London Big Bus Hop-On Hop-Off Tour with Optional River Cruise
Overview
Available languages
Mobile ticket
Discover London your way with a hop-on hop-off bus tour, plus a Thames River cruise included with selected tickets. Pass iconic sights including the London Eye, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben while enjoying entertaining commentary on London’s history and culture.
Your ticket gives access to three routes. The Red Route covers major landmarks such as Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, the London Eye and St Paul’s Cathedral. The Blue Route travels from Kensington Palace to the Tower of London, stopping near Harrods, the Natural History Museum and Notting Hill. The Green Route connects King’s Cross and St Pancras with Covent Garden via the British Museum.
Choose a 24-hour or 48-hour ticket to enjoy the Thames River cruise. 48-hour tickets also include live guided walking tours in English: the Royal Walk, Jack the Ripper Walk and Harry Potter Walking Tour. Upgrade to include the Panoramic Evening Tour for stunning night-time views of London.
Additional Info
Wheelchair accessible
Infants and small children can ride in a pram or stroller
Service animals allowed
Public transportation options are available nearby
Transportation options are wheelchair accessible
Suitable for all physical fitness levels
Your ticket’s validity period begins from the date and time it is activated.
Buses are all equipped with ramps for wheelchairs or strollers
Activate your mobile voucher or QR at any of the designated Big Bus stops
Infants aged 3 and under travel free of charge and do not require a ticket
1-Day Ticket does NOT include a River Cruise.
Please note that Stop 1 – Green Park is currently affected by a long-term closure of the main bus stand. While the Blue and Red Tours will continue to pass through this stop, boarding is impacted. As a result, the Red Tour now starts and ends at Stop 2 – Hard Rock. Customers are advised to board from this location.
If you purchased a 48-hour ticket, 3 walking tours are included. Meet your guide at the Big Bus Stop listed below and have your printed or digital ticket ready. Please arrive 15 minutes before departure. All tours are live guided and conducted in English only. Tours last approximately 1.5–2 hours. Royal Walk – 10:00 | Stop #8 Trafalgar Square Jack the Ripper Walk – 13:00 | Stop #19 Tower of London Harry Potter Walking Tour – 16:00 | Stop #21 Westminster Pier
Download the Big Bus Tours app to access and activate your ticket, track buses in real time, and board easily using your mobile ticket.
What To Expect
Duration:2 hours 30 minutes
Operating Schedule:Buses depart every 15-20 mins. The first bus departs from Stop 2: Hard Rock Cafe at 8:30 AM and the last bus departs at 18:00 PM.
Stop 1: Green Park Underground
Stop 2: Hard Rock Cafe
Stop 3: Queen Mother Gates
Stop 4: Marble Arch
Stop 5: Regent Street
Stop 6: Piccadilly Circus
Stop 7: Haymarket (Stop R)
Stop 8: Trafalgar Square
Stop 9: Craig's Court
Stop 10: Horseguards
Stop 11: Whitehall
Stop 12: London Eye (Eastbound)
Stop 13: Waterloo (Eastbound)
Stop 14: Covent Garden
Stop 15: St Paul's Cathedral
Stop 16: Monument (Bus stop P, stop outside Pret)
Stop 17: London Bridge
Stop 18: Southwark (Stop J, at City Hall)
Stop 19: Tower of London
Stop 20: Temple Underground Station
Stop 21: Westminster Pier
Stop 22: London Eye (Westbound)
Stop 23: Lambeth Palace
Stop 24: College Green
Stop 25: Tothill Street
Stop 26: Buckingham Palace
Stop 28: Victoria Station
Duration:3 hours 35 minutes
Operating Schedule:Buses depart every 20 mins. The first bus departs from Stop 4: Marble Arch (Westbound) at 8:31 AM and the last bus departs at 4:18 PM.
Stop 27: Victoria, Nova Complex
Stop 28: Victoria Station
Stop 29: Queen Mother Gates
Stop 30: Marble Arch (Westbound)
Stop 31: Green Park
Stop 32: Hard Rock Cafe
Stop 33: Hyde Park Corner
Stop 34: Harrods
Stop 35: Kensington Museums
Stop 36: Gloucester Road
Stop 37: Kensington Palace
Stop 38: Notting Hill
Stop 39: Kensington Gardens
Stop 40: Thistle Hotel Kensington Gardens
Stop 41: Peter Pan
Stop 42: Lancaster Gate
Stop 43: Paddington Station
Bus Stop 44: Edgware Road
Stop 45: Marble Arch (Eastbound)
Stop 46: Baker Street
Stop 47: Oxford Circus
Stop 5: Regent Street
Stop 6: Piccadilly Circus
Stop 7: Haymarket (Stop R)
Stop 8: Trafalgar Square
Stop 9: Craig's Court
Stop 10: Horseguards
Stop 11: Whitehall
Stop 12: London Eye (Eastbound)
Stop 13: Waterloo (Eastbound)
Stop 14: Covent Garden
Stop 15: St Paul's Cathedral
Stop 16: Monument (Bus stop P, stop outside Pret)v
Stop 17: London Bridge
Stop 18: Southwark (Stop J, at City Hall)
Stop 19: Tower of London
Stop 20: Temple Underground Station
Stop 22: London Eye (Westbound)
Stop 23: Lambeth Palace
Stop 24: College Green
Stop 25: Tothill Street
Stop 26: Buckingham Palace
Duration:1 hour 10 minutes
Operating Schedule:Buses depart every 45mins. The first bus departs from Stop 48: Woburn at 8:30 AM and the last bus departs at 4:30 PM.
Stop 48: Woburn
Stop 49: Euston Station
Stop 50: Kings Cross Station
Stop 51: St Pancras Station
Stop 52: Euston Road
Stop 53: Woburn (Southbound)
Stop 54: British Museum (Southbound)
Stop 20: Temple Underground Station
Stop 14: Covent Garden
Stop 55: British Museum (Northbound)
Options
48-Hour Ticket & Night Tour
Themed Walking Tours: Choose from 3 different themed live guided walking tours. Speak with a member of staff on the day to arrange these tours Duration: 2 days: Unlimited use valid for 48 hours from time of first use. 3 Hop-on, Hop-off Routes: Unlimited Hop-on, Hop-off access for the duration of your ticket. 7:30 PM Panoramic Evening Tour: Departure at London Eye (Stop 11). Full tour lasts 2 hours and is non-stop. With pre-recorded commentary. One-Way River Cruise: Starting at either Tower Pier or Westminster Pier.
24-Hour Ticket & River Cruise
Duration: 1 day: Unlimited use valid for 24 hours from time of first use. 3 Hop-on, Hop-off Routes: Unlimited Hop-on, Hop-off access for the duration of your ticket. One-Way River Cruise: Starting at either Tower Pier or Westminster Pier.
One day Hop-on Hop-off
Duration: 1 day: Unlimited use valid for 1 Day from time of first use. 3 Hop-on, Hop-off Routes: Unlimited Hop-on, Hop-off access for the duration of your ticket.
48-Hour Ticket & River Cruise
Duration: 2 days: Unlimited use valid for 48 hours from time of first use. 3 Hop-on, Hop-off Routes: Unlimited Hop-on, Hop-off access for the duration of your ticket. Themed Walking Tours: Choose from 3 different themed walking tours, please speak to a member of staff on the day. One-Way River Cruise: Starting at either Tower Pier or Westminster Pier.
What‘s Included
Recorded Commentary Available in 7 Languages
One-day, 24- or 48-hour hop-on hop-off bus ticket (depending on option selected)
Royal Walk, Harry Potter, and Jack the Ripper
2-Hour Non-Stop Panoramic Evening Tour (Available With Selected Ticket Option)
Headphones
Free Wi-Fi On Board
One-Way Thames River Cruise (Included With 24- and 48-Hour Tickets Only)
3 guided walking tours (with 48-hour options)
Food and drinks
Hotel Pick-up & Drop-off
Cancellation Policy
For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours before the scheduled departure time.
Reviews
11,054 reviews
Total reviews and rating from Viator & Tripadvisor
Great for a lazy rainy day
SingleMumTravels,Jun 28, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00We found this to be fantastic for a lazy trip around the city to sightsee on a rainy day, no way we would have been able to see everything in the time we had without using the big bus. Yes it can be slow due to traffic and yes the audio will talk about something to still come or something that has past, but we still enjoyed it and tried our hand at the random trivia questions it'll do. The river cruise was handy too to get back towards our hotel from Tower of London
Long slow routes
kathydG7254CC,Jun 27, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
2.00The bus routes are very slow. And not that practical. It was during a heat wave so that’ did not help. But I don’t think the amount of time it takes to do the route is practical for sightseeing.
Disappointed tour
Footprints230476,Jun 27, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
2.00The tour audio guide was horrible. The guide did not point out the historical buildings as we drove along the route. The audio was more focused on which celebrities were from London and play their music. The childish script was annoying. The stop numbers were not announced or announced after the stop. After experiencing the wonderful Edinburgh: Hop on Hop off, Big Bus was very disappointing.
Book direct thru Big Bus
Michelle A,Jun 27, 2026
- Review from Viator
1.00Buy your tickets directly thru Big Bus. We had a travel delay and asked to have our ticket date changed. Activity provider never responded to chat and number does not take calls. We had a 48 hour ticket and lost both days because we weren’t available the first day. Big bus said if I had booked direct they could have changed it. Asked Viator for refund since we couldn’t use the tickets and they denied it. So we lost money for tickets we couldn’t use.
Fun and easy to use.
SantaCruzTuckers,Jun 26, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00Fun and easy to use. I thought the audio could've been better. I had a hard time know what exact building they were referring to.
Make sure you’re aware there is no air conditioning on the first level
Patrick W,Jun 26, 2026
- Review from Viator
1.00I missed that there is not air conditioning on the lower level of the bus. Therefore I was not able to use the bus because it was so hot and I have health concerns.
Great overview of London, but skip it on hot days!
RahulMK,Jun 26, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
4.00Took the Big Bus Tour to get a good layout of the city and it didn’t disappoint. It hits all the major landmarks and gives you a solid, stress-free overview of London. However, a major word of warning: if the weather is hot, the top deck becomes an absolute furnace with zero shade, and sitting stuck in traffic gets uncomfortable fast. Overall, it’s a great tour and highly worth it—just check the forecast before you book!
The buses are stuck in...
Kellie P,Jun 26, 2026
- Review from Viator
1.00The buses are stuck in traffic most of the time and you can walk faster to a location rather than sit on the non air conditioned bus.
Don’t Use Big Bus London
amandatI8966DG,Jun 26, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00I’ve taken Big Bus tours in other cities so I picked it again in London and was very disappointed. I picked a two day tour because there was a lot I wanted to see. They advertise buses running 10-20 minutes, but I waited 30 minutes every time for the bus. I like the bus tours for the commentary, however, rather than having someone giving commentary over the speaker, they use headphones. This makes sense due to language differences, however, the commentary was annoying, filled with music, and light on information. In addition, the buses were so crowded, you often couldn’t get a seat meaning you also couldn’t plug into a headphone jack to hear the commentary making the whole tour an expensive and slow bus ride. We gave up halfway through the day. I asked for a refund for the second day which they refused. Go with any other hop on/off bus as they came much more often and had plenty of room as we watched them come and go at the same stops we waited at forever.
Terrible experience.
Rebecca P,Jun 26, 2026
- Review from Tripadvisor
1.00Terrible experience. No information no buses on route.
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