Big Bus Tour of London

We've seen the movies. Everyone knows the only way to get around London is on a double decker bus. Therefore we decided the best way to visit the sights would be to jump on a Big Bus Tour.

Our ride for the day

Costing around £25 for a full day ticket, we had the option to extend it another 24 hours for an extra £5.

Our first stop on the tour was St Paul’s Cathedral for a quick photo opp.

St Paul's

Chillen at St P's

A sucker for ghost tours and haunted houses , we decided to do the London Dungeon tour where we learned about Jack the Ripper and Sweeny Todd. I refuse to eat meat pies over here, just in case.

Freaking out that hidden actors and creepy people would jump out and grab us, the tour provided giggles and girly squeals. Apparently on Halloween the line for the dungeons can incur a five hour wait.

Enter at your peril 

Next up was a drive over Tower Bridge and a look at the Tower of London. As it was a nice day we jumped on the complementary boat cruise down the River Thames.

I'm on a boat, I'm on a boat

We cruised under London Bridge (it’s not falling down), saw the London Eye and enjoyed our time in the sun.

I can see you

Big Ben was big and Westminster Abbey beautiful; we hung out with cops and pretended we were Kate and Wills.

Huge Ben

The fuzz

Playing Pippa and Harry

Then, the highlight of my day, we visited the Queen at Buckingham Palace. Finally I made it to my palace. One day I will get inside. Imagine what she does with all those rooms?

Royal life come at us

I just need to get past those guards

Home sweet home

Although the tour was advertised to us as 24 hours, by the time we were finished sightseeing most of the buses had finished or were running limited routes. After this happened to us I would advise checking the time of the last bus back to your stop and then planning around that.

Using our extended ticket the following day, we decided to do a Harry Potter walking tour. Livi and Ash were freaking out as they’re huge Harry Potter fans, whereas I couldn’t get past the fourth book. Hey I tried twice ok, I just couldn’t finish it.

Nevertheless it was a bit of fun to visit locations the final few Potter films were shot. 

The 'possible inspiration' for Diagon Alley 

We also visited Platform 9 and ¾ at King’s Cross Station.

Somebody help, I'm stuck! 

If you don’t want to spend the money on a Big Bus Tour, you can easily see the sights by taking a bus or the tube. We went back to Buckingham Palace quickly and easily on the train.

What the tours offer however are free inclusions and discount tickets for external tours. We were able to pick up the free river cruise on the Thames and the Harry Potter tour. We also got half price tickets for the London Dungeons through Big Bus Tours.

Another advantage is the tour guides on the buses who point out interesting landmarks and divulge bits of London’s history as you drive around. Some of the buses had headphones to plug in for a recorded audio commentary. Either way, they give you further insight into L-Town.

The buses are quite frequent, usually around a 10 minute wait between services.

Overall it was a fun and exhausting two days out exploring the city. A must for keen tourists!

Big Nik