Best HOHO or sightseeing bus in London?

[cruisegal415]

Our overnight flight arrives at 10:30 am London time, so we figured we'd drop our bags at the hotel (our room probably won't be ready yet) and take a sightseeing bus through London to start getting acclimated.  Should we take a HOHO bus or a sightseeing bus or are they one and the same? Looking for something that would take us around to all the sights and give us some commentary, so we can get an overview before we have a few days to explore.  Already booked Buckingham Palace, Kensington Palace, Tower of London, which we will visit on subsequent days before our British Isles cruise.

[John Bull]

There are three ho-ho operators....

 

Tootbus.

Previous visitors will know it as "The Original" London hop-on bus. First started operating in 1951, now like so many small well-established & successful companies it's part of a conglomerate.

The buses are red - like a London bus should be.

https://www.tootbus.com/en/london/home

 

Big Bus

Worldwide hop-on operation, operating in dozens (hundreds?) of cities. 

Their buses are a muddy maroon.

https://www.bigbustours.com/en/london/london-bus-tours

 

Golden Tours

Well-established & reputable coach tour operator, but the new kid on the block for hop-ons, started 2 or 3 years before the pandemic. Got off to a rocky start because of poor frequency, I don't know whether that's improved. They also offer day and evening tours which start & finish near the London Eye, not a hop-on service but might suit some folks.

https://www.goldentours.com/london-hop-on-hop-off-bus-tours

 

For hop-on I'd recommend Tootbus or Big Bus because of the frequency.

The main route is broadly the same for all three, they all include a short river trip, some include walking tours & perhaps other attractions, the prices are broadly the same tho they do tend to complicate their offers.

Tootbus and Big Bus have some buses with live guides, most are multi-language audio by earpiece.

Golden only have live guides on their tour buses, not their ho-hos. Live commentary is fun - full of strange facts (some might even be true 😉), but audio-guide is better if you're seriously interested in facts.

Perhaps the biggest difference is in the feeder routes, so check their feeder routes against your hotel location.

 

None of the ho-hos (or other buses) pass the front of Buckingham Palace. You have to get off the bus, walk round the corner to the front of Buck House, then back to the bus-stop & catch the next one. Since you're booked to visit Buck House, stay on the bus - lots of folk get off there, so keep your eyes open for folk vacating better seats.

 

Hop-on buses are a great way to orientate yourself and get an outside view of almost all the important sights.

But because of their route, their stops, and slow traffic they are only rarely useful for getting from A to B. So despite the big discounts for multi-day tickets, probably a 24-hour ticket  is your best value.

For getting around from place to place you need the "tube", London's extensive, quick & frequent underground system.

https://tfl.gov.uk/tfl/syndication/widgets/tubemap/default-search.html

(tube maps are everywhere, including with regular tourist maps. Looks complicated, but places of interest mention nearest tube stations & you use the map only to figure your route underground)

 

Here's a very useful visitor's website

https://www.londontoolkit.com/

But their private tours & transfers tend to be very pricey. Well, someone's got to pay for the website 😉

 

JB 🙂

 

 

 

 

Edited August 8, 2022 by John Bull

[cruisegal415]

17 hours ago, John Bull said:

There are three ho-ho operators....

 

Tootbus.

Previous visitors will know it as "The Original" London hop-on bus. First started operating in 1951, now like so many small well-established & successful companies it's part of a conglomerate.

The buses are red - like a London bus should be.

https://www.tootbus.com/en/london/home

 

Big Bus

Worldwide hop-on operation, operating in dozens (hundreds?) of cities. 

Their buses are a muddy maroon.

https://www.bigbustours.com/en/london/london-bus-tours

 

Golden Tours

Well-established & reputable coach tour operator, but the new kid on the block for hop-ons, started 2 or 3 years before the pandemic. Got off to a rocky start because of poor frequency, I don't know whether that's improved. They also offer day and evening tours which start & finish near the London Eye, not a hop-on service but might suit some folks.

https://www.goldentours.com/london-hop-on-hop-off-bus-tours

 

For hop-on I'd recommend Tootbus or Big Bus because of the frequency.

The main route is broadly the same for all three, they all include a short river trip, some include walking tours & perhaps other attractions, the prices are broadly the same tho they do tend to complicate their offers.

Tootbus and Big Bus have some buses with live guides, most are multi-language audio by earpiece.

Golden only have live guides on their tour buses, not their ho-hos. Live commentary is fun - full of strange facts (some might even be true 😉), but audio-guide is better if you're seriously interested in facts.

Perhaps the biggest difference is in the feeder routes, so check their feeder routes against your hotel location.

 

None of the ho-hos (or other buses) pass the front of Buckingham Palace. You have to get off the bus, walk round the corner to the front of Buck House, then back to the bus-stop & catch the next one. Since you're booked to visit Buck House, stay on the bus - lots of folk get off there, so keep your eyes open for folk vacating better seats.

 

Hop-on buses are a great way to orientate yourself and get an outside view of almost all the important sights.

But because of their route, their stops, and slow traffic they are only rarely useful for getting from A to B. So despite the big discounts for multi-day tickets, probably a 24-hour ticket  is your best value.

For getting around from place to place you need the "tube", London's extensive, quick & frequent underground system.

https://tfl.gov.uk/tfl/syndication/widgets/tubemap/default-search.html

(tube maps are everywhere, including with regular tourist maps. Looks complicated, but places of interest mention nearest tube stations & you use the map only to figure your route underground)

 

Here's a very useful visitor's website

https://www.londontoolkit.com/

But their private tours & transfers tend to be very pricey. Well, someone's got to pay for the website 😉

 

JB 🙂

 

 

 

 

Exactly the information I was looking for!! Thanks John!

 

[cruisegal415]

17 hours ago, John Bull said:

There are three ho-ho operators....

 

Tootbus.

Previous visitors will know it as "The Original" London hop-on bus. First started operating in 1951, now like so many small well-established & successful companies it's part of a conglomerate.

The buses are red - like a London bus should be.

https://www.tootbus.com/en/london/home

 

Big Bus

Worldwide hop-on operation, operating in dozens (hundreds?) of cities. 

Their buses are a muddy maroon.

https://www.bigbustours.com/en/london/london-bus-tours

 

Golden Tours

Well-established & reputable coach tour operator, but the new kid on the block for hop-ons, started 2 or 3 years before the pandemic. Got off to a rocky start because of poor frequency, I don't know whether that's improved. They also offer day and evening tours which start & finish near the London Eye, not a hop-on service but might suit some folks.

https://www.goldentours.com/london-hop-on-hop-off-bus-tours

 

For hop-on I'd recommend Tootbus or Big Bus because of the frequency.

The main route is broadly the same for all three, they all include a short river trip, some include walking tours & perhaps other attractions, the prices are broadly the same tho they do tend to complicate their offers.

Tootbus and Big Bus have some buses with live guides, most are multi-language audio by earpiece.

Golden only have live guides on their tour buses, not their ho-hos. Live commentary is fun - full of strange facts (some might even be true 😉), but audio-guide is better if you're seriously interested in facts.

Perhaps the biggest difference is in the feeder routes, so check their feeder routes against your hotel location.

 

None of the ho-hos (or other buses) pass the front of Buckingham Palace. You have to get off the bus, walk round the corner to the front of Buck House, then back to the bus-stop & catch the next one. Since you're booked to visit Buck House, stay on the bus - lots of folk get off there, so keep your eyes open for folk vacating better seats.

 

Hop-on buses are a great way to orientate yourself and get an outside view of almost all the important sights.

But because of their route, their stops, and slow traffic they are only rarely useful for getting from A to B. So despite the big discounts for multi-day tickets, probably a 24-hour ticket  is your best value.

For getting around from place to place you need the "tube", London's extensive, quick & frequent underground system.

https://tfl.gov.uk/tfl/syndication/widgets/tubemap/default-search.html

(tube maps are everywhere, including with regular tourist maps. Looks complicated, but places of interest mention nearest tube stations & you use the map only to figure your route underground)

 

Here's a very useful visitor's website

https://www.londontoolkit.com/

But their private tours & transfers tend to be very pricey. Well, someone's got to pay for the website 😉

 

JB 🙂

 

 

 

 

Someone mentioned Megabus? I checked and their website said they are no longer doing it but referred us to their partner, City Sightseeing.  They also have red buses. I'll check their routes as suggested.

[ISLABONITA]

I have found public bus routes which are a fraction of the cost... see this article  https://www.visitbritainshop.com/gb/en/articles/top-3-bus-routes

[Globaliser]

3 hours ago, ISLABONITA said:

I have found public bus routes which are a fraction of the cost... see this article  https://www.visitbritainshop.com/gb/en/articles/top-3-bus-routes

 

In case anyone's in any doubt, these are also hop-on hop-off buses. They have the advantages that:

1. They operate on far more routes than the companies mentioned in John Bull's post.
2. You can hop on and hop off at far more stops than you can with those companies.
3. The one-day fare is far more affordable: £4.95 on an Oyster (please note that since the article linked to by ISLABONITA, the fare for each trip has gone up to £1.65, but if you only take buses then this is capped at £4.95 for the day).
4. The drivers seem to know how to drive in London traffic instead of holding everyone else up.

[Cotswold Eagle]

10 hours ago, Globaliser said:

In case anyone's in any doubt, these are also hop-on hop-off buses

I see what you've done there! To be fair a couple of disadvantages with using regular bus routes (which I recommend for visitors over the tube as well in many circumstances - you get a better idea of how London fits together) instead of the tourist sightseeing ones:

- no commentary

- no open tops 

- no river trip included in the price you mention

 

Possible further advantage:

- you might meet some Londoners....

[Globaliser]

4 minutes ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

- no commentary

 

Some might think that this is actually an advantage ...

[Cotswold Eagle]

6 minutes ago, Globaliser said:

 

Some might think that this is actually an advantage ...

🤣

[John Bull]

 

1 hour ago, Cotswold Eagle said:

I see what you've done there! To be fair a couple of disadvantages with using regular bus routes (which I recommend for visitors over the tube as well in many circumstances - you get a better idea of how London fits together) instead of the tourist sightseeing ones:

- no commentary

- no open tops 

- no river trip included in the price you mention

 

Possible further advantage:

- you might meet some Londoners....

 

One further disadvantage of using the regular service buses is that they don't wind-up Globaliser and other Londoners who choose to drive in the heart of the city and consequently get held up by the ho-ho's.

 

Eagle and Globaliser. Nobody - even Londoners - meets Londoners on the tube. Londoners famously ignore everyone else on the tube, and bury their heads in a newspaper or phone, or stare blankly throughout their journey. 🤐

I don't use London buses - does the same apply?  😑

 

JB 🙂

[Globaliser]

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

One further disadvantage of using the regular service buses is that they don't wind-up Globaliser and other Londoners who choose to drive in the heart of the city and consequently get held up by the ho-ho's.

 

Actually, thanks to the extension of Congestion Charge hours, more often these days holding me up while I'm going about my business on a TfL bus. If I'm driving, I can try to run the commercial HOHOs off the road, but sadly it's more than the TfL bus driver's job's worth to do the same.

  

1 hour ago, John Bull said:

Eagle and Globaliser. Nobody - even Londoners - meets Londoners on the tube. Londoners famously ignore everyone else on the tube, and bury their heads in a newspaper or phone, or stare blankly throughout their journey.

 

A naive Londoner might try to be sociable. An attempt to scam you, or some engagement by an eccentric person, soon teaches you not to. This is a big city, after all.