Best hop on hop off bus London

What is the best hop on hop off bus tour in London?

The one that's broken down in the depot and isn't clogging up our streets.

The one that's broken down in the depot and isn't clogging up our streets.

Excellent!

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The one that's broken down in the depot and isn't clogging up our streets.

GlobaliserS response is a little more gentle than I'd expected - "At the bottom of the Thames" is more Globaliser's style :D

But for those of us who don't get stuck in traffic behind one ...........

.......

There's little to choose between Original and Big Bus. They offer broadly the same routes and excellent frequency ( but on secondary feeder services, Big Bus may edge it for servicing hotels, Original for servicing museums).

Both offer multilanguage recorded earphone commentaries and one route (yellow route on Original) with a live guide - less boring factual stuff & plenty of corny jokes which are funny first-time-around.

Both include the same river cruise, same boat operator, Original I think have better walking tours and a lunch deal. Prices are broadly similar tho one may have a special on your dates.

I rate Original the best, but only because they,re local rather than global, and because their buses are a proper London red rather than muddy brown.

The one to avoid is Golden Tours. A good tour operator, so don't be put off their day-trip excursions. But they're new kids on the block for ho-ho - and it shows. Pretty poor frequency and on very limited routes. They're in a catch-22, you won't get the customers if you don't offer a frequent and comprehensive service

but you can't offer a frequent and comprehensive service if you don't have the customers. I suggest you let others help build their service.

No doubt Globaliser is hoping they'll fail ;)

BTW, no ho-hos go past Buckingham Palace. They're not allowed. So you have to get off at the Buck Pal stop, walk round the corner, then return to the stop for the next bus.

JB :)

What is the best hop on hop off bus tour in London?

I've no experience with the HOHO buses in London - prefer the speed & convenience of the tube and, infrequently, bus. However, the link below offers a comparison among the 3 main tours:

https://www.londontoolkit.com//whattodo/london_hoho_bus_discuss.html

None. Use the tube/undergound if you can, especially if want to visit specific attractions.

None. Use the tube/undergound if you can, especially if want to visit specific attractions.

I don't agree. For someone with limited time, and many on this forum only really have one day, a HOHO bus is an easy way to see some of what London has to offer.

Use the tube/undergound if you can, especially if want to visit specific attractions.

For someone with limited time, and many on this forum only really have one day, a HOHO bus is an easy way to see some of what London has to offer.

The views from the tube are rather disappointing ;)

And you'll get no sense of what is where.

But it's a far far quicker way to get from A to B.

So I agree with both.

Ho-ho for an over-view of pretty-well everything.

Tube for simple transportation.

Ain't that the way it is in most of the world's biggest cities

JB :)

The views from the tube are rather disappointing ;)

And you'll get no sense of what is where.

But it's a far far quicker way to get from A to B.

 

So I agree with both.

Ho-ho for an over-view of pretty-well everything.

Tube for simple transportation.

 

Ain't that the way it is in most of the world's biggest cities

 

JB :)

When ever we head east to hometown NYC, I chuckle at the folks on the HOHO buses who don't opt for the subways. But then, on a first time visit to other cosmopolitan world class cities, we'll often use the HOHO bus to get our initial bearings.

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I used Original and thought the commentary was good (and witty at times). You do have to get to the right location to start the tour though. For me, that meant a tube ride and some walking. Great way to see a lot in a short amount of time.

I used Original and thought the commentary was good (and witty at times). You do have to get to the right location to start the tour though. For me, that meant a tube ride and some walking. Great way to see a lot in a short amount of time.

Hi, DLMario,

That'll probably be Original's yellow route. It's a live commentary in English only, and yes there's some great off-the-cuff humour. Off-the-cuff til you've heard it the third & fourth time round ;p

Other routes have the usual recorded commentary with a wide choice of languages.

That route starts at the junction of Coventry Street & Whitcomb Street (there's an Original kiosk there), a three minute walk from Piccadilly Circus - and that's the best place to board for a good seat.

https://www.theoriginaltour.com/media/2098/original-tour-map-from-30th-dec-hr.pdf

JB :)

... a HOHO bus is an easy way to see some of what London has to offer.

Hi, DLMario,

 

That'll probably be Original's yellow route. It's a live commentary in English only, and yes there's some great off-the-cuff humour. Off-the-cuff til you've heard it the third & fourth time round ;p

Other routes have the usual recorded commentary with a wide choice of languages.

That route starts at the junction of Coventry Street & Whitcomb Street (there's an Original kiosk there), a three minute walk from Piccadilly Circus - and that's the best place to board for a good seat.

https://www.theoriginaltour.com/media/2098/original-tour-map-from-30th-dec-hr.pdf

JB :)

Yes! That's exactly right once again! First time I had gone to Piccadilly tube stop. And yes, it was the best place for boarding. I had a choice of seats. I'm sure the witty remarks get old but for a first-timer, they're great. I love British humor.

We used the yellow route on the Original last year, and were very satisfied. It provided us with an overview of the "important" sights, and the narration was clear and understandable.

Suggestion: When you look for a hotel to stay at, be sure to check on the hotel's webpage to see how close it is to a bus stop for whatever Ho Ho bus you ultimately choose. At the end of a long day of sightseeing, and possibly a LOT of walking, it's really nice to have a stop near your hotel!! Our was about 5 blocks away, and we had walked over 5 miles that day, and so to the hotel seemed to take forever!!!

We did the Big Bus two years ago. I like to take HOHO buses anytime I'm in a new city to get an overview. Love the sunshine, wind in my hair, new sights around the corner.... Helps with the jet lag, too!