Tootbus Tour — London Open-Top Sightseeing Bus
Useful things to know before your visit
Address: Tootbus, Stop 1 is in Coventry Street (but there are bus stops all over London) SW1. Telephone: 0208 877 1722
What are the dates and times?
Red route (covers Marble Arch to Tower Bridge, through The City and Westminster) - Departures every 15-20 mins from 8.30 AM to 7 PM (Mon-Sun)
How much do the tickets cost?
From £44 · See tootbus.com
Which is the closest train station?
The nearest station is Charing Cross, which connects with the Bakerloo and Northern lines. It also serves National Rail trains. You can walk the ¼ mile to Tootbus in about 5 minutes
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EmailMy review of the Tootbus Tour
Tootbus run five different routes but only two of them are for sightseeing. If you want to see the landmarks then it's a toss-up between Red and Blue. The Red route goes east from Marble Arch towards Tower Bridge, while the Blue one goes west from Big Ben to Kensington. (The other routes are more like transport links between the train stations: Green just takes you from the Strand up to King's Cross. Pink goes back and forth between Paddington and Baker Street, and Black does Paddington to Bayswater.)
Photo: London DrumWhichever one you choose remember to book it online beforehand to save yourself a few quid, then you can just show your QR code to the guy on the door and he'll give you a little baggie of headphones to plug into the back of your seat.
Photo: London DrumThere are bus stops all over London and you can jump on wherever you like but I'm going to ride the Red route from stop No.1 in Coventry Street (just off Leicester Square).
We're only 10 minutes in and we've already ticked off Trafalgar Square, Horse Guards and Downing Street. The traffic is like treacle down Whitehall so the audio has plenty of time to tell you who built what, who did what, and who said what to whom, mixing in a bit of history with a few jokes (they're almost as bad as my jokes). Whenever it runs out of commentary it starts blasting bombastic classical anthems at you like Rule Britannia and Land Of Hope And Glory; 
Photo: London Drum
Photo: London Drum
When we reach Parliament Square we take a left past Big Ben and cross over Westminster Bridge towards the London Eye. Then we head back over Waterloo Bridge for a right turn down Aldwych - I love this part of London. All of the tourists will be taking photos of the Royal Courts of Justice but don't forget Temple Bar and the Tudor-looking buildings on the right.
Photo: London Drum
Photo: London DrumAs we approach the top end of Fleet Street the dome of St. Paul's Cathedral comes into view and then we're heading into The City. For some unfathomable reason they skip past the best buildings at Bank and cross over London Bridge towards The Shard. Then it re-crosses the river along the top of Tower Bridge and follows the moat around the Tower of London.
Photo: London Drum
Photo: London DrumAt this point the driver will stop for a break and you might want to get off yourself so you can continue your trip on the river (assuming that you bought a ticket with a boat ride included - not all of them do). I think the next stretch is actually better on the boat because it breaks the long journey up - if you've made it this far then you've already been sitting down for an hour. If you stick with the bus then you're facing a thirty minute drive down Blackfriars to Victoria Embankment - fifteen of which will be spent stewing in the traffic.
Photo: London DrumThere's nothing much to see down here, just the back of a traffic jam and a few river views of the London Eye, then we're passing Big Ben and Westminster Abbey for a quick look down the side of Buckingham Palace. (It's not the greatest view in the world because none of the sightseeing buses are allowed down The Mall, so you can't see the front). Then we're into a world of glass and steel before another short stop at Victoria Coach Station.
If you've been riding it from the start then you'll have hit the 1¾ hour mark now so hopefully you've bought some sandwiches along. The trip will feel like it's petering out but you're nearly at the finish so stick with it just a little while longer.
Photo: London DrumThe final stretch takes you past Apsley House and Wellington Arch and up the side of Hyde Park towards Marble Arch, then you double-back down Park Lane for the big finish past The Ritz, the Royal Academy and the bright lights of Piccadilly Circus.
If you complete the entire loop in one go then it's surprisingly tiring, but do you know what? I'm actually glad I did it because I enjoyed it. I don't recommend it for kids though. Plenty of guidebooks do, but how many children enjoy sitting on a bus for two hours? I think they'd much prefer a sightseeing boat. And I think the price is a bit ridiculous as well. But if you don't mind the money then it's a decent enough way to pass a morning.
I’ve ranked riding an open-top sightseeing bus as ★22 in the 25 things to do in London at least once
It also appears in my best way to see London in a day itineraries, three 2-day London itineraries and family weekends in London
London Squire guidebook – Check out my guidebook available to buy at Amazon, Apple and Kobo. I’ve personally visited 210 London landmarks, attractions and hotels and collected all of my reviews, example itineraries, handy practical info, and advice about using the buses and trains into an eBook, along with 675 original photos
Still looking for things to do? See events in London today, what’s happening in London tomorrow, the best things to do in London this weekend, London events this November and what’s on near Trafalgar Square
What do you think? (7)
Ask a question, or share your experience of this tour
regan We took our children (7 and 8) and they loved it, and so did we. It is an easy way to keep them occupied for an hour without having to constantly watch them and worry about losing them in london. And we were grateful for the rest! (reply)
ARB All these of bus tours are the same. I’ve done ones in other cities and all they do is the basics so if you already know London then you won’t learn much, but its nice to sit on the bus and be taken around all the places without you having to do anything. (reply)
Ken We tried this when our grandkids came to town and we were tasked with taking them out for the day. They had never seen the London sights before and were very excited. It is a little too expensive for what you get, but this is London, and all tourist attractions cost too much. There’s not much you can do about that. (reply)
Nina I am wondering if we could visit Windsor Castle as early as possible, return to Paddington station and then locate the closest spot to pick up the Hop On Hop Off bus pass. From what I understand, you can only get the tickets at set locations and only on the day you actually plan to use it. Correct? If we had a couple of hours use of the bus, it would probably be enough for us. We would either stay on it or just switch buses where the bus routes intersect. (reply)
↳Craig Hi Nina. You can buy tickets online advance if you like. You don’t have to buy it on the day. The closest stop for their Red route (which is the one that goes past most of the attractions) is Marble Arch which is a bit of pain to get to on the tube from Paddington, so it might be easier just to jump on the No.7 bus instead, which only takes 11 mins to Marble Arch. Then you can ride the bus past Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, St. Paul’s, the Tower of London and over Tower Bridge, then back through the Square Mile and down Whitehall to Big Ben and Parliament. That’s probably where I would get off. (reply)
JohnH Is it worth paying for this or is it better to walk around and see the sights for yourself. My wife thinks it will be better the kids. (reply)
↳Craig Hi JohnH. It really depends on what sights you want to see. It’s not possible to walk between them all because the touristy part of London is too big. You can walk the area between Buckingham Palace, Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Big Ben & Parliament, Covent Garden… and maybe up to St. Paul’s if you’re feeling very energetic, but including all of the stuff around the Square Mile, Tower Bridge and the Tower of London in one day will be too much. (reply)
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