We always like to spend a day driving around a major city to see the different sites and…read moreattractions. We purchased a 24 hr pass at our hotel. This company offers a few different routes with stops along the way so you can get on and off. Buses run about every 20 minutes depending on traffic but only run till about 630pm. They also include walking tours and a boat cruise with your paid ticket. You can either sit inside downstairs or outside upstairs. Upstairs is usually full. They provide a set of earplugs so you can hear the narrative as you go along. A good way to see a big city..weather permitting.

Disappointing Experience with Big Bus London…read more When we visit a new city with attractions spread out across a large area, we typically book a Big Bus Tour for the first day or two. It's a convenient way to get an overview of the city, learn some history, and figure out where everything is located. In London, having three different routes covering even the farther areas of the city seemed like an especially good option. We purchased a 48-hour pass that included the bus tours, a Royal Walking Tour, and a Thames River cruise. Unfortunately, our experience was much more disappointing than expected. On our first day, we planned to take the Royal Walking Tour. When we arrived at the designated meeting point, we were told the tour had been canceled that day and that we could try again the following day. Unfortunately, that didn't work for our schedule because the tour included the Changing of the Guard, which only takes place twice a week, and we were leaving London before the next opportunity. The following day, we planned to take the Thames River cruise from London Bridge to Westminster. Two cruises were canceled back-to-back, leaving us waiting more than two hours for the next one. The buses themselves were another major issue. We found them to be extremely overcrowded, making it difficult to get a seat and, at times, even difficult to get onto the bus. Waiting for the next bus didn't necessarily solve the problem because there was no guarantee it wouldn't be just as full. We understand that London is a busy city and that occasional delays or cancellations can happen. However, when you purchase a 48-hour pass based on the attractions and transportation included, multiple cancellations, long waits, and overcrowded buses significantly diminish the value of the experience. We've used Big Bus Tours in other cities and have generally found them to be a great way to get oriented when visiting somewhere new. Unfortunately, our experience with Big Bus London was very different. Overall, we were very disappointed with Big Bus London during our visit. The concept is excellent, but based on our experience, the service and reliability did not live up to what we expected from a 48-hour pass.

This was not exactly as expected…read more I booked an afternoon tea experience with my friend on our first day in London. We got on the bus and the server was delightful. We got a few savory as well as sweet options. We chose a fruit tea and got a cup as a souvenir. The experience was advertised as 1 hr 30 min, the entire length ended up being 2 hr 20 minutes. Was I mad? No. I was a little bit annoyed that I had to adjust our time slot at the national gallery. Food was okay, a little cold.

We booked despite the bad reviews because it was the only way to get Harry Potter tickets during…read moreour quickly planned trip. We read the reviews and understood we were going to need some patience. The problem with many reviews were the meeting instructions (via TripAdvisor) so we went to the Baker Street location a day early to scout it out. We could not find signage for Golden Tours. We did see a Harry Potter bus dropping off a group and assumed (wrongly) that the spot was also the meeting spot. Actually they do have a location (store front) near the Baker street stop. It is not on Baler Street. If you come out of the tube and turn away from the wax museum, you will find their store from down the next block. That is the meeting spot point for tours! Very important thing to know and find -- because you have to meet there to get your tickets beforehand. We missed our bus time despite arriving 45 minutes early. The staff was less than kind about this part of the trip and made no apologies for the lack of directions. They gave us headphones but there was no movie on our bus. We had set our expectations low for our son, due to the reviews so we didn't mind -- but there were some disappointed families near us. The bus was clean enough but no WiFi and the phone charges didn't work on most seats. The driver for this portion of our trip was great and very helpful given that he had to help us find someone on site to get our Entry tickets. Despite the set backs, we finally had tickets in hand and enjoyed the studio tour from here on out on our own. The trip back was easy enough but this bus driver was less friendly and at one point was screaming at another driver along a busy street in London. We actually found it comical and thought it added to the busy city feel, but I could see how many guests would find this very unsettling. All in all, it is OK if this is the way you can get entry tickets to something on your must see list, but if you have options - I'd try another company.

Great reviews on Yelp guided us to The English Bus for our tour of Stonehenge. I liked the idea of…read morea small group tour. We had a great experience! We easily booked on line a couple months in advance of our trip to Stonehenge, Bath and a Secret Place. I had a few questions, which were answered quickly through email. Instructions and itinerary were provided after we bought we tickets. Additional and helpful information was sent a few day prior to our trip. Noelh, our tour guide, was knowledgable, interesting and fun from the moment he picked us up in London. He provided information beyond the tour stops. He was engaging and had a good understanding of the geology of Stonehenge as well as the historical background. He made well time stops for breaks. We spent about two hours at Stonehenge, two hours at Bath and an hour at the Secret Place. The Secret Place was worth the extra and I highly recommend. Noelh offered a brief and interesting walking tour at each site and left us time to explore on our own. We were allowed to bring snacks on the bus but we didn't need them because we stopped plenty at places for food and drink. Noelh provided water. Bring water and rain gear. There were UBC ports for phone charging on the bus. The bus was very comfortable. Noelh was sensitive to a woman that was having mobility issues and arranged for her to skip part of the walking tour. I enjoyed Stonehenge and the Secret Place immensely, I was glad I saw Bath, but it was too crowded during our visit. Others on the tour really loved Bath. I highly recommend The English Bus tours.

Tommy was awesome! We loved Bath! Go to the places he suggests. The Cotswolds were lovely and we…read moregot to see where "War Horse" was filmed. Stonehenge is incredible. How people got those rocks in those spots aligned with the solstice- it's baffling with their simple tools.

Awesome experience and one of the trip itinerary's highlights. The overall trip was a gift, so the…read moretour was already factored in. The reservation was set day's prior, so we arrived early in the day and had the freedom to ride to various attrractions and exit the bus at places that we wanted to visit specifically. The bus was never overly crowded as there were many buses on the road at any given time. It was great. The earphones were provided at the beginning of the trip. They were only for listening to tour information. This is the first time that I chose to do the touristy thing in London, but it was definitely a memorable experience. I got to see and visit all of the popular tourist attractions. I don't think we missed anything within all areas of Central London. Though it is not necessary at this point, it is something that I would consider doing again.

This was a great excursion and a great deal for the price. We spend an entire day riding around on…read morethis bus and getting on and off at different locations. I highly recommend it to cover the most ground, especially if it's only a short trip like ours was.

I love the Sandeman's tours! We have done them in Brussels, Amsterdam, and London and they have…read morealways been great! In London, we did 2 separate tours, the free 2.5 hour walking tour (just FYI make sure to tip at the end) and the Old City Tour which lasted about 3-3.5 hours. The free walking tour was a great introduction to the city and meets in Covent Garden, which is centrally located on several underground lines. We went through Westminster, Trafalgar Square, and past the National Gallery. We also walked past St. Jame's Palace and Buckingham Palace and through St. James Park. We saw the Horse Guards Parade and witnessed the changing of the guard at Buckingham Palace. We saw Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament, and the Churchill War Rooms. Our guide was originally from Portugal but really knew his London history and culture after living there for 12 years. He definitely made the tour entertaining and informative. The Old City Tour focused on the City of London (which is actually incredibly small) and its history. We began in Covent Garden and ended at the Tower of London. In between we saw the tower bridge, London Bridge (it's not impressive actually), Big Ben, St. Paul's Cathedral, The Church of the Knights Templar, Mansion House, the Bank of England, the Royal Exchange, the WWII Blitz area, where the fire of London began, and the barristers courts. We also saw the old jail and the current courthouse. Our tour guide was actually originally from Canada and is a history teacher in London. He was very entertaining, perhaps less theatrical than our first guide, but more historically informed. I believe the tickets were 12 or 15 pounds each. Sandeman's is a great company and I highly recommend all of their tours in the cities they have them in!

When you have a day layover, there is so many sights to see when traveling. I remember to…read moreparticipate a tour when I visit Munich, so that we could see a good amount of sites. We did free tour with Dave. He was super great! When we did this tour it was on and off raining. So these tours happen rain or shine. The tour was focused on the castle aka the royal tour. We were taken to many photo spots and I love all the context we get. Dave the tour guide was so knowledgeable and super kind. On these tour he tells your tips on how to navigate around the city and etiquette. He was willing to give recommendations and directions when the tour ends too. Remember that these tours had a lot of research done and that you should tip as much you think it is worth. These tours are such worth it as they can build some structure on the trip. I look forward booking with Sandman's tour company again. :)

We absolutely adored our full day tour of the Cotswolds and Oxford from London! It was a wonderful…read moreway to experience the beauty, history and charm of the English countryside! Our guide, Charlie, was fantastic, kind, friendly and incredibly knowledgeable. Our lovely driver, John, also made the journey both comfortable and enjoyable. The Cotswolds were breathtaking! Burford and Bourton on the Water were beautiful, picturesque villages that truly felt like stepping into another world. We loved driving through the rolling countryside and charming stone villages! Oxford was another highlight! We enjoyed exploring the historic university city, admiring the beautiful college buildings and seeing landmarks including the Christ Church Cathedral. Charlie and John made the entire experience so enjoyable! We highly recommend this tour. It was a wonderful and unforgettable day!

Disclaimer: The poor review is due to the bus being so uncomfortable and hot!…read more My husband and I booked Day Tours London via Viator.com for a day trip to the Stonehenge. The meeting point was easy to find and conveniently located near central London (we met across the street from the Museum of Natural History) at 7:30 AM. We departed shortly after as scheduled. Our tour guide Sinead and driver Richard were fabulous! My main complaint is the bus itself. The seats were very uncomfortable! Secondly, the bus did not have windows, and that day it was so hot in London (80 degrees F/26.6 degrees C), but the air conditioning was not working. We were basically baking inside the bus for 2 hours back from Stonehenge to London! The Stonehenge was beautiful! Definitely a must see!

Piss poor service and they are not reliable. They drove by my stops on three separate occasions…read moreand then shut down service. Use another company if you can

I've used Big Bus tours before. Not in London, but other countries in Europe. It was a good time…read more Sadly, this tour in London was not a good time. There wasn't enough buses going. We waited at bus stops for what felt like 15 minutes. And saw 2-3 other buses from Toot and Top View come by during the time we were waiting. Maybe we should pick another bus company next time. The stops promised a historical landmark or palace etc. Some of the stops didn't even take you to the proposed destination. For example, I wanted to see Kensington Palace. We drove past the stop for Kensington palace, but didn't get to see it. Same with a couple other spots. You don't actually drive by it. You'd have to get off the bus and walk for days to get there. This can be troublesome in the rain. Speaking of the rain, let's talk about that. It rains a lot in London. So, you'd think that the Big Bus tours would have an overhead coverage for the entire top deck. Wouldn't that make sense? Only the first couple rows are covered. And the audio doesn't work on all of the seats at the top. Probably because the rain ruined the mechanics. The audio on the tour was terrible. It would announce a location after we already passed it. So, you wouldn't even know what to look for or when. Super annoying. You literally had to track along the route on the app, listen to the audio and try to figure out what to take photos of. Oh and then figure out which stops you need to get off and walk to. It's just too much. The bus is supposed to be relaxing and easy to see the sights. This wasn't it.

Be VERY careful when you buy your ticket to advise which route you want…read more They will not ask and assume and you could possibly spend 20 minutes running from stop to stop. Ticket takers are less than helpful or knowledgeable from this experience #victoriastation

Finished our month long tour from Aus with my daughter by getting a tour with these guys…read more Best thing we did, tickets issued quickly and expert suggestions made on what to do. Lunch at St Katherine dock, a trip up the Thames on a boat and a trip around the city. Guide was great both on the bus and on the boat, funny, informative, clear and concise. If anyone wants to see London go visit the Big Bus Tour ticket booth at Victoria Street, just outside the station, it capped the month off excellently.

We booked this dinning experience as a way to see the city and the holiday lights, while having a…read morenice meal. The experience was nice and I would probably recommend this to others. Excellent way to see the city and cover a lot of ground, so to speak. We were fortunate to be sitting next to some locals, so they helped to narrate the buildings in the areas that we were driving by. Big help! The biggest challenge was finding the meeting spot. A bit frustrating but we managed to finally find the group in time, so give yourself time on the front end! The food was good, but the service was just average. The server would deliver drinks and meals to the 3 men directly next to us and then we'd wait for 15-20 minutes until we got any attention - really odd. They need coaching or more experienced wait staff to deliver in a sequence down the bus by sections.

This was definitely a unique experience for me and my husband. We hadn't done a dinner bus tour…read morepreviously, so we weren't quite sure what to expect. I'll caveat this by saying that our trip consisted of going to London & Paris, and we did the dinner tour in both locations. If it were just the London experience, I might have rated this 3 stars but the Paris one was clearly better .. I'll get more into that in my Paris review. But here were my thoughts of our London experience. First, it was probably more confusing than it needed to be to find the bus; when you enter in the address given on the website, maps puts you at a location inside the park, which closes way before the bus arrives for the dinner tour, so you're to actually arrive at the bus stop right outside the park. We had done the dinner & drink experience, so we were given champagne when we boarded. The menu was comprised of a tuna tartare, beet root tartare, pan seared cod, beef fillet, Brie cheese course, and a cream filled pastry for dessert. Overall, I thought it was a pretty well planned menu given that it was served on a bus, with sizable portions. There were components of each dish that I enjoyed but overall, things often looked better than they tasted (a bit bland). I believe our host's name was Jackson; he was great. There was another lady who seemed like she'd rather be anywhere else than on the bus and really took away from our experience. I had asked for a couple of things (more water and an extra utensil for dessert) and didn't get them. While we did the dinner tour because it covered more ground, I'd probably recommend lunch, if at all, to be able to see the sites. I'm not sure if it was a WiFi issue but the map didn't load for us and there were only a couple of sites mentioned to us so we didn't known where we were. With it being dark and the lights in the bus being on, it was hard to see outside.