London Hop On/Hop Off Bus Question

[SakeDad]

There appears to be 4 different Hop On/Hop Off bus companies in London (TootBus, Big B, Golden Tours and SightSeeing London) Does anyone have any preference to them? We are looking at booking the 3 Day Pass in July (Sorry, tried to do a search and couldn't find info)

[Ashland]

We were happy with choosing the red bus, which I believe is the Big B.

[John Bull]

Red bus is Tootbus (used to be called London Original).

Big Bus is brown.

Those are the two long-established operators - their, prices, frequency and freebies like river cruise are quite similar.

Golden Tours is a long-established coach tour operator but a comparative newbie to ho-ho - started ho-ho about 5 years ago.. They have struggled to get off the ground because of a Catch 22 - without plenty of customers it's difficult to offer good frequency and without good frequency its difficult to attract customers. I don't know if they've caught up on frequency.

Citysightseeing is a franchise operation, I've seen their buses elsewhere in the world but can't help re the London operation.

 

 I suggest you navigate to each operator's route map........

Certainly the first three operate an identical main tourist route, probably a requirement for their licence.

Check out secondary routes - they are useful for a few sights such as Mme Tussaud's & the British Museum, but their primary objective is as feeder routes from hotels & stations to the main route/s - those feeder routes vary., proximity of your hotel to a route might influence your choice.

Then compare the service .............

Frequency is king, also check out start & finish times and whether pricing is per-day or per-24 hours.

All offer the usual headsets & recorded commentary, but some buses have a live guide. Live guide is very entertaining, but recorded is more informative.

Check out the freebie add-ons.........

Tootbus & Big Bus include a short cruise between Westminster Bridge & Tower of London, Golden offer a longer cruise down-river from the Tower, 

Tootbus have probably the most comprehensive freebie walking tours.

The prices ..............

There are various promos, primarily to entice you away from the opposition and/or to entice you to add more days - you've probably plumped for 3 days because on paper it's the best value. But bear in mind.........

 

One alternative if your hotel is in or near Victoria. Golden Tours offers a sight-seeing bus. Broadly the same as the main sight-seeing ho-ho route, but starting & finishing in Victoria - not ho-ho.  Good for an overview

 

The downsides.

Some sights come thick-and-fast and a ho-ho is a great way to get an overview, and to at least see the outside of many many many places that you'd   otherwise not see unless you were in town for a week and more.

But they have set routes, and they're quite time-consuming. If you carefully plan a day using the ho-ho map you can use the ho-ho for travel between two - at most three - inside visits. Unless you've fixed an inside visit, make Buckingham Palace one of those stops - buses aren't permitted past the front, you have to take a very short walk to the front from the bus-stop in a side road, then back to the stop for the next bus (TIP - it's a very busy stop, each bus has a big turnover of passengers here. If there's a long line, allow others past until you're near the front of the line in order to get good seats on the next bus.)

 

For transport between inside visits, forget the ho-hos - use the tube (London's metro). Multiple stations, multiple directions, tube trains every five minutes or less, super-quick. All sights quote the nearest tube station on their websites & literature, use the tube map (on all tourist maps and everywhere at the stations) to plan only your underground route - the maps are diagrammatic..

 

All of which will hopefully dissuade you from buying three-day tickets.

 

JB 🙂

Edited March 12, 2023 by John Bull

[Paula_MacFan]

6 hours ago, John Bull said:

One alternative if your hotel is in or near Victoria. Golden Tours offers a sight-seeing bus. Broadly the same as the main sight-seeing ho-ho route, but starting & finishing in Victoria - not ho-ho.  Good for an overview

JB

Would you happen to have a link or tour title for this?  We are staying in Victoria and I had looked on the Golden Tours website for a possible tour that leaves from and returns to Victoria Coach Station but couldn't find one.  Seeing your comments above made me go look again, but I'm still not seeing it.  

 

I see an open top bus that leaves from the London Eye, and a 10-hour London tour with several stops that begins at Victoria Coach Station but ends at the Tower of London.

 

Thanks for any help you can provide.

[John Bull]

35 minutes ago, Paula_MacFan said:

Would you happen to have a link or tour title for this?  We are staying in Victoria and I had looked on the Golden Tours website for a possible tour that leaves from and returns to Victoria Coach Station but couldn't find one.  Seeing your comments above made me go look again, but I'm still not seeing it.  

 

I see an open top bus that leaves from the London Eye, and a 10-hour London tour with several stops that begins at Victoria Coach Station but ends at the Tower of London.

 

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

It's changed a little - as have many things in the wake of the pandemic - and apologies, I'm out-of-date 🙄.

The tour in question is broadly the same as it was (tho' a little more comprehensive) , but the main change is that the start & finish are at the London Eye instead of Victoria. That makes a lot more sense because Victoria is a little out on a limb for folk staying elsewhere in central London. 

If you want to take that round-tour trip and you're lodging in Victoria, simplest is to take the tube from Victoria, on the Circle or District lines just one stop to Westminster and walk across Westminster Bridge - you'll see the London Eye on your left.

 

https://www.goldentours.com/london-hop-on-hop-off-bus-tours/open-top-london-bus-tour-with-live-guide?

 

https://www.goldentours.com/siteimg/pages/london-panoramic-map.jpg?

 

https://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf
 

JB 🙂

[Paula_MacFan]

2 minutes ago, John Bull said:

 

It's changed a little - as have many things in the wake of the pandemic - and apologies, I'm out-of-date 🙄.

The tour in question is broadly the same as it was (tho' a little more comprehensive) , but the main change is that the start & finish are at the London Eye instead of Victoria. That makes a lot more sense because Victoria is a little out on a limb for folk staying elsewhere in central London. 

If you want to take that round-tour trip and you're lodging in Victoria, simplest is to take the tube from Victoria, on the Circle or District lines just one stop to Westminster and walk across Westminster Bridge - you'll see the London Eye on your left.

 

https://www.goldentours.com/london-hop-on-hop-off-bus-tours/open-top-london-bus-tour-with-live-guide?

 

https://www.goldentours.com/siteimg/pages/london-panoramic-map.jpg?

 

https://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf
 

JB 🙂

Thanks for the feedback.  At least I know I wasn't just missing it on the website 🙂   Is walking to the London Eye an option from Victoria?  It doesn't look that far on Google Maps but I know sometimes what you see on a map and what it looks like in person are vastly different, i.e. elevated roads, no side walks, etc.

Edited March 12, 2023 by Paula_MacFan

[SakeDad]

16 minutes ago, Paula_MacFan said:

Thanks for the feedback.  At least I know I wasn't just missing it on the website 🙂   Is walking to the London Eye an option from Victoria?  It doesn't look that far on Google Maps but I know sometimes what you see on a map and what it looks like in person are vastly different, i.e. elevated roads, no side walks, etc.

Thanks for asking! We are staying in Shepherds Bush near Victoria. Will be good to know.

[John Bull]

4 minutes ago, Paula_MacFan said:

Thanks for the feedback.  At least I know I wasn't just missing it on the website 🙂   Is walking to the London Eye an option from Victoria?  It doesn't look that far on Google Maps but I know sometimes what you see on a map and what it looks like in person are vastly different, i.e. elevated roads, no side walks, etc.

 

Mile-and-a-half, about 30 minutes. Pretty simple route, all on level ground, no elevated roads, significant road crossings have pedestrian lights, sidewalks all the way.. You pass Westminster Abbey, and alongside Big Ben past the Houses of Parliament, then over the bridge.

https://goo.gl/maps/jr6RHe2bhCSAERSi6

 

Not difficult - but the weather might change your minds ,

 

Or go  by local red London bus, at leas as far as Westminster Abbey / Parliament Square - I have no idea which & where, ask at your hotel

 

JB 🙂

[John Bull]

34 minutes ago, SakeDad said:

Thanks for asking! We are staying in Shepherds Bush near Victoria. Will be good to know.

 

 

Shepherds Bush is over 3 miles from Victoria, and over 5 miles from the London Eye - you wouldn't want to walk that 😮

"The Bush" is more of a Londoners' part of central London, so you'll be in the heart of the community.

And anywhere in central London  is only a few minutes on the tube.

So buy an Oyster card  as soon as you arrive - it's so much easier and cheaper than buying a ticket each time

https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/visitor-oyster-card

 

Your nearest tube station is probably Shepherd's Bush. From there take the Central Line (red signs) to Tottenham Court Road where you change to the Northern Line (black signs) to Waterloo. The London Eye is a five minute walk from there.

Don't bother to print-off this tube map, it's on all tourist maps, in tube stations & elsewhere. Use the tube map only for planning your route between tube stations, it's diagrammatic  (for instance the River Thames doesn't have square corners 😄) but that makes it easier to use for planning tube journeys.

After 24 hours you'll be an expert.

 https://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf

 

JB 🙂

Edited March 12, 2023 by John Bull

[Island2Dweller]

And you don't even need to buy and Oyster card.  The cheapest option (and now what the majority of people in London use) is a contactless bank card or phone pay.  You never have a physical ticket, you pay your fare by tapping the card/phone on the entry gate and use the same device to tap out at the end of the journey.  This is always the cheapest option for adults.  (Can be different if you hold some UK concession card, but a visitor to London is unlikely to have those)

[gumshoe958]

16 hours ago, John Bull said:

 

 

Shepherds Bush is over 3 miles from Victoria, and over 5 miles from the London Eye - you wouldn't want to walk that 😮

"The Bush" is more of a Londoners' part of central London, so you'll be in the heart of the community.

And anywhere in central London  is only a few minutes on the tube.

So buy an Oyster card  as soon as you arrive - it's so much easier and cheaper than buying a ticket each time

https://tfl.gov.uk/travel-information/visiting-london/visitor-oyster-card

 

Your nearest tube station is probably Shepherd's Bush. From there take the Central Line (red signs) to Tottenham Court Road where you change to the Northern Line (black signs) to Waterloo. The London Eye is a five minute walk from there.

Don't bother to print-off this tube map, it's on all tourist maps, in tube stations & elsewhere. Use the tube map only for planning your route between tube stations, it's diagrammatic  (for instance the River Thames doesn't have square corners 😄) but that makes it easier to use for planning tube journeys.

After 24 hours you'll be an expert.

 https://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf

 

JB 🙂

I live in the Bush and enjoy that very walk every day! But you’re right, public transport is probably best for a visitor!

 

@SakeDad The simplest route from Shepherd’s Bush to the London Eye is actually the 148 bus - almost door to door (it stops at Westminster Bridge, a 3-5 min walk along the river).

It’s not as fast as the tube - roughly 45 mins depending on traffic - but sit up top and you’ll enjoy great views of Hyde Park on the way for much less than a HOHO bus (albeit without the commentary).

 

But if you do want to do the HOHO, both Tootbus and Big Bus pick up at Notting Hill Gate station which is a 3 minute tube/10 minute bus ride or an easy 25 minute walk from Shepherd’s Bush.

 

 

 

Edited March 13, 2023 by gumshoe958

[John Bull]

2 hours ago, gumshoe958 said:

I live in the Bush and enjoy that very walk every day! But you’re right, public transport is probably best for a visitor!

 

@SakeDad The simplest route from Shepherd’s Bush to the London Eye is actually the 148 bus - almost door to door (it stops at Westminster Bridge, a 3-5 min walk along the river).

It’s not as fast as the tube - roughly 45 mins depending on traffic - but sit up top and you’ll enjoy great views of Hyde Park on the way for much less than a HOHO bus (albeit without the commentary).

 

But if you do want to do the HOHO, both Tootbus and Big Bus pick up at Notting Hill Gate station which is a 3 minute tube/10 minute bus ride or an easy 25 minute walk from Shepherd’s Bush.

 

 

 

 

 

Thanks for that, Gumshoe.

There are waaaay too many bus routes in London for a country boy like me to figure out.

 

And yes, the views from an underground tube train are significantly more restricted than from the top of a No 148 bus 😄

 

JB 🙂

[sacsarahsk]

What a terrific thread! Thank you, @John Bull!!! I picked up really valuable tips - especially letting folks go ahead of you so you're near the front for the next bus!!! Priceless! Also, in all my research I only found the Toot Bus and the Big Bus. Clearly need to hone my internet search skills.
 

[SakeDad]

On 3/13/2023 at 5:52 AM, gumshoe958 said:

I live in the Bush and enjoy that very walk every day! But you’re right, public transport is probably best for a visitor!

 

@SakeDad The simplest route from Shepherd’s Bush to the London Eye is actually the 148 bus - almost door to door (it stops at Westminster Bridge, a 3-5 min walk along the river).

It’s not as fast as the tube - roughly 45 mins depending on traffic - but sit up top and you’ll enjoy great views of Hyde Park on the way for much less than a HOHO bus (albeit without the commentary).

 

But if you do want to do the HOHO, both Tootbus and Big Bus pick up at Notting Hill Gate station which is a 3 minute tube/10 minute bus ride or an easy 25 minute walk from Shepherd’s Bush.

 

 

 

I have a great app on my phone called GPS My City that gives walking tours! London has 13 to choose from so I could do the city bus and still have commentary!

[SwankPooch]

Thanks John Bull for all the pertinent information.  I am a senior solo and most probably will stay with Cunard’s Biltmore Mayfair in October 2024.  I will heed your advice on HOHO and then travel via Tube.  Which is the closest Tube station ?

i intend to stay 3 or 4 nights prior to embarkation.  Any sightseeing or dining or other suggestions are immensely appreciated .  Thanks again

[Cotswold Eagle]

2 hours ago, SwankPooch said:

Cunard’s Biltmore Mayfair in October 2024.  I will heed your advice on HOHO and then travel via Tube.  Which is the closest Tube station ?

The Biltmore Mayfair is a Hilton property, but maybe you have booked it through Cunard? 
 

Bond Street station is probably closest, and gives an extra line option over Marble Arch (which is about the same distance). Green Park is a little further, but offers another couple of lines, so most convenient, rather than closest, may depend on your destination for any given journey. 

[SwankPooch]

Wow!  You have psychic power.  You are absolutely right on the dot.  I am going to try out Cunard for the first time even though I am a loyal Seabourn cruiser.  Thanks for the pertinent information

[John Bull]

12 hours ago, SwankPooch said:

Thanks John Bull for all the pertinent information.  I am a senior solo and most probably will stay with Cunard’s Biltmore Mayfair in October 2024.  I will heed your advice on HOHO and then travel via Tube.  Which is the closest Tube station ?

 

Nearest tube station is Bond Street, about 6 to 8 minute walk, Green Park is about 10 minutes.

Those two give you a choice of 5 tube lines - the extra few yards to Green Park may be worthwhile to avoid having to change tube trains. 

 

Websites and literature of places of interest usually mention their nearest tube station/s.

Use a tube map to figure your journey from either of those stations to the destination station. 

https://content.tfl.gov.uk/standard-tube-map.pdf

As I mentioned in an earlier post 

Don't bother to print-off this tube map, it's on all tourist maps, in tube stations & elsewhere. Use the tube map only for planning your route between tube stations, it's diagrammatic  (for instance the River Thames doesn't have square corners 😄) but that makes it easier to use for planning tube journeys.

After 24 hours you'll be an expert.

 

JB 🙂

[Globaliser]

11 hours ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

Bond Street station is probably closest ...

 

For what it's worth, I think that the nearest entrance to Bond Street Tube from the hotel is via the West One Shopping Centre, through the entrance on Gilbert Street. It's an unassuming doorway, but it is marked with an Underground sign. Once in the central atrium, take the (world's slowest) escalators down to basement level.

 

However, if you're going to use the Elizabeth Line, it's probably better to use the new entrance on Davies Street.

[SwankPooch]

My utmost gratitude to all who provide me with pertinent information , which definitely helps me immensely in my research.

[Meander Ingwa]

If you have google maps on your phone (I use Android) , you can quickly find tube routes on the map by tapping on the Underground Roundel (red circle blue line) for the station.  the color lines will show up showing you the whole route, swipe up and it gives you the schedule. During peak hours trains almost feel constant.  Late at night, some lines get pretty spaced out.  If you have a destination in mind, go to it on the map and tap the nearest station for info on what line serves it.  For what it is worth, I carry the little map available in the stations,  It is handy , folds into a credit card slot in wallet or phone and is always at hand

Google works for subway lines in almost every metro area I have investigated.  It is usually my first thing to check out when shopping for a hotel

  @SwankPooch you have many options for your hotel.  Personally I would lean towards Green Park as it tends to be a bit quieter and less complex than Bond Street.  Bond Street is excellent for the Elizabeth line transfer in from Heathrow

The Underground is really easy to use though might be a bit daunting , for some, at first.  I am a bit of an Underground nerd and find it endlessly wonderful if you enjoy graphics and design.  Baker Street, in itself , is a feast for my eyes and I always visit there for a wander every time I am in London