Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Tours in London
To sightsee on your own, download my series of free audio tours that illuminate some of
London's top sights and neighborhoods: the British Museum, the British Library, St. Paul's
Cathedral, and my walks around Westminster and The City (see sidebar on here for details).
▲▲▲ Hop-on, Hop-off Double-Decker Bus Tours
Two competitive companies (Original and Big Bus) offer essentially the same two tours of
thecity'ssightseeinghighlights,withnearly30stopsoneachroute.BigBustoursarealittle
more expensive (£27), while Original tours are cheaper (£22 with this topic) and nearly as
good.
These two-to-three hour, once-over-lightly bus tours drive by all the famous sights,
providing a stress-free way to get your bearings and see the biggies. They stop at the same
core group of sights regardless of which overview tour you're on: Piccadilly Circus, Trafal-
gar Square, Big Ben, St. Paul's, the Tower of London, Marble Arch, Victoria Station, and
elsewhere.Withagoodguideandniceweather,I'dsitbackandenjoytheentiretour.(Ifyou
don't like your guide, you can hop off and try your luck with the next departure.)
Each company offers at least one route with live (English-only) guides, and a second
(sometimes slightlydifferentroute)comeswithrecorded,dial-a-language narration.Inaddi-
tion to the overview tours, both Original and Big Bus include the Thames River boat trip by
City Cruises (between Westminster and the Tower of London) and three 1.5-hour walking
tours.
Pick up a map from any flier rack or from one of the countless salespeople, and study
the complex system. Sunday morning—when the traffic is light and many museums are
closed—isafinetimeforatour.Unlessyou'reusingthebustourmainlyforhop-on,hop-off
transportation, consider saving time and money bytaking a night tour (described onthe next
page).
Buses run about every 10-15 minutes in summer, every 10-20 minutes in winter, and op-
erate daily. They start at about 8:30 and run until early evening in summer or late afternoon
in winter. The last full loop usually leaves Victoria Station at about 19:00 in summer, and at
about 17:00 in winter (confirm by checking the schedule or asking the driver).
You can buy tickets from drivers or from staff at street kiosks (credit cards accepted at
kiosks at major stops such as Victoria Station, ticket good for 24 hours).
▲▲▲
Original London Sightseeing Bus Tour
They offer two versions of their basic highlights loop: The Original Tour (live guide,
marked with a yellow triangle on the front of the bus) and the City Sightseeing Tour (es-
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