Anyone done that London Sightseeing "Hop On/Off" Bus Tour?

[3kids4me Super Moderator and Super Mom Find all posts View Profile Close 3kids4me]

What did you think? How were the guides? Was it worth it? How about for kids?

I always think the ones in New York look so hokey...then again, people don't usually ride around in a double decker bus in New York!

[Beaglemom3 Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Beaglemom3]

I did it early on during my first trips to London. It was good and gives a newcomer to London some orientation to London, good narration and a sense of the city. Also, it saves some wear & tear.
Due to the weak dollar, it is pricey, but that's Euro travel.
This is the one I took: The Original London Sightseeing Tour:

Has a free Thames cruise.

[3kids4me Super Moderator and Super Mom Find all posts View Profile Close 3kids4me]

That's the one they offer on the "visit Britain" website. I'm thinking it may be cheaper to buy the tickets in advance.

Thanks Beags!!

[joycapecod Silver Contributor Find all posts View Profile Close joycapecod]

Sharon,

I did this on the trip I took several years ago with the "girls." My BF Sharon is many years older than I and it was easy for her. I found the guides interesting; they even pointed out details like scrapnel (sp?) marks on building from WWII. We were able to hop on and off and see many sights we likely would not have seen otherwise.

One of the interesting sites was the Churchill War Room...being a history buff I found it interesting. We also got one of the guides to tell us where he thought the best fiah & chips. We were able to hop off, have lunch and hop back on. The location of the fish & chips place was a 3 block walk from the tour route. It really was excellent fish & chips!

Yes, it is likely expensive, but the pass is good for a full 24 hours.

Joy

[x3skier Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close x3skier]

We took the trip last year and it was a good introduction to London. If you have never been there, its a good way to get a sense of the layout of London. Nothing special but I would recommend it for first time visitors if you have several days in London.

Cheers

[3kids4me Super Moderator and Super Mom Find all posts View Profile Close 3kids4me]

Thanks all.

I've been there and don't need the "tour" but my daughter has never been there, so this would be more for her. I am looking for something that has really child friendly tour announcing and also that might make it easier to hop on and off to see things. Although, since it is only a 24 hour pass, it may not make sense to do too much on/off hopping.

[Laurie Senior Member Find all posts View Profile Close Laurie]

Sharon, we did this in London when we only had 1 day there (and were pretty fatigued by that point in our trip), and have done them in a few other cities. As in other cases, I found it to be a mixture of helpful, and tedious because they usually try to be funny, and aren't necessarily - and that droning-on voice gets on my nerves after awhile. We took advantage of the hop off function, so it served as our transportation for most of our stay.

But double-decker buses are a London experience, and IMO in your case it would probably be worth it, especially the one that combines w/some river transportation. There are a couple of companies there that do it, you can choose the one w/the bus stop nearest your flat (not sure whether they have different routes), and you can buy tickets as you board. Since they are 24 hour tickets, you can combine an afternoon w/the following morning.

Not your question, but much better than the bus is the London Walks company - they really are funny, and informative. Most are pretty short, and you just show up. Maybe you did some of these your last trip? London Walks - "first and best of the walking tour firms" Fodors - Homepage

Edited to add: here are their "walks for kids": London Walks - "first and best of the walking tour firms" Fodors - Walks for Kids