If you only book one open-top bus in London, Big Bus is the one I point people towards. It is the premium all-rounder: the most frequent buses, the clearest network, and a ticket that does more than drive you round in a circle, with a Thames river cruise baked in and guided walking tours on the longer passes.
Big Bus London Tickets
Which Big Bus Ticket Is Right for You?
Big Bus sells three tickets, and all of them use the same open-top buses and the same three routes. What changes is how long the ticket runs for and what comes bundled with it. Pick your ticket at checkout.
🔵 Discover (24 hours)
One day of unlimited hop-on hop-off across all three routes, plus the one-way Thames river cruise. The walking tours are not included on this one. The right pick if you have a single day and want the loop and the boat without paying for extras you cannot fit in.
🟢 Essential (48 hours)
Two days of the buses and the river cruise, and the first ticket that includes the three live guided walking tours: Changing of the Guard, City of London and Jack the Ripper. This is the one I would point most first-time visitors towards, because two days is what it actually takes to use the network properly.
🟣 Explore (48 hours)
Everything in Essential, plus the evening panoramic tour: the same landmarks after dark, lit up, with far less traffic. Worth the step up if you are staying two nights and have an evening to fill.
Good to know
- Booking online in advance is almost always cheaper than paying on the bus.
- Multi-day tickets run on consecutive days, so start the clock on a day you can commit to.
- The river cruise is one-way, between Westminster and Tower Pier.
- The live walking tours (Changing of the Guard, City of London, Jack the Ripper) run to a set daily timetable from specific stops, and come with the Essential and Explore tickets, not with Discover.
- Children’s tickets are available and under-fives generally travel free. Check the current rate on the ticket page.
What Makes Big Bus Different
Take it from someone who has stood at these stops in every weather: the thing that separates the operators is not the buses, it is the waiting. Big Bus runs the most frequent service of the London operators, which means shorter gaps between buses and less standing on a kerb watching the traffic. That alone is worth a lot on a cold Tuesday.
Three Things That Set It Apart
The most frequent buses
Shorter gaps between buses than any other London operator, so less time standing on a kerb and more time actually sightseeing.
A genuinely useful app
Live bus tracking and the full route maps, so instead of guessing when the next one is due, you can watch it coming.
The bundle
Most operators sell you a bus and stop there. Big Bus folds in the river cruise and, on longer tickets, live walking tours, so one booking covers road, water and foot.
The Routes and What You See
Big Bus runs three routes across central London, and they interlock rather than compete. Between them they cover close to fifty stops, which is why the network reaches most of the places a first-time visitor actually wants to go. Here is what each route is for.
The classic central loop, and the one most people ride. 28 stops in total, a full circuit of about 2 hours 30 minutes, and a bus roughly every 15 to 20 minutes. Here is every stop on it, in order.
1. Green Park
Next to the Ritz, by the tube entrance. The first bus of the day leaves from here, and it is a pick-up point for one of the guided walking tours. Also the stop for the Royal Academy of Arts, St James’s Palace and Clarence House.
2. Hard Rock Cafe
Piccadilly, opposite the restaurant. Walk from here for Wellington Arch, Apsley House and the southern edge of Hyde Park.
3. Queen Mother Gates
Park Lane, opposite the London Hilton. Another Hyde Park entrance, useful if you are staying on Park Lane.
4. Marble Arch (westbound)
Park Lane, by Speakers’ Corner. The stop for Selfridges and the top end of Oxford Street.
5. Regent Street
By the corner with Beak Street, for Hamleys, Carnaby Street and the Royal Academy of Arts.
6. Piccadilly Circus
The busiest stop on the route. Eros, Leicester Square, Chinatown and Planet Hollywood are all a few minutes on foot.
7. Haymarket
A short hop between Piccadilly Circus and Trafalgar Square, and the stop for the theatres on the street itself.
8. Trafalgar Square
The best value stop on the loop. The National Gallery and the National Portrait Gallery are both free and both on the square, so this is the one to use if you want an hour indoors.
9. Craig’s Court
The Whitehall stop, and the closest the bus gets to Downing Street and the Cenotaph.
10. Horseguards
Opposite Horse Guards Parade. Time it for the mounted guard change if you can.
11. Whitehall
Opposite Westminster station. Big Ben, the Churchill War Rooms and St James’s Park are all a short walk, and this is the easiest place on the loop to get your bearings.
12. London Eye (eastbound)
Westminster Bridge Road, by the lion statue. SEA LIFE, Shrek’s Adventure and the London Dungeon are all at this stop, and the evening tour departs from here.
13. Waterloo (eastbound)
York Road, outside the M&S Foodhall. For the Southbank Centre and the Florence Nightingale Museum.
14. Covent Garden
Outside One Aldwych. The market building, the Royal Opera House, Somerset House and the London Transport Museum are all in walking distance.
15. St Paul’s Cathedral
Ludgate Hill. The bus does the dome justice on the approach. Worth hopping off even if you are not going inside, because the walk over the Millennium Bridge to Tate Modern and Shakespeare’s Globe starts here.
16. Monument
On London Bridge, outside Pret. For the Monument to the Great Fire and the Bank of England Museum.
17. London Bridge
For Borough Market, HMS Belfast and the Shard. Skip the market on a Saturday unless you enjoy queuing shoulder to shoulder.
18. Southwark
At City Hall on the south bank. Worth knowing that this stop stops running earlier in the day than the rest of the route.
19. Tower of London
Tower Hill. Tower Bridge and the Gherkin are both here, the eastern river cruise pier is a short walk, and the Jack the Ripper Walking Tour sets off from this stop.
20. Temple
Victoria Embankment, where the Green Link joins the route. Temple Church, the Royal Courts of Justice and the OXO Tower are all close.
21. Westminster Pier
The other end of the river cruise, with Westminster Abbey a few minutes away.
22. London Eye (westbound)
The same lion statue, other side of the road. Use this one if you are heading back west rather than on into the City.
23. Lambeth Palace
Lambeth Palace Road, outside the palace itself. The quietest stop on the route.
24. College Green
Abingdon Street, beside the Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey and Big Ben. The patch of grass behind every political interview on the news.
25. Tothill Street
For Westminster Abbey from the other side, plus New Scotland Yard and the Churchill War Rooms.
26. Buckingham Palace
Buckingham Gate, opposite the Queen’s Gallery. If the Changing of the Guard is your reason for coming, get here well before it starts, because the crowd builds early.
27. Victoria, Nova Complex
Buckingham Palace Road. This is the interchange onto the Blue Route, and the first Blue Route bus of the day leaves from here.
28. Victoria Station
The end of the loop, opposite Phipp’s Mews, and the stop for Westminster Cathedral.
The wider loop, and the one to take for the museums. It adds the whole western side of the city before rejoining the Red Route through the centre. A full circuit runs about 3 hours 35 minutes, with a bus every 20 minutes.
27. Victoria, Nova Complex
Buckingham Palace Road, outside Sourced. The Blue Route begins here, and it is where the Red Route hands over.
28. Victoria Station
Opposite Phipp’s Mews, and the stop for Westminster Cathedral.
29. Queen Mother Gates
Park Lane, opposite the London Hilton. The Hyde Park stop, with Wellington Arch and Apsley House close by.
30. Marble Arch (westbound)
Park Lane by Speakers’ Corner, for Selfridges and the top of Oxford Street.
31. Green Park
Piccadilly. The Blue Route’s own pick-up point for the walking tours, worth noting if you are staying west.
32. Hard Rock Cafe
Piccadilly, opposite the restaurant, on the way round to Hyde Park Corner.
33. Hyde Park Corner
Knightsbridge, outside the Lanesborough, at the southeast corner of the park.
34. Harrods
Brompton Road, directly outside the shop. Worth a look at the food halls even if you are not buying.
35. South Kensington Museums
The reason to ride the Blue Route. The Natural History Museum, the Science Museum and the V&A are all free and all within a few minutes of each other, so plan a long stop rather than a quick one.
36. Gloucester Road
Outside the Underground station, and a quieter approach to the Natural History Museum when the main entrance queue is long.
37. Kensington Palace
Kensington High Street, for the palace and the gardens around it. Quieter than the central royal sites and better for it.
38. Notting Hill
Notting Hill Gate, and the walk down to Portobello Road Market. Best on a Saturday if you want the market in full swing, calmer any other day.
39. Kensington Gardens
Bayswater Road, outside the Doubletree, on the north side of the gardens.
40. Thistle Hotel Kensington Gardens
Bayswater Road, near the corner with Porchester Terrace.
41. Lancaster Gate
Bayswater Road, outside the Columbia Hotel.
42. Peter Pan
Bayswater Road near Lancaster Gate station, the closest stop to the statue itself.
43. Paddington Station
London Street, by the corner with Conduit Place. Useful if you have come in on the Heathrow Express and want to start straight away.
44. Edgware Road
By the Metropole Hotel, on the way back east.
45. Marble Arch (eastbound)
Speakers’ Corner, heading back into town rather than out of it.
46. Baker Street
Marylebone Road, outside the Metropolitan Bar. For the Sherlock Holmes Museum and Madame Tussauds, both of which want booking ahead.
47. Oxford Circus
Regent Street near the corner with Great Castle Street. The stop for Oxford Street, Hamleys, Carnaby Street and the Handel House Museum.
Then stops 5 to 26, the central loop
From Oxford Circus the Blue Route rejoins the Red Route at stop 5 and follows the central loop through Westminster and the City to the Tower of London. That is why the numbering jumps back rather than running on: Big Bus numbers its stops once across the whole network, and the two routes share the middle of it. In practice one ticket carries you from Notting Hill to the Tower without changing buses.
A connector rather than a sightseeing loop. It links King’s Cross and St Pancras to the rest of the network via the British Museum. Nine stops, about 1 hour 10 minutes end to end, and a bus only every 45 minutes, so check the time before you rely on it. Its own stops are numbered 48 to 54, and the last two rows below are where it hands you over to the Red and Blue routes.
48. Woburn (northbound)
Opposite Russell Court, and the stop for the British Museum, the Foundling Museum and the Petrie Museum of Egyptian Archaeology.
49. Euston Station
Corner of Upper Woburn Place and Euston Road, and the closest stop to the British Library.
50. King’s Cross Station
Pancras Road, diagonally opposite the Great Northern Hotel. Platform 9 3/4 is inside the station if you have children in tow.
51. St Pancras Station
Midland Road, opposite the British Library. The stop to know if you are arriving on the Eurostar.
52. Euston Road
Upper Woburn Place, next to St Pancras New Church, with its caryatids on the side facing the road.
53. Woburn (southbound)
The return leg, outside Russell Court, heading back down towards the museum quarter.
54. British Museum
Southampton Row. Free to enter, and the Cartoon Museum and Sir John Soane’s Museum are both a short walk from the same stop. If you only have an hour, go straight for the Great Court and the Egyptian rooms.
20. Temple
Victoria Embankment, where the Green Link meets the Red and Blue routes. Temple Church and the Royal Courts of Justice are both close.
14. Covent Garden
The southern end of the link, outside One Aldwych, where you hand back to the central loop.
Frequency varies by route: every 15 to 20 minutes on the Red, every 20 on the Blue, and only every 45 on the Green Link, so treat that last one as a connection to plan around rather than a bus you can turn up for. For a full breakdown of every stop and how the routes overlap, see our routes and map guide.
What’s Included
One thing worth being clear on: the ticket does not include admission to the attractions themselves. The bus drops you at the door of the Tower of London or St Paul’s, but you buy entry to those separately.
Who It’s Best For
Big Bus is the premium option, and it suits some travellers better than others.
Big Bus makes sense if you want to:
- Cover a lot of London on a first visit with limited time
- Wait as little as possible between buses
- Track the next bus on an app rather than guess
- Get a river cruise and live walking tours without booking them separately
- Travel with family, or with anyone who tires of walking
Look elsewhere if you:
- Already know London well
- Would rather use the Tube and walk between sights
- Are chasing the lowest fare, since Big Bus sits at the premium end
- Only want one short loop rather than a multi-day ticket
Still deciding? For a proper side-by-side on frequency, routes, inclusions and value, read our Big Bus vs Tootbus comparison, or see the full London hop-on hop-off guide.
Good to Know and How to Book
None of this is complicated, but a few of these are the difference between a smooth day and a wasted morning.
Book online before you travel
Almost always cheaper than paying on the bus, and the ticket is sitting on your phone before you land.
Start anywhere on the network
There is no single ticket office to find. Open the app, walk to whichever stop is nearest your hotel, and board there.
Build the day around the walking tour
They leave from set stops at set times, once a day. Miss the slot and you have missed it, so check the start time before you plan your morning.
Decide which way you sail
The river leg is one-way. Going east to the Tower sets you up for the afternoon; going west to Westminster works better if you started in the City.
Bring a layer
The good seats are up top and open to the sky. Lovely in sunshine, genuinely cold once the wind comes off the river.
FAQ
Is Big Bus London worth it?
For first-time visitors with a day or two to cover a lot of ground, yes. The frequency, the app, and the bundled river cruise and walking tours give you more than a plain bus loop, and booking online keeps the cost sensible. If you already know the city or prefer to walk, you will get less out of it.
How many stops does Big Bus have in London?
Big Bus numbers its London stops 1 to 55 across the network. The Red Route alone has 28, the Blue Route adds the western side of the city from Hyde Park out to Notting Hill, and the Green Link adds another eight around King’s Cross and St Pancras. Many of the central stops are shared between the Red and Blue routes, so the practical number you can reach on one ticket is higher than any single route suggests.
How often do the buses come?
Frequently. Roughly every 10 to 20 minutes during the busier summer months, and a little less often through winter. The app shows live tracking so you can see the next one approaching.
Is a river cruise included with Big Bus?
Yes. A one-way Thames cruise between Westminster and the Tower of London is included with the standard tickets. It is a nice halfway break in a day of bus-hopping.
Are the walking tours included?
The live guided walking tours, the Changing of the Guard Walk, the City of London Walk and the Jack the Ripper Walk, are included on the longer, multi-day tickets. They run from set stops at set times each day.
Can I use my Oyster card on Big Bus?
No. Big Bus is a private sightseeing operator, separate from Transport for London. Your Oyster or contactless card works on the red London buses and the Tube, but not on the open-top tour buses. You need a Big Bus ticket.
Is admission to the attractions included?
No. The ticket covers the buses, the river cruise and the walking tours, but entry to places like the Tower of London or St Paul’s is bought separately.
How long does the full route take?
It depends which one. A full Red Route circuit is about 2 hours 30 minutes, the Blue Route about 3 hours 35 minutes, and the Green Link about 1 hour 10 minutes end to end. Those are round trips without getting off, so allow a good deal more if you actually intend to hop off, which is rather the point of the ticket.
Is there a night or evening tour?
Yes. Big Bus runs an evening panoramic tour that departs from the London Eye stop, taking in the same landmarks lit up and with far less traffic. It is included with the Explore ticket and is the main thing that ticket adds over Essential. Departure times shift with the seasons, so check them when you book.
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