HoHo Bus in London......

[fishman620]

I know that taking a HoHo Bus in London is not that popular on these forums but we are going with a group (6 persons) and the majority are wanting to do this......so wondering if the HoHo buses all start at the same place? (where you buy your ticket and get on the bus) Or is there one that might be closest to the Hampton Inn by Hilton Waterloo to start the tour?  If they all start at the same place, is one better than the others.....Thank you for the advice, I appreciate it.

[John Bull]

I'm a great fan of ho-ho's in some places.

That depends on the city. Useless for Rome, Florence, Bath, Athens and a dozen more cities.

But excellent for London - they're great for orientation and so many iconic & interesting buildings & sights come thick-and-fast.

The one place you have to get off is if you want to see Buckingham Palace. Buses aren't allowed past the front so you get off round the corner at Buckingham Gate, walk round the corner to the front, then back to the stop for the next bus (hint - there's a big changeover of passengers here, if there are just a few seats available when you get to the front of the line step to one side & let others get on. The next bus will be along in a few minutes and you'll be well-placed to get good seats.

 

All ho-ho operators offer much the same, but Tootbus (formerly London Original) and Big Bus tend to be more frequent and have more freebie add-ons (walking tours, short river cruise, feeder routes etc)

Different promos mean sometimes one is cheaper than the others, though that's usually for 2+ days.

The main tourist route is the same for all of them and I think that with all the operators you can get on the bus at any stop The good location of Hampton at Waterloo means you don't need to bother with feeder routes - I think nearest stop on the main route is the "London Eye" stop on York Road by the M&S Store, a 10-minute walk for you.

.

Most ho-ho buses have multi-language taped audio, but some have a live guide. If you're a keen buff and want to know precise histories etc take a bus with audio. If you want a more "fun" experience choose one with a live guide - some facts, some legends, a lot of often-corny jokes etc.

 

But ho-hos have their limitations. 

They're slow, and stick to the same route with lots of stops at bus-stops and in traffic. If you want to take inside visits at two places at opposite ends of the city centre using a ho-ho can take an hour and more, whereas the Tube (London's extensive metro system) can take just ten minutes.

So beware the temptation of big discounts  for 2 or 3 day passes, they're rarely worth it - for travelling between places you want to visit always use The Tube..

And check whether the operator offers "one day" passes or the much better "24-hour" passes.

 

One alternative to ho-ho's - Golden Tours (IMHO not the best for ho-ho's) also offer a set tour from near the London Eye and back to the London Eye. Not hop-on, it effectively does the main route as a simple tour without stopping at the stops - a more time-efficient way to get your orientation at the start, or to see sights that you never got to see earlier in your time in London .

 

JB 🙂

 

[fishman620]

Thanks so much for your wealth of information.....you have helped me immensely!