I spent the first half of my London trip underground. Tube stations, tunnels, escalators that go on forever. I saw exactly zero landmarks that weren’t on a map app. Then on day three I bought a hop-on hop-off bus ticket, climbed to the top deck, and within twenty minutes I’d passed Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey without breaking a sweat.
That single afternoon taught me more about London’s layout than two days on the Underground.
The concept is dead simple: buy a ticket, hop on at any stop, ride as long as you want, hop off wherever looks interesting, and catch the next bus when you’re ready. Four main operators run these routes through London, prices start around $33 for a day pass, and they all cover the same essential landmarks with slightly different routes, add-ons, and bus quality.
But which one should you actually book? That’s what I’m going to cover here.
Best value: City Sightseeing London — $33. Cheapest day pass, solid route coverage, optional Thames cruise add-on.
Best all-rounder: Big Bus London — $35. Live guides on some routes, free walking tours included, slightly better buses.
Best combo deal: London Eye + Bus + River Cruise — $74. If you want the Eye and a cruise anyway, this saves you roughly 30% over booking them separately.
- How Hop-On Hop-Off Buses in London Actually Work
- Self-Guided vs Guided Bus Tours
- The Best London Hop-On Hop-Off Buses to Book
- 1. City Sightseeing London Hop-On Hop-Off Bus —
- 2. Big Bus London —
- 3. Tootbus London —
- 4. London Eye + Bus + River Cruise Combo —
- When to Ride
- Getting to the Starting Points
- Tips That Will Save You Time and Money
- What You’ll Actually See From the Top Deck
- Worth It or Not?
- More London Guides
- Getting More from Your London Sightseeing
How Hop-On Hop-Off Buses in London Actually Work
Four operators dominate the London hop-on hop-off market: City Sightseeing (the red buses with the globe logo), Big Bus Tours (dark red, usually newer fleet), Tootbus (green branding, electric buses), and Golden Tours (grey-purple livery). They all run open-top double-deckers on overlapping routes through central London.
Here’s what they have in common:
Routes and stops. Every operator covers the essential loop: Westminster, Buckingham Palace, Trafalgar Square, the Tower of London, St Paul’s Cathedral, and back. Most have 2-3 routes with around 20-30 stops each. The core route takes 90 minutes to 2 hours without hopping off.
Audio commentary. All buses have recorded narration in 10-12 languages through headphones or an app. Big Bus has live guides on certain routes, which is a genuine differentiator — the live guides crack jokes, point things out in real time, and answer questions.
Ticket types. Standard is a 24-hour pass (from the first time you board, not from midnight). Most operators also sell 48-hour and 72-hour passes. Prices range from about $30-50 for a single day depending on operator and whether you book online in advance.
Frequency. In summer, buses come every 10-15 minutes on the main routes. In winter that drops to every 20-30 minutes, and some routes stop running entirely. This matters — I have waited 25 minutes at a stop in February, which is not fun when the wind is cutting across the Thames.
Children. Most operators let kids under 5 ride free. Ages 5-15 typically pay a discounted child fare. City Sightseeing has a dedicated kids’ audio channel that mine actually listened to, which never happens.
Booking. Always book online. Every operator charges more at the bus stop. The standard discount is 10-15% for booking on the website or through a platform like GetYourGuide. Your ticket is usually a QR code on your phone.
Self-Guided vs Guided Bus Tours
The standard HOHO ticket is self-guided. You ride when you want, get off when you want. But some operators also sell fully guided bus tours where a guide narrates the whole route and you stay on the bus for the entire circuit.
Self-guided (the standard HOHO) works best if you want to use the bus as transport between sights. You’ll spend 3-4 hours over a day hopping on and off, visiting places in between. The flexibility is the whole point.
Guided bus tours make sense if you’re short on time and just want a 90-minute overview of London without getting off. Big Bus includes free walking tours with their day passes, which is a nice middle ground — you get the self-guided bus plus a proper guided experience on foot.
Honestly, the self-guided pass is almost always the better call. You’re paying to use the bus network as a sightseeing taxi, not for a structured tour. If you want a structured tour, there are better options (like a Thames river cruise with live commentary, where you can’t exactly hop off mid-river).
The Best London Hop-On Hop-Off Buses to Book
I’ve narrowed this down to four options. Three are pure HOHO bus passes (one budget, one premium, one electric), and the fourth is a combo deal that bundles the bus with the London Eye and a river cruise.
1. City Sightseeing London Hop-On Hop-Off Bus — $33
This is the one I’d pick for a first visit to London on a budget. At $33 for a day pass, it’s the cheapest option that still covers all the essential stops. The route hits Westminster, Buckingham Palace, the Tower of London, St Paul’s, Trafalgar Square, and everything in between.
City Sightseeing is the world’s biggest HOHO operator — they run in over 100 cities — and that scale means decent buses, reliable schedules, and audio commentary in around 12 languages. You can add a Thames cruise for a few pounds more, which I’d recommend since the river view of Parliament is something you can’t get from the bus.
The main downside? No live guides. It’s all recorded commentary. And the buses are older than Big Bus or Tootbus. But for pure value, nothing beats this.
2. Big Bus London — $35
Two dollars more than City Sightseeing and you get a noticeably better experience. Big Bus runs three routes through London, and their Red Route has live guides rather than just recorded commentary. That makes a real difference — live guides tell you where to look, point out things you’d miss, and actually respond to what’s happening in real time.
The $35 day pass also includes a free Thames river cruise and walking tours (a Royal London walk and a Beatles-themed walk through the West End). That’s a lot of extras for essentially the same price as the budget option. The buses themselves are newer and generally better maintained.
This is my top recommendation for most visitors. The combination of live guides, free walking tours, and a river cruise included in the base price makes it the best value overall.
3. Tootbus London — $47
Tootbus is the most expensive of the standard HOHO options at $47 for a day pass, but they’re the only operator running 100% electric buses in London. If that matters to you, this is your option. The buses are noticeably quieter, which means the audio commentary is easier to hear, and you don’t get diesel fumes wafting up to the top deck.
They also run night tours in summer and a seasonal Christmas lights tour that’s genuinely popular with locals (not just travelers). The route coverage is similar to Big Bus and City Sightseeing, with stops at all the major landmarks.
My issue with Tootbus is the price gap. At $12-14 more than the competition for essentially the same landmarks, you’re mostly paying for the electric buses and the branding. Unless you specifically want the night tour or the eco-friendly option, Big Bus offers more for less.
4. London Eye + Bus + River Cruise Combo — $74
If you’re planning to ride the London Eye anyway, this combo deal saves you real money. It bundles a Big Bus hop-on hop-off day pass, a Thames river cruise, and a standard London Eye ticket for $74. Buying those three separately would run you over $100.
The bus and cruise components are the same as the standalone Big Bus pass. The London Eye ticket is a standard entry (no fast track), so expect a wait of 30-45 minutes during peak times. Book your Eye slot for late afternoon — the views at golden hour are dramatically better than midday, and the queue is shorter.
This is the combo to get if you’re in London for 2-3 days and want to tick off the big experiences efficiently. Not worth it if you have no interest in the Eye, since you’d be paying an extra $39 for something you’d skip.
When to Ride
Best months: April through October. The weather is warm enough for the open top deck, buses run more frequently (every 10-15 minutes), and all routes are operational. July and August are packed but the long daylight hours let you ride until 6-7pm.
Worst months: December through February. Buses still run, but less frequently. Some routes shut down entirely. The open top deck in January is genuinely miserable unless you bring a serious coat. The Christmas lights tours are an exception — those are actually better in December for obvious reasons.
Best time of day: Start early. Get on the first bus around 9-9:30am. The streets are quieter, the stops are less crowded, and you’ll finish the main loop before the lunch rush hits. Late afternoon (4-5pm) is also good for golden hour photos of Parliament and the Thames.
Worst time of day: 11am-2pm on weekends. Every tourist in London is trying to do the same thing. Buses are full (you might have to wait for the next one), and the streets are gridlocked in places like Oxford Circus and Trafalgar Square. Traffic doesn’t move and neither does your bus.
Getting to the Starting Points
You can board at any stop, but most people start at one of these main hubs:
Trafalgar Square — Nearest Tube: Charing Cross (Bakerloo, Northern lines). This is the most popular starting point and where multiple routes converge. You’ll find ticket booths and staff here.
Marble Arch / Speakers’ Corner — Nearest Tube: Marble Arch (Central line). Big Bus uses this as a primary departure point. Easy to reach from hotels in the Mayfair / Oxford Street area.
Grosvenor Gardens (near Victoria Station) — Nearest Tube: Victoria (Victoria, Circle, District lines). Useful if you’re arriving from Gatwick Airport or staying south of the park. Close to Buckingham Palace.
Tower Hill — Nearest Tube: Tower Hill (Circle, District lines). Start here if you want to begin with the Tower of London and work your way west.
All routes are loops, so it doesn’t really matter where you get on. You’ll pass every stop eventually. But starting at Trafalgar Square or Victoria gives you the widest choice of routes from one place.
Tips That Will Save You Time and Money
Book online in advance. Every operator charges a walk-up premium. Online tickets are typically 10-15% cheaper and you skip the ticket booth queue.
Sit on the left side. Most of the best landmarks (Parliament, the Tower, Buckingham Palace) are on the left side of the bus as it follows the standard clockwise route. Not guaranteed on every stretch, but more often than not.
Bring layers, not an umbrella. On the open top deck, wind is the issue more than rain. A light waterproof jacket works better than an umbrella that’ll blow inside out on Westminster Bridge. In summer, bring sunscreen — there’s no shade up there.
Download the operator’s app before you board. Most operators run their audio commentary through an app now rather than the built-in headphone jacks. Bring your own earbuds. The headphones they hand out are not great.
Don’t try to do two full loops in one day. One complete circuit takes about 2 hours. Factor in stops, walking around, waiting for the next bus, and you’ll fill an entire day with a single loop and 4-5 hop-offs. Trying to do two full circuits is exhausting and repetitive.
Combine with the Tube for longer distances. HOHO buses get stuck in traffic. If you want to get from the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace quickly, the Tube is faster. Use the bus for sightseeing stretches (Westminster to the Tower is gorgeous) and the Tube for boring transfers.
Consider a 48-hour pass if you’re staying 3+ days. The second day is usually half the cost of the first. And a second day lets you explore the routes you missed, hop off at places you only drove past, and catch different weather and light.
What You’ll Actually See From the Top Deck
The standard route (every operator’s main loop) covers the biggest hits. Starting from Trafalgar Square and going roughly clockwise:
Westminster and Parliament. The bus rolls down Whitehall past Downing Street (you can see the famous black door from the bus), then turns onto Westminster Bridge with Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament directly to your left. This is the single best stretch of the whole route.
The South Bank. Past the London Eye, the Tate Modern, Shakespeare’s Globe, and Borough Market. The commentary picks up pace here because there’s so much crammed into a short stretch.
Tower Bridge and the Tower of London. The bus usually doesn’t cross Tower Bridge (it approaches from the north bank), but you get a clear view of both the bridge and the Tower. Hop off here — the Tower is worth at least 2 hours.
St Paul’s Cathedral. The dome appears suddenly as the bus turns a corner, and from the top deck you’re almost at eye level with it. One of those moments where the open-top bus genuinely earns its price.
Buckingham Palace and Hyde Park. The route swings past Buckingham Palace — time it right and you’ll catch the tail end of the Changing of the Guard. Then it’s up along Hyde Park towards Marble Arch and back to the start.
Worth It or Not?
Hop-on hop-off buses get a bad reputation as tourist traps, and in some cities that’s fair. But London is one of the places where they genuinely make sense. The city is massive, the landmarks are spread out, and the bus routes are designed to connect them in a way that the Tube never can (since the Tube is underground, obviously).
At $33-47 for an all-day pass, compare that to what you’d spend on Tube fares and taxis covering the same ground. An Oyster card would cost you about the same, and you’d see nothing but tunnel walls.
Where it doesn’t make sense: if you’ve been to London before and already know the layout, or if you hate being on a tour with other travelers. Also skip it in heavy rain — the bottom deck has a roof but zero views, which defeats the entire purpose.
More London Guides
If you’re spending a few days in London, a HOHO bus pairs well with several other experiences we’ve covered. The Thames river cruise gives you the same landmarks from water level, which is a completely different perspective — especially at night. The London Eye is worth booking separately if you don’t go for the combo deal, and our guide covers how to skip the worst of the queues. For something completely different, the Harry Potter Studio Tour is outside central London but easily reachable by train from Euston. And if you’re in London for a full week, a day trip to Stonehenge and the Tower of London are both stops that deserve their own full day. Madame Tussauds is right on the HOHO route near Baker Street — hop off and walk five minutes.
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Getting More from Your London Sightseeing
The hop-on hop-off routes pass most of the major landmarks, but a few deserve more than a drive-by from the top deck. The Tower of London is a regular stop on most routes, and it needs at least two hours to do justice to the Crown Jewels and the White Tower.
Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey are both on the Westminster loop, usually consecutive stops. The bus gives you a good exterior view of the palace, but the State Rooms tour (summer only) and the Abbey’s interior are where the real substance is.
After dark, swap the bus for a dedicated night bus tour that shows you the same landmarks lit up against the sky. The daytime and nighttime views of places like Tower Bridge and Parliament look like two different cities. A Thames river cruise offers yet another angle on the same buildings — from the water rather than the road.
If the bus route sparks your curiosity about specific neighbourhoods, a walking tour takes you into the back streets and hidden corners that no bus can reach. The guides cover everything from Roman London to modern street art, depending on the tour you pick.