11 Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours in London Worth Booking

1.London Big Bus Hop-On Hop-Off Tour with Optional River Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 10,803 reviews · 3 hours 35 minutes (approx.) · from $39Our pick

See London from an open-top double-decker bus across three routes covering Buckingham Palace, Tower of London, St. Paul’s, Notting Hill, and the British Museum. Choose a one-day, 24-hour, or 48-hour pass. The longer tickets add a one-way Thames cruise, while selected 48-hour options include walking tours and an evening ride.

“I chose one day because it said 1 day from when you start. This is different from 24 hours. The options should really be 12, 24, 48 hours. The wording was misleading.”

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2.City Sightseeing London Hop-On Hop-Off Bus & Bookable Extras

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 7,374 reviews · 1 - 3 days · from $33

Use a 1, 2, or 3-day City Sightseeing London pass to explore 54 stops across three routes. Ride past Big Ben, the Tower of London, St Paul’s, Harrods, Kensington Palace, and Buckingham Palace with multilingual audio commentary. Upgrade your pass for a Thames cruise, vintage Routemaster ride, Greenwich trip, or evening tour.

“Positives: The route is well planned and the high frequency of buses Negatives: the buses had lots of rubbish”

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3.Tootbus Hop-on Hop-off (Optional River Cruise)

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 7,045 reviews · 1 - 3 days · from $47

See London’s big sights from an open-top Tootbus, then hop off for the Tower, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s, Soho, or Borough Market. Your 24, 48, or 72-hour ticket includes multilingual audio, child-friendly commentary, live bus tracking, and four self-guided walks. Add a one-way City Cruises trip between Westminster and Tower Pier.

“The ability to go at my pace if I went at all. The routes are comprehensive of the city. Just ride and listen or go wherever. The boat ride is a highlight. The ride was informative and interesting.”

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4.London Eye, River Cruise, & Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 5,332 reviews · 1 - 2 days · from $74

Pair Big Bus London’s 24 or 48-hour hop-on route with a London Eye flight and one-way Thames cruise. You can start at any stop, but Stop 12 by the Eye is a useful base. Pre-book your Eye time, use the app for bus tracking, and save the 48-hour ticket for walking tours.

“The convinience of Hop on and Hop off, once you figure it out thru the Big Bus app.”

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5.Big Bus Hop-on, Hop-off with Optional River Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 3,875 reviews · 1 - 2 days · from $35

Use a 24 or 48-hour Big Bus ticket to see London from an open-top deck, with routes linking Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, St Paul’s, the Tower, Kensington, and more. Add a 40-minute Thames cruise, guided walks, or a 2-hour evening tour. Audio commentary, WiFi, headphones, and wheelchair access are included.

“Love big red bus tours, essential for orienting yourself .”

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6.London Tootbus Hop on Hop off Bus Tour and Thames River Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 3,834 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $53

See London by open-top double-decker bus on three routes linking Buckingham Palace, Westminster, the Tower, St Paul’s, museums, and Notting Hill. Use the pass for one, two, or three days, then add a Thames cruise during the same validity period. Audio commentary, children’s narration, and an app with live bus locations are included.

“This was our first time visiting London and this was a great way to see all the sites. There were plenty of busses so we didn’t have to wait long for another one when we got off to wander around”

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7.Tootbus Must-See Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour with Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 3,653 reviews · 1 - 3 days · from $52

Use Tootbus to see London’s main sights without mastering the Underground on day one. Ride open-top routes past Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, St. Paul’s, and Tower Bridge, then add a City Cruises Thames trip. The app tracks buses, stores your ticket, and guides four self-led walks. Audio is available in 10 languages, with child-friendly English and French options.

“I recommend to do a tour like this on the first day of your vacation in a big city to give you an idea of what to visit.”

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8.Gray Line London Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour with Optional Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 2,064 reviews · 1 day (approx.) · from $32

See London from an open-top bus with routes linking the London Eye, Tower of London, Westminster, Buckingham Palace, museums, and Notting Hill. Your ticket can cover four hours, one day, or 24 hours. The 24-hour option includes a one-way Thames cruise, while selected blue routes offer live guides such as Mark, Tim, and Mike.

“Our guide, Mark, was wonderful! Extremely knowledgeable, excitingly entertaining story teller and historian. We were even fortunate enough to see King Charles on his way to Buckingham Palace. Highly recommend!”

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9.City Sightseeing London Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour & Bookable Extras

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 1,224 reviews · 2 hours 30 minutes (approx.) · from $37

See London from an open-top double-decker on red, blue, and green routes, with stops near Buckingham Palace, the Tower, Harrods, museums, and the British Museum. Choose a 1-day to 72-hour ticket, add Thames travel and a heritage bus ride, and use the app for live bus locations. Expect city traffic, changing schedules, and some confusing stops.

“Excellent way to safely develop an understanding of London geography during the first 48 hours in London. Stops were intelligently placed everywhere you'd want to be. After 48 hrs we found we could navigate by tube and on foot efficiently. Note that there are multiple double decker bus lines using the same stops and they are often just a different shade of red.”

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10.Golden Tours Gray Line Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 1,203 reviews · 4 hours - 3 days · from $31Best value

Use Golden Tours Gray Line to see London from an open-top bus, with more than 60 stops, 12-language audio, and selected live departures. Pass Big Ben, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, and more. Longer passes include a one-way Thames cruise and walking tours, while selected Golden Pass options add major attractions.

“Andi our guide was really brillant! Lot interesting facts and very funny stories and anecdotes. Best story the Westminster phone box.. thanks for this fantastic afternoon.”

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11.Hop-On Hop-Off 1-Day River Sightseeing Adventure

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 257 reviews · 1 day · from $34

Use Uber Boat by Thames Clippers for unlimited one-day travel between Putney and Barking Riverside. Hop off at Westminster, Tower Bridge, or Greenwich, then reboard when it suits you. Indoor cabins and covered decks keep the ride comfortable, while the Family Pass helps keep costs down. Crew members such as Captain Darren and First Mate Paul add a friendly touch.

“Great views of London in a short time, recommend going at night”

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