east of here. Bus route 15H (the H stood for heritage) was a shorter version of the route that ran between Tower Hill and Trafalgar Square using 40-year-old Routemaster buses; however, this route was discontinued in September 2019 and the entire route is now operated by the more modern New Routemaster buses.
Route 24 (Pimlico–Hampstead Heath)
Route 24 runs from Grosvenor Road in Pimlico to the Royal Free Hospital near Hampstead Heath.
This bus route starts at Grosvenor Road on the northern bank of the River Thames in Pimlico and goes past Victoria railway station, through Westminster passing Westminster Cathedral, Westminster City Hall, New Scotland Yard, Westminster Abbey, Parliament Square and Horse Guards Parade, then it passes Trafalgar Square and Charing Cross railway station, Leicester Square, Cambridge Circus and heads north through Camden Town (allowing you to get off to look around Camden Markets) before finishing near Hampstead Heath.
If you are riding the southbound route you can take the London Overground train service to Hampstead Heath and walk down South End Road to the Royal Free Hospital on Pond Street.
New Routemaster double-decker buses operate on this route.
Route 74 (Putney–Baker Street)
Route 74 runs from Putney Exchange (on Putney High Street between Putney train station and Putney Bridge tube station) to Baker Street tube station.
After leaving Putney High Street, the bus crosses Putney Bridge stopping at Putney Bridge tube station, goes up Fulham High Street and past Fulham Cemetery, then up Lillie Road and through Earls Court, past the South Kensington museums (including the Natural History Museum and the Victoria & Albert Museum), through Knightsbridge (stopping outside Harrods), along Park Lane to Marble Arch, past Selfridges and up to Baker Street tube station.
Paying your bus fare
A standard bus fare costs £1.75 and you need to pay by Oyster card, Apple Pay or contactless credit/debit card (you cannot use cash to pay your bus fare). There is a daily cap of £5.25 so that is the most you will pay (the daily cap in zones one and two is £8.10 if you also ride the tube or train that day). You need to touch on with your Oyster card (or Apple Pay/credit/debit card) when you board the bus, but don’t need to touch off when you get off.
