Vintage London Bus Tour Including Cruise with London Eye option
4.5
LIKELY TO SELL OUT*
Vintage London Bus Tour Including Cruise with London Eye option
By Premium Tours - London Tours
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About
Take in London from two different perspectives on this sightseeing tour, which combines a bus tour with a cruise on the Thames. Start with a ride on a vintage double-decker Routemaster bus that passes by St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, the Tower of London, and Buckingham Palace, and the short sightseeing Thames River cruise takes in waterside attractions.
Lowest price guaranteeReserve now & pay laterFree cancellation
Ages 0-99, max of 40 per group
Duration: 3h 30m
Start time: Check availability
Mobile ticket
Live guide: English
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Highlights
- An ideal introduction to London for people with limited time
- Packages with and without the London Eye are available
- Open-top double-decker buses run in summer for clear views
- Hear live commentary from your guide
- Panoramic tour of London by 1960's Vintage bus
- Thames River cruise
- London Eye (if option selected)
- Entry to Stonehenge (if option selected)
- Local guide
- Entry/Admission - Thames River
What's not included- Gratuities
- Food and drinks, unless specified
- Hotel pickup and drop-off
- Entry/Admission - Westminster Abbey
- Entry/Admission - Tower of London
- Start:
- Victoria Coach Station, 164 Buckingham Palace Rd, London SW1W 9TP, UKLocated on 164 Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria, London, SW1W 9TP, approximately 7 minute walk from Victoria Underground/Railway station. Tour departs inside the building at Gate 19 at 7:45am (for AM tour) and Gate 0 at 1pm (for PM tour). Boarding starts 15 minutes before the departure time stated.
End:- Victoria St, London SW1E 5ND, UKEnd point may be different depends on option selected
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Infants must sit on laps
If you have questions about accessibility, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2452ROUTEMASTER- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Please note: this is an open top bus tour, please be prepared for the possibility of rain. On rare occasions the open top bus may be changed to a closed top bus
- The Changing the Guard at Buckingham Palace takes place in the morning only on Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday (subject to availability). When there is no Changing of the Guards we still stop for a photo outside/near the Palace.
- For 'Tour & Stonehenge' option - A vintage bus is used for the morning part of the tour. For the afternoon part (Stonehenge tour), air-conditioned coach is used. Luggage space is available for the Afternoon tour only.
- This experience requires good weather. If it’s canceled due to poor weather, you’ll be offered a different date or a full refund
- This experience requires a minimum number of travelers. If it’s canceled because the minimum isn’t met, you’ll be offered a different date/experience or a full refund
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 40 travelers
- For a full refund, cancel at least 24 hours in advance of the start date of the experience.
- If you have questions about this tour or need help making your booking, we’d be happy to help. Just call the number below and reference the product code: 2452ROUTEMASTER
From
$62.03
per adult
Select date and travelers
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Itinerary
- Victoria Coach Station, 164 Buckingham Palace Rd, London SW1W 9TP, UKLocated on 164 Buckingham Palace Road, Victoria, London, SW1W 9TP, approximately 7 minute walk from Victoria Underground/Railway station. Tour departs inside the building at Gate 19 at 7:45am (for AM tour) and Gate 0 at 1pm (for PM tour). Boarding starts 15 minutes before the departure time stated.
- 1
- 2Pass byHouses of ParliamentBig BenWhitehallTrafalgar SquareRoyal Courts of JusticeSt. Paul's Cathedral
- 3
- 4Pass byLondon BridgeShakespeare's Globe TheatreLondon Eye
- Victoria St, London SW1E 5ND, UKEnd point may be different depends on option selected
About the operator
Don’t take it from us – here’s what people have to say about this operator:
- Q8917BOdavidf0 contributionsAWESOMESt. Nick and Hader were excellent. Nick kept the trip informative and fun and the Driver Hader mad the trip smooth like a boat ride without the swells. Very long day pack with interesting sites . Highly recommend.Written February 11, 2025
- marinatY7842DY0 contributionsSTONEHENGE & BATHWe had a great trip to Stonehenge and Bath, UK. Our tour guide James was very knowledgeable and humorous. He took us on a walking tour in Bath and provided tips on what to eat n what to patronise in Bath. He had so many great facts about the city and throughout the drive and was helpful. Our driver Robert was also wonderful. He made it a safe and pleasant journey for us. Highly recommend this tour. Both sites are amazing.Written February 10, 2025
- Roam424706943450 contributionsA fun tripA fantastic trip, we enjoyed the walks, Our tour guide James and Robert are very nice people, strongly recommended.Written February 9, 2025
- Yik Bun Y0 contributionsStonehenge and BathJames and Robert are exceptional. James is a captivating guide who delivers clear and informative insights, making the experience engaging. Meanwhile, Robert drives skillfully, ensuring our comfort throughout the journey.Written February 9, 2025
- christinamN2486ZA0 contributionsStonehenge and Bath tourWe had a great trip to Stonehenge and Bath, UK. Our tour guide James was very knowledgeable. He took us on a walking tour in Bath and had so many great facts about the city and throughout the drive. Our driver Robert was also wonderful. I highly recommend this tour. Both sites are incredible,Written February 9, 2025
- gabympm0 contributionsNice trip!Love our guide James! Really funny and easy to understand. Made the trip so nice to have plus our driver was really friendly and always on time!Written February 9, 2025
- Aracely L0 contributions100/10I had an amazing day thanks to this tour! Eugene (tour guide) and Miguel (driver) are wonderful people!!! They make the experience unforgettable. Thank you so much!!!Written February 8, 2025
- T7745AVmichaelf0 contributionsA must do when you are in London!Eugene was most entertaining and very knowledgeable about the history of our destinations! Ricardo got us to each site safely and on time. His ability to maneuver the tight streets was miraculous! We loved everything about this tour. Definitely recommend!!!Written February 6, 2025
- V4833MBdavidg0 contributionsAction packed and InformativeWe really enjoyed this tour!! Be prepared for a full day and very action-packed and very time sensitive tour. Cuz we're seeing so many things and the span of 12 hours or so obviously timing is critical if things run 10 minutes late for each location that's an additional hour of time. We were first in line for Windsor Castle. Eugene and Ricardo really provided great service. Eugene has an excellent working knowledge of every topic that he discussed from ancient history as well more modern history. It was a real pleasure and we enjoyed his commentary and insights. We recommend this tour. PS The lunch was good as well.Written February 6, 2025
- kimberlymB6011QA0 contributionsThe tour itself was great, but the transportation was notThe Harry Potter exhibit itself was amazing. I’d do it again. The information after booking with transportation was correct but there was a lot of confusion by everyone about whether we were at the correct pick up gate. There are no signs until just before boarding and there is no one from premium tours until just before boarding. The bus driver was not helpful. You don’t get your entry tickets until you get off the bus at the studio which made people a bit nervous. Then we had to take a photo of the bus license plate when getting off to ensure we got back on the correct bus as they came and went to pick up others but we had to return on the same bus.Written February 6, 2025
- Kimberly M0 contributionsAmazingExcellent tour guide and wonderfully planned tour. This is a beautiful area. The driver was great as well. We were in a comfortable van.Written February 5, 2025
- S4439BAjanetd0 contributionsAmazing once in a lifetime experience from LONHad an amazing tour with Nicholas and driver Miguel. Was a once in a lifetime experience at two UNESCO sites that could not be seen properly on a screen. Such an exceptional experience. Nick was so knowledgeable about the two sites bath and Stonehenge. Lots of good jokes and Nicholas and Miguel seemed to feed off of each others energy. We had a great time with lots of laughs and the best part was how timely and on schedule we were. The group was polite and respectful and TIMELY. I cannot stress that enough. Don’t be that dude who derails the trip by making the group wait for you. Nick was so nice and even gave us 5 min after the allotted time to make it back for those stragglers . So if you get left, it was all on you. Be an adult and take ownership for it. Anywhoo five stars and Nick has Iived in London all his life so has a lot of good recommendations for sites, food, and fun facts! Highly recommend!Written February 4, 2025
- DagnyO0 contributionsI do recommend this tourIt was fun to sneak a peek behind the scenes. We arrived earlier than expected and got to have a cup of coffee and browse the store before going in to see the "magic" behind the Harry Potter films. They calculated the time perfectly, so we went through the tour, got to do all the extra stuff - like finding all the golden snitches and fairies, and had our lunch in the middle of the tour, and we still had enough time to browse and shop at the end of it and had about ten minutes to spare before we had to go back to the bus. The ride home was altered due to Chinese New Year road closures, but the driver's alterations went smoothly, and I think everybody was happy with them.Written February 4, 2025
- Z200BWsamantham0 contributionsAmazing experienceThis experience was absolutely amazing, We took our 14year old son and he loved it, he has a hidden disability and they where absolutely fab with him, he didn't have to que, there is a sensory room that they can fo and have a child moment too. All in all the experience was fantastic and staff where awesome 👌Written February 4, 2025
- mmhuish0 contributionsInclusive, Excellent staff and a great place to visit!It was a wonderful experience, we’ve been many times before but what stood out for us was the very helpful and kind Kieran. He took time to show my husband how to pull the mandrakes up, he also tried to guide my husband and spoke with a kind, caring nature and was not rushing us at all. My husband has Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and people like Kieran make outdoor experiences all the more special and memorable. We were in the second half of the tour (animatronics and set deigns) Luca approached us and shared gems and secrets from the sets. He was very knowledgeable and kind too - he had finished his shift but took the time to show us things in each section. Thank you to both Kieran and Luca - you’re an asset to studio tour! They made the whole experience inclusive, unlike other places who do not make experiences inclusive.Written February 4, 2025
These reviews are the subjective opinions of Tripadvisor members and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.
Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.
Popular mentions
4.5
179 reviews
Excellent
115
Very good
34
Average
15
Poor
7
Terrible
8
HJH
Sunshine Coast, Australia13 contributions
Jun 2024 • Family
Excellent tour - we had Alan as our tour guide who was fabulous - very informative without being boring & a great sense of humour.
If your time is limited or you just want a taster of what to do so you can return to the areas that interest you - this is the trip for you. Highly recommend doing the early morning tour if you can as much quieter for viewing Buckingham Palace before the crowds.
If your time is limited or you just want a taster of what to do so you can return to the areas that interest you - this is the trip for you. Highly recommend doing the early morning tour if you can as much quieter for viewing Buckingham Palace before the crowds.
Written June 15, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Makiko K
2 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
We participated in a vintage bus tour with a Thames River cruise. The email we received included detailed information about the meeting place and check-in method, so we arrived without any worries. There was a staff member waiting for us inside the station building, so we were able to check in smoothly. An old-fashioned vintage bus, people walking by spotted this wonderful bus and took pictures. We were lucky to be able to sit in the open space on the second floor of this retro bus. Our guide, John, is very knowledgeable and has a great service spirit. He was kind throughout the tour, both on and off the bus. At Buckingham Palace, John took a lot of photos of us, the tour guests. He was a really kind gentleman.
At first, we had planned to walk around London on our own plan, so we gave up on sightseeing in the city. However, thanks to this tour, we were able to see all the sights in London in half a day. We were very satisfied with just the bus tour, but surprisingly, we took a Thames River cruise at the end.
The view of Big Ben from the bow was amazing.
Thank you to John and all the staff for your kindness
At first, we had planned to walk around London on our own plan, so we gave up on sightseeing in the city. However, thanks to this tour, we were able to see all the sights in London in half a day. We were very satisfied with just the bus tour, but surprisingly, we took a Thames River cruise at the end.
The view of Big Ben from the bow was amazing.
Thank you to John and all the staff for your kindness
Written August 27, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Ellie B
3 contributions
Jul 2023 • Family
What a lovely afternoon! I wanted to see all the sights of London and what better way than from a Vintage Open Top Bus! My husband had grown up in the East End and for him it was also a ‘trip down memory lane’ travelling on a bus similar to the one he went to school on. We got to see all the well known buildings, historical and contemporary- Westminster and the clock tower housing Big Ben looked particularly stunning. The guide Steven was very knowledgeable and kept us entertained- we even liked his jokes! We felt that the tour was very well organised and very good value- we were on the go from 1pm until around 4.30pm and included a lovely Thames Cruise to finish off our tour. We very much enjoyed every minute.
Written July 6, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kate F
1 contribution
Jul 2023 • Family
I booked this tour the morning of the day of the tour. Luckily I took a screen shot of my confirmation because I got NO confirmation email. It took me almost an hour to even figure out who to call to get a confirmation and determine where we needed to go to meet the tour. I spent almost another 40 minutes on the phone with an agent to get everything straight (agent was very helpful)... but that literally left me with 45 minutes to take 3 trains to get into London (with no time to spare). On the way I rang the tour company to let them know we would be arriving just as the tour would be starting. I was told they would hold the bus for 5 minutes. My daughter and I literally RAN once off of the last train and arrived at 5 minutes after the start time.... at which point we were told that we would be charged an additional 72 pounds because we were late!!! I explained that we were never sent the voucher or confirmation and was rudely told that they would address it later but to expect a charge. I was furious! That said, the tour director was quite nice and told us not to worry about it. The tour was pretty good (though it was difficult to hear on the top floor of the bus). We did see a lot and quite enjoyed the boat tour down the Thames. I won't be booking another tour through Trip Advisor and had better not get charged the outrageous 72 pound fee for something that was not even my fault! Not sure I would take the risk on this tour!
Written July 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Julia A
19 contributions
This was the best part of my London trip! A lot of the sight seeing parts of London are spread out. If you are in London for a short amount of time I recommend this tour because it allows you to see all the beautiful sights in London without having to walk miles and miles to each! plus you learn awesome history along the way!!!! our tour group was a total of 9 people but it might have been just a slower travel day. I loved having a small group! The tour guide was awesome and he was so knowledgeable. I gave this tour 4/5 stars because my boyfriend and I added on the london eye option. We got dropped off at the london eye at the end of the tour but our tickets we received from this tour weren’t until 12:30. We got dropped off an hour early and had to wait:/ the timing was off. Overall I still recommend the bus tour and skip out on the london eye and go to the “sky garden” in london for free and better views :)
Written May 29, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Josiah K
4 contributions
May 2024 • Family
Our tour with Steve was excellent on our first full day in London. We got an excellent morning tour of the city, and Steve was sure to answer any and all questions we had along the way. The top deck was an excellent place for seeing all the sights and for snapping photos. Steve guided us through the history of street names, London traditions, fun factoids, and pointed out all of the landmarks along the way, with wit to boot!
After the first leg of the bus tour, we joined a public river cruise up the Thames from London back to Westminster, where we rejoined our bus for a quick ride/walk to the palace. Keep in mind this isn't a hop on/off experience, but rather a cohesive guided tour.
The highlight for my group and myself was the fact that we had a real tour guide to answer questions and be our guide, rather than an audio recording with a map. The tour started in Victoria Coach Station (be sure to go inside for the stop) and ended at Buckingham Palace to catch the end of the changing of the guard. I would indubitably go again, especially on my first day in the city to get a lay of the land along with some fun trivia too.
After the first leg of the bus tour, we joined a public river cruise up the Thames from London back to Westminster, where we rejoined our bus for a quick ride/walk to the palace. Keep in mind this isn't a hop on/off experience, but rather a cohesive guided tour.
The highlight for my group and myself was the fact that we had a real tour guide to answer questions and be our guide, rather than an audio recording with a map. The tour started in Victoria Coach Station (be sure to go inside for the stop) and ended at Buckingham Palace to catch the end of the changing of the guard. I would indubitably go again, especially on my first day in the city to get a lay of the land along with some fun trivia too.
Written May 17, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Amanda M
Charlotte, NC9 contributions
Jul 2024 • Family
The meetup place is easy to get to via tube and the bus station is easy to understand. Check in and boarding was smooth, and the tour guide was very amusing overall. The package deal for the bus tour, London Eye, & River cruise was a good price to minimize stress of having to do things all yourself and instead puts a local expert in charge of facilitating what you want to do anyway. For us, feeling a little time crunched and wanting to do a lot, we were really happy with this tour. Highly recommend!
Written July 24, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
sharon c
8 contributions
Mar 2023 • Family
Extremely knowledgeable tour guide with a caring and great sense of humour. Even though it rained the seats where dried by staff and the day turned out sunny and 13°. Having visited London many times and my son working in the city most of his adult life, we both said that we had learned things that we didn’t know. We travelled up on the Thursday a train strike day but the Big Red Bus didn’t stop us getting around. We all three of us said that it was truly an amazing experience.
Written March 24, 2023
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
James P
Murrells Inlet, SC7 contributions
This a great bus tour to see all the high lights of London. Our tour guide Lisa was very knowledgeable and kept the tour going at a great pace. Lisa made each of us feel that we were the most important visitors in the city. She obviously wanted us to love London as much as she did. She made the tour a joy!
Written November 30, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
welchja
St. Petersburg, FL25 contributions
Aug 2024 • Couples
The tour was so-so. The tour guide was fairly good, but you couldn’t hear her clearly because the sound system was muffled. The same thing happened when Frank was our tour guide on the boat. You couldn’t hear him well at all, especially when you were on the bow of the boat trying to take a few photos. You had to choose between hearing the tour inside and taking photos outdoors with the poor speaker system. The boat was a public Uber boat so I don’t think the tour company has any control of the sound system though. Also, we had quite a wait between the bus tour and the boat tour. It didn’t seem well coordinated. Overall, we were surprised by how mediocre the tour was given the good reviews on Trip Advisor. Maybe they just had an off day.
Written August 23, 2024
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
I will be coming straight from the airport. Will there be a place to store our three carry-ons, either on the bus or at the station without charge?
Written June 13, 2022
We didn't use left luggage in London but we did in Verona at a place called Stow Your Bags. It was all automated and worked well. Looks like there is a similar business in London call Radical Storage.
Written June 16, 2022
Where is the starting point and drop off for this tour ?
Thanks
Written April 11, 2022
I will be arriving at Gatwick at 0830. Is it feasible to try to reserve the 1300 tour from Victoria Station?
Written April 6, 2022
Where does this tour begin and end? I'm trying to plan around other events.
Written February 5, 2022
Hello, we are interested in this tour: vintage bus tour, cruise and London Eye.
What’s the total cost with the London Eye quick entry (not standard) please?
Many thanks,
Joseph Curmi
Written December 15, 2019
Sorry - can't help with that. When my wife and I did the tour, it came included in our hotel accommodation. I was sceptical at first as you know "there's no free lunch" but the tour was excellent. So, definitely do it.
Written January 1, 2020
La guida o audio guida è anche in italiano?
Written July 28, 2019
Can you get off the bus and take pictures? I want my pictures of me in front of Big Ben
Written July 9, 2019
Well at certain points you can yes. They don’t stop near Big Ben now but only because it’s covered in scaffolding.. if you really want it, they finish the half day on embankment and you can take a walk or short tube and end there...
Written July 9, 2019
Buona serata ma il punto preciso da dove parte il bus e segnalato grazie
Written June 28, 2019
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*Likely to sell out: Based on Viator’s booking data and information from the provider from the past 30 days, it seems likely this experience will sell out through Viator, a Tripadvisor company.