london tours

[MMFla604]

Going on Jewel of the Seas Sept. 24th. Never been to London. Want to book escorted bus tour in London before cruise. What's the best tour company? We arrive 6:30 a.m. Sat. Will we be too tired to do it on Sat. or should we wait until Sunday? RCCL put us in City Inn Westminster. What do you think? Thanks, MM

[cberge]

Going on Jewel of the Seas Sept. 24th. Never been to London. Want to book escorted bus tour in London before cruise. What's the best tour company? We arrive 6:30 a.m. Sat. Will we be too tired to do it on Sat. or should we wait until Sunday? RCCL put us in City Inn Westminster. What do you think? Thanks, MM

You can do a search on this board as there is a lot of info re tours for London with names and links.BUT,if you really don't need an escorted tour per se I highly suggest doing one of the Hop/on Hop/Off bus tours..they are fun,inforamtive,and go to all the sights..you can get off where you want or not and then just catch another bus...you can ride at night as well.There is info on them on the board and your hotle can help you with the closest stop..buy your ticket right on the bus( I think they are good for 24 hours as well).Have fun and enjoy London.BTW,when you arrive try to take just a short nap and then get outside in the sun and do as much as you can..then go to bed about 9 or 10 and then stay right on the time schedule..it will help with the jet lag trust me.

[davejohn]

We used Golden Tours last May and enjoyed the tour. It hit all the high spots, plus included lunch at a pub in Covent Gardens, a cruise on the Thames and riding the Eye. It's more expensive than the hop on/hop buses but you get a guide that stays with you the whole trip, including tours of the sites.

Dave

[Spikesgirl]

We hit the Hop On/Hop Off buses in several stops on our cruise and was never disappointed with them. They let you see a lot of attractions and you have the ability to get off or on where you want, not just where the tour thinks you need to get off. It was absolutely the best way to see Dublin, Edinburgh and London that we found and a while lot cheaper than a guided tour.

 

Charlie

[2theship]

The Hop On/Hop Off bus tickets are good for 24 hours. That means you can buy one during the afternoon of one day and use it up until the the next morning/afternoon as well. It can make an easy and entertaining way to get around town to the sights you want to see. Some companies use pre-recorded commentaries while others use live guides. One one hand it's nice to have someone who can talk about what's going on around you at that moment. On the other hand, some of them are a little dull. Since the pre-recorded commentaries are all professionally done, you know what you're getting but it's less spontaneous.

[whogo]

Reputable tour companies would include:

http://www.astraltravels.co.uk/

http://www.evan-evans.co.uk

http://www.premiumtours.co.uk/

http://www.goldentours.co.uk/

[MMFla604]

Thank you all so much for the info. Think we'll have to book escorted bus tour rather than hop on/off bus since my husband has hard time walking, etc. I'll check to see who picks up at City Inn Westminster. Hope to do London Eye on Sat. and full day on Sun. Thanks again!

[MMFla604]

We used Golden Tours last May and enjoyed the tour. It hit all the high spots, plus included lunch at a pub in Covent Gardens, a cruise on the Thames and riding the Eye. It's more expensive than the hop on/hop buses but you get a guide that stays with you the whole trip, including tours of the sites.

Dave

Thanks ... did you book your Golden Tour before you arrived in London? Did you book direct with tour company or thru your hotel? MM

[TXTraveler76]

Hi,

 

I also did the Golden Tour (all day London). I booked it well in advance on line and reconfirmed upon my arrival in London. We were picked up at our hotel and transferred to another larger meeting area. Our guide was great, he had his brother join him during the Westminster tour as we broke off into two small groups. The guide took us over to St. James Palace to see the guards change, then we took a brisk walk over to Buckingham to see another view of the guards.

 

I also booked online the Royal Day Out tour which took us into Buckingham Palace. Highly recommend both of these tours as they showed us the parts of London that we had only read about.

[Katy P.]

When you booked with Golden tours in London, were you also dropped off at the hotel that you were staying after the tour was finished at the end of the day?

[davejohn]

Thanks ... did you book your Golden Tour before you arrived in London? Did you book direct with tour company or thru your hotel? MM

 

I booked it online directly with the tour company. http://www.goldentours.co.uk/

 

They had a couple of discount offers when we booked.

[tinkerme1]

We just LOVED Evan-Evans Tours! They were so professional, gave us lots of attention on all of our tours, and really made the day a special one. They have lots of choices on their website, both half-day and full day tours. I would definitely check them out.

[davejohn]

When you booked with Golden tours in London, were you also dropped off at the hotel that you were staying after the tour was finished at the end of the day?

 

No, on our tour the last stop was the London Eye ride. Our hotel was only about 3/4 mile from there so we just walked back. There were taxis around but at that time of day (rush hour) the traffic was murder.

[expat67]

Can u just go to a hop on hop off bus stop and pay the driver for a ticket??

 

TIA:)