London Bus Tour: Big Bus

Routes, Stops + Timetables

The London Big Bus tourist bus has 3 different routes. You'll journey around London on board an open-top double-decker bus, taking in the incredible sites of one of the most visited cities in the world with a fantastic audio guide. The 48-hour London bus tour tickets also include a boat trip on the River Thames and a night bus tour if you desire.

Come and admire some of the most popular stops along the routes, such as London Bridge, London Eye, St Paul's Cathedral, the Tower of London and Westminster.

In addition, you'll have an audio guide so you can learn lots of fun facts about London's history, monuments and much more.

You can check out the bus's routes and list of stops here.

Bus Lines

Below, you can see the details of each of the bus lines on this London Bus Tour:

• Red Line: The most complete route, lasting a total of 2 hours and 20 minutes, passes by the major sites in London. It runs daily from 8:40 am to 5:10 pm, every 20 to 30 minutes. From November to February, the final departure is at 4:30 pm from stop 1.
• Blue Line: This route passes through the museum quarter south of Hyde Park and takes you to the Tower of London in East London. You'll see world-famous spots such as Buckingham Palace, Harrods, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben, Kensington Palace, the London Eye, Madame Tussauds, Notting Hill, St. Paul's Cathedral, and Westminster Abbey. This route lasts 3 hours 20 minutes and runs daily from 8:30 am to 5 pm, with buses every 20 to 30 minutes. From November to February, the final departure is at 4:30 pm from stop 24.
• Green Line: This route provides a link between North London and Central London. It's ideal if you're staying outside the city centre. It takes approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes. Daily departures every 30-60 minutes between 8:30 am and 6 pm. From November to February, the final departure is at 4:30 pm from stop 44.
• Night Tour: Departs from London Eye (stop 11) at 7:30 pm. The night tour is non-stop and lasts 2 hours and is included in the '48-hour ticket + night tour' option. ​

Please keep in mind that these schedules are flexible and may vary.

Boat Ride

The cruise down the River Thames between Westminster and the Tower of London is included with each ticket. The boats run daily between 10 am and 5 pm, every 15 minutes during summer and every 40 minutes during winter.

The boats depart from the following points:

• Tower Bridge Dock (near stop 16 on the sightseeing bus)
• Westminster Dock (near stop 18 on the sightseeing bus)

London Walking Tours

The 48-hour London Bus Tour tickets also include a guided walking tour of London. These 1.5-hour tours run daily. You can choose one of the following options:

• Royal Sites Tour: starts at 10 am at stop 7 (Trafalgar Square)
• City of London Tour: starts at 4 pm at stop 14 (St Pauls Cathedral)
• Westminster Undiscovered Side Tour: starts at 1 pm at Stop 10 (Whitehall)

The first two routes do not operate in winter (from November 1 to February 28) and are replaced by a historic tour of the city which departs at 4 pm from stop 16 of the tourist bus.

How Does it Work?

The London Bus Tour ticket is valid for 24 or 48 hours from the time it's first used. During this time, you can hop on and off the buses as many times as you like. Although a start date is requested when booking, you can activate this ticket at any point within six months from this chosen date.

You can also book a ticket for the same day of your booking. In this case, you'll only be able to enjoy the London sightseeing bus on the day you have selected. It's important to note that this ticket does not include the Thames river cruise.

Activities in London

Fancy exploring some of the sites you'll see from the bus? Purchase your tickets to the London Eye, the Tower of London, St. Paul's Cathedral and Westminster Abbey.