The red open-top buses circling Trafalgar Square are the ones almost everyone has ridden before, just in a different city. That familiarity is the whole point.
City Sightseeing is the world’s most widely recognised hop-on hop-off brand, running the same simple format in around a hundred cities. If you took one in Barcelona, Rome or Dublin, London works exactly the same way: up the stairs to the open top deck, headphones in, and off you get whenever a landmark catches your eye. For a lot of first-time visitors that predictability is worth more than any bonus extra a rival throws in.
City Sightseeing London Tickets
Which City Sightseeing Ticket Is Right for You?
There is really only one decision here, which is part of the appeal. Tickets come as 24, 48 or 72-hour passes covering the same three routes, and the clock starts when you first board rather than when you buy. Pick your duration at checkout.
🔴 City Sightseeing London Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour
The standard pass and the one most people want. Unlimited travel on the Red, Blue and Green routes, and audio commentary through your own headphones in eleven languages. Sold as 24, 48 or 72 hours, chosen at checkout.
Good to know
- The pass activates on first boarding, so book in advance and start the clock on the day you actually ride.
- The river cruise and the guided walks are sold separately, as combination tickets. They are not part of this pass.
- The buses are open-top, so take a layer even in summer.
- Entry to the attractions themselves is not included. The bus gets you to the door and no further.
What Makes City Sightseeing Different
The pitch here is not the longest list of extras. It is the one you already trust. City Sightseeing is the global mothership of the red sightseeing bus, running in more than a hundred cities, so if you have done one of these abroad you arrive in London already knowing the drill. That counts for a lot when you are jet-lagged, herding children, or just want a low-effort way to get your bearings on day one.
Three Things It Does Well
Eleven languages
Commentary through your own headphones in eleven languages. If you are travelling as a mixed-language group, this is usually the deciding factor.
Something for the children
The Blue Route carries its own kids’ commentary and a free London Quest booklet, a puzzle trail that keeps them occupied between stops.
Live bus tracking
Their app shows where the next bus actually is, which beats standing at a stop guessing. It also builds walking routes around whatever you fancy seeing.
The Routes
Three colour-coded routes, 45 stops between them, and one ticket covers all of it. Buses run from around 08:45 to 18:30. The routes meet at shared stops, so you can change between them without paying anything extra.
Worth checking before you go: stop 12 at Horseferry Road has been suspended on weekdays because of traffic around Lambeth Bridge, running Saturdays and Sundays only. The nearest weekday alternative is stop 10 at Westminster Pier, next to Big Ben. Service changes like this come and go, so it is worth a look at the operator’s service update page on the morning you travel.
The classic loop and the one to ride first. It covers the West End, the South Bank and the City, and crosses the Thames four times, which is where the best top-deck views come from. 27 stops, and a full circuit takes roughly two and a half hours without getting off.
1. Belvedere Road
On the South Bank by the London Eye, and where the route starts. First bus around 08:45.
2. Aldwych No 1
Shared with the Green Route, and a short walk to Covent Garden.
3. Ludgate Hill
St Paul’s Cathedral. The Millennium Bridge to Tate Modern starts just behind it.
4. Cannon Street
In the middle of the City, the financial district.
5. London Bridge
For the Shard, and the first of the river crossings.
6. Borough Market
Go on a weekday if you can. Saturday is shoulder to shoulder.
7. Tooley Street
By Potters Fields Park, for Tower Bridge and City Hall.
8. Tower Hill
The Tower of London, in front of the bronze worker statue. Hop off here, walk back over Tower Bridge and rejoin on the other side.
9. Victoria Embankment, Temple
Stop W, heading west along the river past the Royal Courts of Justice.
10. Westminster Pier
Next to Big Ben, and the weekday alternative while stop 12 is suspended.
11. Westminster Bridge, east
The London Eye side. Note there are two Westminster Bridge stops, east and west, so check which way you are going.
12. Horseferry Road
Currently weekends only because of traffic around Lambeth Bridge. Use stop 10 on a weekday.
13. Buckingham Gate
Buckingham Palace and the Queen’s Gallery. Get here early if the Changing of the Guard is the plan.
14. Cardinal Place
Near Westminster Cathedral, which is not the Abbey and is worth the confusion.
15. Buckingham Palace Road
By the Clermont Hotel, a couple of minutes from Victoria Station.
16. Colonades
Stand Z12, in the Victoria interchange.
17. Grosvenor Gardens
By the Oxford Tube stand, and the last of the Victoria cluster.
18. Queen Elizabeth Gate
Hyde Park, right of the Achilles statue. The place to hop off for a picnic or a walk through to the palace gates.
19. Marble Arch, Speakers’ Corner
Sunday mornings are when Speakers’ Corner is actually worth seeing.
20. Park Lane, Marble Arch
For Oxford Street and Selfridges, a few minutes north.
21. Park Lane, Hilton
The interchange onto the Blue Route if you want the museums.
22. Piccadilly, Hard Rock Cafe
At the Hyde Park Corner end of Piccadilly.
23. Green Park
Walk south through the park and you come out at the front of Buckingham Palace.
24. Haymarket
For the West End theatres, and shared with the Green Route.
25. Pall Mall East, Trafalgar Square
The best value stop on the route: the National Gallery is free and right on the square.
26. Whitehall, Banqueting House
For Downing Street, the Cenotaph and Horse Guards Parade.
27. Westminster Bridge, west
The last stop before the loop closes back at Belvedere Road.
The western loop, and the one to take for the museums. It heads out to Knightsbridge and Kensington, and it is the route carrying the kids’ commentary and the free London Quest booklet, so it is the obvious pick if you have children with you.
21. Park Lane, Hilton
Shared with the Red Route, so this is where most people change onto the Blue.
31. Hyde Park Corner
By Wellington Arch, at the southeast corner of the park.
32. Brompton Road
For Harrods and the Knightsbridge shops. Worth a look at the food halls even if you are not buying.
33. Thurlow Place
The museum stop. The V&A, the Natural History Museum and the Science Museum are all free and all within a few minutes of each other.
34. Gloucester Road
A quieter approach to the museums when the main entrances are queued out of the door.
35. Royal Albert Hall
With the Albert Memorial directly opposite, across the road in Kensington Gardens.
36. Palace Gate
On the southern edge of Kensington Gardens.
37. Kensington Palace
Quieter than the central royal sites, and the gardens around it are free to wander.
38. Notting Hill Gate
For Portobello Road Market. Saturday is the full market, quieter any other day.
39. Bayswater Road, St Petersburg Place
Along the northern edge of Kensington Gardens.
40. Bayswater Road, Thistle
Further east along the park, near Lancaster Gate.
41. Lancaster Road, Stop LE
The last stop on the western leg before the route turns back towards Park Lane.
The shortest of the three, and really a connector rather than a sightseeing loop. It exists to link the main rail termini to the Red and Blue routes, so it is the one to know if you are arriving by train.
2. Aldwych
Shared with the Red Route, and the natural place to change between the two.
24. Haymarket
On the edge of the West End theatre district.
25. Pall Mall East
Trafalgar Square. The National Gallery is free and right on the square.
26. Whitehall
For Downing Street, the Cenotaph and Horse Guards.
27. London Eye
Westminster Bridge, on the South Bank side. Also for the Southbank Centre and Waterloo.
52. Southampton Row
Bus Stop Y, on the edge of Bloomsbury.
53. National Hotel
A stop that exists for the Bloomsbury hotels rather than for sightseeing.
54. British Museum
Free to enter. If you have only an hour, head for the Great Court and the Egyptian rooms.
55. Dean Street
In the middle of Soho, and the last stop before the route loops back.
What’s Included
Who It’s Best For
City Sightseeing is the safe, sensible default, and I mean that as a compliment.
It suits you if you:
- Have used one of these tours in another city and want the same predictable format
- Are travelling in a mixed-language group, where eleven languages settles the argument
- Have children, and want the Blue Route commentary and the quest booklet
- Want a straightforward bus pass without paying for bundled extras you will not use
Look elsewhere if you:
- Want a river cruise bundled in as standard, where Big Bus includes one
- Want live guided walking tours as part of the ticket rather than a paid add-on
- Know London well enough to be quicker on the Tube
Still deciding? Our full London hop-on hop-off guide lines all four operators up side by side, and there is a direct Big Bus vs Tootbus comparison if those two are your shortlist.
Good to Know
Four things that make the difference between a good day and a frustrating one.
Ride one full loop first
Do a complete circuit before you get off anywhere. You will spot what actually appeals and avoid doubling back later.
Check which Westminster Bridge stop
There are two, east and west, at opposite ends of the loop. Boarding the wrong one sends you the long way round.
Your pass starts when you board
Not when you buy it. Book ahead without worrying about wasting a day, but start the clock on a morning you can commit to.
Mind the last departures
Buses run to about 18:30, but the last full loop leaves considerably earlier. Do not plan a late hop on the shorter routes.
FAQ
Is a river cruise included with City Sightseeing London?
Not with the standard hop-on hop-off ticket. The bus pass covers the buses and the audio commentary, and that is it. City Sightseeing does sell combination tickets that add a Thames cruise, so if you want one, buy the combo rather than assuming it comes free.
Is a walking tour included?
No, not with the standard bus ticket. Their app does build self-guided walking routes around whatever you want to see, which is a genuinely useful feature, but it is not a guided walk with a person leading it.
Can I use my Oyster card or contactless on the bus?
No. This is a sightseeing tour bus, not a Transport for London service, so Oyster, contactless and Travelcards do not work on it. You need a City Sightseeing ticket.
How many stops and routes are there?
Three routes and 45 stops between them. Red is the central loop, Blue heads west to Knightsbridge and the Kensington museums, and Green links the main rail stations to the other two.
What languages is the commentary in?
Eleven, played through your own headphones rather than a shared speaker. There is also a separate children’s commentary on the Blue Route.
How long does the full loop take?
The Red Route takes roughly two and a half hours to ride all the way round without getting off. The Blue and Green routes are shorter. Treat a full loop as the backbone of a half day rather than a quick lap.
When does my ticket start counting down?
When you first board a bus, not when you buy it. So you can book in advance and only start the clock on the day you actually begin.
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