--- site: London Drum url: https://londondrum.com/events/?p=16693 canonical: https://londondrum.com/events/?p=16693 title: "Tootbus Tour London - Open-Top Sightseeing Bus Route" description: "My review of Tootbus London (aka the Original Bus Tour), riding around on their Yellow Route's open-top sightseeing bus to see the city's most famous landmarks" author: Craig Cross updated: 2026-10-12 clipped: 2026-11-15 --- # Tootbus Tour - London Open-Top Sightseeing Bus [Video of Tootbus](https://londondrum.com/i/v/tootbus-tour.mp4)
## 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](https://www.tootbus.com/en/london/home) ### Which is the closest train station? The nearest station is [Charing Cross](https://londondrum.com/transport/trains.php?station=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 ## My review of the Tootbus Tour **Worth a visit?** ★★☆ **Good value?** ★☆☆ **Good for kids?** ★★☆ Reviewed by [Craig Cross](https://londondrum.com/about.php) on 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](https://londondrum.com/attractions/marble-arch.php) towards [Tower Bridge](https://londondrum.com/attractions/tower-bridge.php), while the Blue one goes west from [Big Ben](https://londondrum.com/attractions/big-ben.php) 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](https://londondrum.com/transport/trains.php?station=kings-cross-st-pancras). Pink goes back and forth between [Paddington](https://londondrum.com/transport/trains.php?station=paddington) and [Baker Street](https://londondrum.com/transport/trains.php?station=baker-street), and Black does Paddington to [Bayswater](https://londondrum.com/transport/trains.php?station=bayswater).) ![The Tootbus Original Tour](https://londondrum.com/i/eve/tootbus-original-tour.webp) Whichever 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. ![Top deck of a Tootbus sightseeing bus](https://londondrum.com/i/eve/tootbus-top-deck.webp) _Top deck of a Tootbus sightseeing bus_ There 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](https://londondrum.com/attractions/leicester-square.php)). We're only 10 minutes in and we've already ticked off [Trafalgar Square](https://londondrum.com/attractions/trafalgar-square.php), [Horse Guards](https://londondrum.com/attractions/horse-guards.php) and [Downing Street](https://londondrum.com/attractions/downing-street.php). 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;_ ![Passing Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament](https://londondrum.com/i/eve/tootbus-bigben.webp) ![Crossing Westminster Bridge past the London Eye](https://londondrum.com/i/eve/tootbus-london-eye.webp) _Crossing Westminster Bridge past the London Eye_

When we reach [Parliament Square](https://londondrum.com/attractions/parliament-square.php) we take a left past [Big Ben](https://londondrum.com/attractions/big-ben.php) and cross over Westminster Bridge towards the [London Eye](https://londondrum.com/attractions/london-eye.php). 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](https://londondrum.com/attractions/royal-courts-of-justice.php) but don't forget [Temple Bar](https://londondrum.com/attractions/temple-bar.php) and the Tudor-looking buildings on the right. ![Passing the Royal Courts of Justice](https://londondrum.com/i/eve/tootbus-royal-courts.webp) _Passing the Royal Courts of Justice_ ![Passing St. Paul's Cathedral](https://londondrum.com/i/eve/tootbus-st-pauls.webp) _Passing St. Paul's Cathedral_ As we approach the top end of Fleet Street the [dome of St. Paul's Cathedral](https://londondrum.com/attractions/st-pauls-cathedral.php) 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](https://londondrum.com/attractions/shard.php). Then it re-crosses the river along the top of [Tower Bridge](https://londondrum.com/attractions/tower-bridge.php) and follows the moat around the [Tower of London](https://londondrum.com/attractions/tower-of-london.php). ![Passing over Tower Bridge towards the Tower of London](https://londondrum.com/i/eve/tootbus-tower-bridge.webp) _Passing over Tower Bridge towards the Tower of London_ ![Passing the curtain wall around the Tower of London](https://londondrum.com/i/eve/tootbus-tower-of-london.webp) _Passing the curtain wall around the Tower of London_ At 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](https://londondrum.com/events/?p=16699) 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. ![Passing Westminster Abbey](https://londondrum.com/i/eve/tootbus-westminsterabbey.webp) _Passing Westminster Abbey_ There's nothing much to see down here, just the back of a traffic jam and a few river views of the [London Eye](https://londondrum.com/attractions/london-eye.php), then we're passing [Big Ben](https://londondrum.com/attractions/big-ben.php) and [Westminster Abbey](https://londondrum.com/attractions/westminster-abbey.php) for a quick look down the side of [Buckingham Palace](https://londondrum.com/attractions/buckingham-palace.php). (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. ![Passing Apsley House on Hyde Park Corner](https://londondrum.com/i/eve/tootbus-apsley-house.webp) _Passing Apsley House on Hyde Park Corner_ The final stretch takes you past [Apsley House](https://londondrum.com/attractions/apsley-house.php) and [Wellington Arch](https://londondrum.com/attractions/wellington-arch.php) and up the side of [Hyde Park](https://londondrum.com/attractions/hyde-park.php) towards [Marble Arch](https://londondrum.com/attractions/marble-arch.php), then you double-back down Park Lane for the big finish past [The Ritz](https://londondrum.com/hotels/ritz.php), the [Royal Academy](https://londondrum.com/attractions/royal-academy-of-arts.php) and the bright lights of [Piccadilly Circus](https://londondrum.com/attractions/piccadilly-circus.php). 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](https://londondrum.com/planner/top-25-ultimate-bucket-list.php) It also appears in my [best way to see London in a day itineraries](https://londondrum.com/planner/one-day-itinerary.php), [three 2-day London itineraries](https://londondrum.com/planner/two-day-itinerary.php) and [family weekends in London](https://londondrum.com/planner/two-day-itinerary-with-kids.php)