London Double-Decker Bus Tour

[Fina]

Eurorail offers this tour.

It is one day unlimited double-decker tour bus (can hop on and off at will), plus a 50 minute Thames Cruise at $25 US.

Any experience with this? Thanks

[LHR02]

Hi Fina,
No experience with this tour, but a fair amount with London public transportation on the 'tourist' level. I'd have to say this is no deal at all. London't public transport, both the tube and buses, is easily understood and navigated. There is already one particular bus route that will basically take you by most of the main sights if you ride it all the way around, for the price of a bus ticket....which is way less than 25! I forget the route number off the top of my head but can easily find it for you if you need it. For that amount of money you can buy a pass for several days that will allow you to hop on/off all over town! Let me go look at the site...be back.....

[LHR02]

www.thetube.com

For under $10 you can buy a three zone day pass which allows you unlimited travel on tube or bus. A multi day pass reduces the daily cost, so for your $25 you should easily be able to get 3 days travel. And since most of the things you will likely want to see are in zone 1 and 2, you can further reduce that cost by buying a pass for just 2 zones.

If you are wanting the 'tour' aspect for the guide/info, may I suggest looking into Walking Tours of London. They have one that takes in most of the HUGE sights, it is a great value at 4GBP and the most fun and informative 2 hours you can spend.

I took several of the hop on/hop off type tours in many cities (not London) and generally find them to be not a good value at all. If one gets off at just a couple of the attractions and spent even an hour there, you are hard pressed to get any return for your bucks with these. And if you ride the whole loop, just to see it all, well then, you have just bought a very expensive bus ticket! ;D

ging

[Kim]

Yeah, I completely agree - not worth it. The tube is so easy to use and so convenient that it's not worth your money. Plus, I find those kind of things a bit boring.

Like Ging said, walking tours are excellent and a bit more stimulating.

There is also a bike tour, if you are interested in that:

reservations.bookhostels.com/tours/guideforeurope.com/tourdetails.php?TourUID=2374

Kim

[Fina]

Thanks so much for the advice. I'll definitely find out about the london walking tour. I think the website is www.londonwalks.com ?

Thanks again and good luck on your travels!

[LHR02]

The Westminster Gaslight tour in the evening is really wonderful....and affords some fabulous photos as well. I have taken at least a dozen of their tours over various trips and they are really a great way to see the city. If you think you may take a few get the discount card. Reduces the cost on each one after the first by one pound, costs a pound I believe to get.

[jennifer]

I am planning to go to London for 2-3 days, and my question has to do with this. Would you buy the London Pass for 3 days at 60 pounds that includes transport or would you pay each attraction and then a zone pass?
I just don't know what is in each zone so it's pretty confusing!

I plan to see mostly this!
London Tower
Tower Bridge
HMS belfast
Hampton Court Palace
Westminster Abbey
Kensington Palace
British Museum
Imperial War museum
Jewish museum
Buckingham Palace
St-Paul's cathedraTrafalgar square
Sherlock Holmes Museum
Tamise river
Big Ben
Harrods store

Can anyone help?
xoxox
Jen

[LHR02]

Everything you listed is within zone 1 & 2, nearly walking distance actually, with the exception of Hampton Court Palace....which btw....Windsor Castle is the much much better of the two and about the same distance.

For all you asked for, exception the two above, a 2 zone pass will suffice. And 60 pounds!? Where are you getting that price???

Just re-read your post....the 60 is for the London Pass. I feel certain you will come out quite a bit ahead by buying your own transport pass and paying as you go. See my reply to Fina....the London Pass 'allows' you to visit every out of the way place you will never have time to go see even if you wanted to. PTP will save you money here.

[jennifer]

Thanks for the reply!
This has helped me lots, I find it really expensive,
do you know where I could find the prices for 2-3 day zone 1 and 2 passes?
Thanks!
Jennifer

[jennifer]

Me again!
I was going over the info I have...here are the attractions with their p-t-p prices! a * means it's free with the london pass

* London Tower 9
Tower Bridge 3
* HMS belfast 4,4
* Hampton Court Palace 8,5
Westminster Abbey 4
* Kensington Palace 7,7
* British Museum 0
* Imperial War museum 0
* Jewish museum 1,5
Buckingham Palace 10
* St-Paul's cathedral 5
* Trafalgar square 0
Sherlock Holmes Museum 6
* Tamise river 0
* Big Ben 0
Harrods store 0


total 59,1 gbp

So...no pass = 59,1 + transportation

Pass = 60 + 23(attractions not included) = 83

Do you all think it is really worth paying point to point or the pass so no hassle?
xoxo
Jen

[LHR02]

Buckingham palace only open 2 or 3 weeks in August I believe....is that when you are going? St. Pauls Cathedral.....go during evensong or any service....it's free.....tower bridge??? why is there a charge here, I walked right across it for free..... If you do go to each of these, then yea, guess the pass will work for you. Whatever floats your boat. ;D

[jennifer]

Thanks!
The Tower experience they call it, I think it's some kind of Imax thing!
In my guide they say changing of the guards every 2 days....for buckingham palace!

[LHR02]

changing of the guards is free... you just line up on the street.

[jennifer]

you are fast!!!!
really? huh, then the 10 E is for the visit, are you sure it's closed....pretty funny, ah...well too bad I guess!

[LHR02]

Not 100% sure it is August that it is open, but am 100% certain it is one month (a little less actually) sometime in the summer while the Queen is away. The rest of the year, there are times you can visit the gardens.....very limited...and other than that you can look through the gates. It is after all her home, so it stays closed to the public most of the time. Any guidebook should verify just what month you can enter.

Not always so quick...just happened to still be on. ;D