15 Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tours in London to Build a Day Around

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’s major sights from an open-top double-decker bus, using three routes and many stops near Buckingham Palace, the Tower, St. Paul’s, museums, and Covent Garden. Choose a one-day, 24-hour, or 48-hour ticket. The longer options add a one-way Thames cruise, walking tours, and selected evening sightseeing.

“Great way to see London! We loved the variety of routes and having the app was so helpful to see when the busses were arriving.”

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

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

See London from an open-top double-decker bus on three routes covering Westminster, Buckingham Palace, the Tower, St Paul’s, Kensington, and King’s Cross. Your pass also includes a Thames sightseeing cruise, audio commentary, children’s commentary, and an app for tracking buses and finding stops.

“Tootbus locations not well signed. Poor directions given by attendants. Very complicated process. Would not choose this hop on hop off in the future.”

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

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

Use Gray Line’s open-top buses to reach sights from the London Eye and Tower of London to Buckingham Palace, Kensington, and Notting Hill. Audio comes in 12 languages, with kid-friendly commentary and live guides on selected Blue Route buses. A one-way Thames cruise is included with the 24-hour ticket.

“Don't waste your money and time. Worst tour experience I've ever had. Audio awful. Staff not helpful. Viator not responsive with poor experience.”

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4.Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing River Cruise on the Thames

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 1,256 reviews · 1 hour (approx.) · from $33

Use a 24-hour City Cruises pass to sail between Westminster, London Eye, Tower, and Greenwich piers. Sit in the glass saloon or open deck, hear onboard commentary, and hop off for sights along the Thames. Check return times carefully, since the final boat can leave early.

“Smooth and easy; informative overview; easy access, polite staff and comfortable trip. Live commentary was excellent”

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

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

Ride London’s open-top double-deckers on red, blue, and green routes linking Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, the Tower, Harrods, museums, and the British Museum. Choose 1 to 72 hours, add a Thames cruise on longer tickets, and use the City Sightseeing app for live bus tracking.

“Very easy and a great way to see the city! Particularly enjoyed The Thames River cruise. It was well done and very interesting!”

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6.Hop-On Hop-Off 1 Day River Thames Adventure – Uber Boat

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 707 reviews · 1 day (approx.) · from $34

Use one day of unlimited Uber Boat by Thames Clippers travel between Putney and Barking Riverside. Board at Westminster, Tower, Greenwich, or other piers, then hop off for sights such as the London Eye, Tower of London, Tate Modern, and Cutty Sark. Bring your mobile ticket and allow time for activation.

“Great time all the themes river in the middle of the night seeing all the lights in London and its greatest moments”

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7.London Tootbus Hop-on Hop-off (Optional Thames Cruise)

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 483 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $48

See central London from an open-top double-decker on 24-, 48-, or 72-hour passes. Ride three routes to landmarks including Westminster, St Paul’s, the Tower, Kensington, Notting Hill, King’s Cross, and the British Museum. Use the Tootbus app for tracking, commentary, and four walking tours.

“We waited 2 hours for a Tootbus bus to come, and our group is seniors. Some with challenges walking. To stand 2 hours! There is too much to write pls get ahold of me, as I want my money back. Horrible day. Group not happy. [email protected]. Thanks Lesley BR10870802015”

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8.London Eye Ticket, Big Bus Hop-on Hop-Off Tour & River Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 275 reviews · 3 hours 35 minutes (approx.) · from $82

Use a 24 or 48-hour Big Bus ticket, ride open-top routes past London’s major sights, take a one-way City Cruises trip between Westminster and Tower Pier, and visit the London Eye. Pre-book your Eye time and redeem the mobile voucher before leaving the bus.

“Loads of traffic, only rode the bus to 2 destinations. Did not allow time for cruise. (London eye was nice.)”

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9.Edinburgh Rail Trip from London with Castle entry and Hop-on Hop-off bus

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 227 reviews · 16 hours (approx.) · from $329

Travel from London King’s Cross to Edinburgh by reserved-seat train, then explore independently with a hop-on hop-off bus ticket and Edinburgh Castle entry. You get roughly five to six hours in the city, no guide, and a very early start.

“Excellent experience! Emailed company to get me different train tickets and they did. Wonderful time! Got to see castle and a lot of the town. Definitely recommend!!”

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10.IFS Cable Car + Uber Boat Hop-On Hop-Off 1 Day River Pass

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 186 reviews · 1 to 16 hours (approx.) · from $50

Use one day of unlimited Uber Boat travel between Putney and Barking Riverside, then ride the IFS Cloud Cable Car over the Thames. You can board at piers near Westminster, Tower Bridge, Greenwich, Battersea, and North Greenwich, but plan your stops carefully because boats and cable cars follow separate schedules.

“First, we had a difficulty getting the bar code. I had all my information but they said I needed my bar code. Took two hours working on it, the guy at the dock tried to help. After that: The Uber Boat Hop is nice way to travel London. I didn't think the Cable car was anything special, way outside the main city. Wast of time traveling there.”

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11.Tower of London with London Hop-On Hop-Off Tour and River Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 112 reviews · 3 hours 35 minutes (approx.) · from $106

Pair the Tower of London and Crown Jewels with a 24-hour Big Bus pass and one-way Thames cruise. Audio commentary, WiFi, and flexible central London stops are included. Plan carefully around traffic, since a short visit can become a long ride.

“This trip was a nightmare. We were on the bus for three hours trying to get to our Tower of London tour. On the same road for an hour and did not make our tour! No mention of earphones so we had no idea what was going on. No information by driver on anything. Wasted day in London!! Three travelers not happy!!”

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12.TopView® 24 Hr Hop on Hop off Bus Tour with River Cruise & Walks

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 87 reviews · 1 day (approx.) · from $49

Use one 24-hour ticket for TopView London’s hop-on hop-off buses, a one-way City Cruises trip between Westminster and Tower piers, and up to three London walking tours. The English-language package covers Westminster, the City, Buckingham Palace, Kensington, Notting Hill, and a London Lights route.

“The experience was very good. The drivers were friendly. The bus was clean. I also felt very safe. Highly recommended”

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13.TopView® 48 Hr Hop on Hop off Bus Tour with River Cruise & Walks

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 83 reviews · 2 days (approx.) · from $75

See London from an open-top double-decker bus, then add a Thames River cruise and guided walks such as Parks and Palace and Jack the Ripper. Your 48-hour pass covers major sights from Marble Arch to the Tower of London, with freedom to hop on and off.

“The voucher numbers supplied by Viator did not work in app to download my tickets. Spoke with top view reps who said that no tickets had been issued to me by them after looking up both the booking number and confirmation number. I was told there was nothing top view could do and to contact Viator. Requested refund and was denied as stated my fault I was not able to fulfill my trip plans. Plus I had to pay additional money for an on the spot ticket. Will not use again after this trip”

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14.Harry Potter Walk, Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour and Cruise

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 61 reviews · from $94

Start at Trafalgar Square for an English-led Harry Potter walking tour, then use your same-day City Sightseeing bus ticket and one-way Thames cruise to see London’s major sights. Guides such as Matt and Lew add local stories, while the Vox City app supplies nine self-guided walks for later exploring.

“Excellent guide. Enjoyed the Harry Potter details and the sites of England were great to see. Getting the bus and river cruise tickets were a bit off a chore as we didn’t more exactly which bus to get on and had to ask around for more detailed information. But once we had them, the bus and river rides were great.”

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15.Hop on Hop off Bus Tour (24h)

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 57 reviews · from $44

Use a 24-hour TopView London ticket to explore two routes at your own pace. The Landmarks route links St. Paul’s, the Tower, Big Ben, and the London Eye, while Parks and Palaces reaches Harrods, the V&A, Kensington, and Diana Memorial Gardens.

“If you want to see the town this is the way to go. The stops were perfect and we got to see almost everything.”

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