Our verdict
Best overall
The Original Tour: London Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour & River Cruise
The Original Tour (Tootbus until 2026) has the most routes, puts a Thames cruise in every ticket and lets multi-day passes be used on separate days within two weeks. 4.2★ from 1,800+ reviews on Headout.
4.2★ · 1,837from £43 Headout →
Best value
London City Sightseeing Hop-On/Hop-Off Bus & Bookable Extras
City Sightseeing’s ticket is the most-reviewed hop-on hop-off product on GetYourGuide — 8,800+ reviews at 4.3★ — from about £25, with an optional river cruise on longer passes.
4.3★ · 8,839from £25 GetYourGuide →
Best with kids
The Original Tour Kids Tour
A 45-minute non-stop loop with a live guide aimed at children, four times a day, from £18 per child on the operator’s site. Short enough to hold a six-year-old.
Skip it if
You have one day and you're two adults
A TfL bus day costs at most £5.25 (£5.55 from 1 November) and an off-peak Uber Boat single £9.90 with contactless. You lose the commentary, not the views.
Which hop on hop off bus in London is best?
The best hop on hop off bus in London for most first-time visitors is The Original Tour: four routes, a Thames cruise in every ticket and multi-day passes you don’t have to use on consecutive days. Pick Big Bus for the slickest app and included walking tours, Golden Tours if you want a live guide on the bus, and City Sightseeing if you want the best-reviewed platform listing.
The scorecard
| Big Bus | The Original Tour (ex-Tootbus) | Golden Tours | City Sightseeing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Commentary | Pre-recorded, 7 languages; live only on Evening Tour | Audio, 10 languages; live on Kids and Christmas tours | Live English guides on many buses; audio in 12 languages | On-board audio |
| Routes | Red (28 stops), Blue (43 stops), Green Link | Red, Blue, Green, Pink + river cruise | Blue (Classic), Red (Essential), Orange (Museums) | Several routes plus a shuttle between lines |
| Frequency | Red and Blue every 15–30 min; Green every 45 min | Red 15–30, Blue 20–30, Green and Pink hourly | Summer: Red and Blue 20 min, Orange 30; winter: Blue 30, Red and Orange 60 | Check listing |
| Tickets | Same day, 24 h, 48 h (consecutive days) | Half day, 1–3 days (any days within 2 weeks), 7 days | 4 h, 1 day, 24, 48, 72 h | 1 day; 24, 48, 72 h with cruise |
| River cruise | One-way, Westminster–Tower, on 24 h and 48 h | Included in every ticket | On 24 h and longer | On Bus + Cruise tickets |
| Extras | 3 guided walks (48 h), app with live arrivals, free date change | 6 self-guided app walks, 5G Wi-Fi, Kids Tour | Free walking tours on some tickets, kids’ audio | Night tour on 72 h; vouchers valid 12 months |
| From, direct | £32 same day; £36.99 24 h | £25 half day; £35 1–3 days | £23.40 4 h; £24.78 1 day | Prices shown in USD |
| From, platforms | ~£32 | ~£22 (GYG), ~£43 (Headout) | ~£26 | ~£25 |
| Our take | Best app and walks; recorded commentary only | Best all-rounder | Best for a live guide | Best-reviewed listing |
Direct prices are the operators’ own “from” prices on the day we checked, including any online discount; platform prices are from our partner feed today. Children’s and family tickets are cheaper on all four.
Same ticket, different platforms
The same operator ticket often sells on both GetYourGuide and Headout. Prices move daily, so compare before you book.
| Platform | From | Rating | Check price & dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| GetYourGuideLondon: Big Bus Hop-on, Hop-off with Optional River Cruise | £32 Lowest today | 4.2★ 5,139 | GetYourGuide → |
| HeadoutBig Bus: London Hop-on-Hop-off Bus Tour with Optional Thames River … | £32 | 4.3★ 2,002 | Headout → |
| Platform | From | Rating | Check price & dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| GetYourGuideLondon: The Original Tour Hop-On/Hop-Off Bus & River Cruise | £22 Lowest today | 3.9★ 38 | GetYourGuide → |
| HeadoutThe Original Tour: London Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour & River Cruise | £43 | 4.2★ 1,837 | Headout → |
| Platform | From | Rating | Check price & dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| GetYourGuideLondon: Golden Tours Gray Line Hop-on/Hop-off Bus Tour | £26 Lowest today | 3.9★ 1,229 | GetYourGuide → |
| HeadoutGolden Tours: London Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour with Optional Thames … | £26 Lowest today | 4.4★ 2,082 | Headout → |
| Platform | From | Rating | Check price & dates |
|---|---|---|---|
| GetYourGuideLondon City Sightseeing Hop-On/Hop-Off Bus & Bookable Extras | £25 Lowest today | 4.3★ 8,839 | GetYourGuide → |
| HeadoutCity Sightseeing: London Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour with Optional Thames … | £25 Lowest today | 4.2★ 393 | Headout → |
Hop-on hop-off tickets you can book now
London City Sightseeing Hop-On/Hop-Off Bus & Bookable Extras
from £25
See on GetYourGuide
London: London Eye, River Cruise & Hop-on/Hop-off Bus Tour
from £55
See on GetYourGuide
London: Big Bus Hop-on, Hop-off with Optional River Cruise
from £32
See on GetYourGuide
London: River Thames Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Cruise
from £25
See on GetYourGuide
Golden Tours: London Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour with Optional Thames River Cruise
from £26per person
See on Headout
Big Bus: London Hop-on-Hop-off Bus Tour with Optional Thames River Cruise & Evening Tour
from £32per person
See on Headout
The Original Tour: London Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour & River Cruise
from £43per person
See on Headout
London: Golden Tours Gray Line Hop-on/Hop-off Bus Tour
from £26
See on GetYourGuide
London: One-Day Unlimited City Cruises River Pass
from £10
See on GetYourGuidePrices and ratings checked 21 Oct 2026; they change daily.
Live guide or recorded commentary?
This is where the four genuinely differ. Big Bus has moved to pre-recorded commentary in seven languages on all its buses; its live guides now work only on the 75-minute Evening Tour and its walking tours. The Original Tour’s hop-on routes use audio in ten languages, with live guides on its Kids and Christmas tours. Golden Tours says English-speaking live guides work on many of its open-top buses and that boarding at the London Eye on the hour gets you a full loop with one. If a person telling the stories matters, that makes Golden Tours the only real choice.
Which ticket tier?
- One day, few stops: a same-day or half-day ticket. Big Bus’s One Day ticket has no cruise; The Original Tour’s half-day ticket still includes one.
- Two or three days: The Original Tour’s 1–3 day pass, because you can use it on separate days — ideal with a museum day in between.
- You want walking tours too: Big Bus’s 48-hour Essential Ticket includes three guided walks.
- Big sights as well: combo tickets with the London Eye or the Tower of London are sold by every operator; for four or more attractions, a London Pass may work out cheaper.
River cruise extras
Big Bus’s cruise is a single City Cruises trip between Westminster and Tower piers. The Original Tour’s runs to City Cruises’ timetable and lets you board at more piers — Westminster, the London Eye, Tower and Greenwich. Cruises stop in the evening, so use them by day. If the river is the point, a dedicated pass is often better: City Cruises’ one-day unlimited River Pass starts at about £10 on GetYourGuide. Compare options on our Thames cruises page and the cheaper Uber Boat.
The operators in detail
- Big Bus Tours London review — routes, tickets, Evening Tour.
- Tootbus, The Original Tour and City Sightseeing — who’s who after the 2026 renaming.
- Golden Tours London review — buses, day trips and the Harry Potter coach.
Questions people ask
Which hop-on hop-off bus is best in London?
How much is a hop-on hop-off bus in London?
Do London hop-on hop-off buses have live guides?
Is a river cruise included?
Are multi-day tickets valid on consecutive days?
Is hop-on hop-off worth it in London?
Can I cancel a hop-on hop-off ticket?
Sources
- Big Bus Tours London — tickets, routes and commentary (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- Big Bus Tours London — Essential Ticket (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- Big Bus Tours London — Red Route timetable (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- The Original Tour — routes and maps (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- The Original Tour — 1–3 day ticket (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- Golden Tours — London hop-on hop-off tickets (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- Golden Tours — route frequencies and live guides (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- City Sightseeing — London tickets (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- Transport for London — bus fares (checked 21 Oct 2026)
- Uber Boat by Thames Clippers — prices (checked 21 Oct 2026)
Written and checked by the Private Tours London desk