London’s hop-on hop-off buses look more complicated than they are. Four companies run open-top double-deckers around the same handful of landmarks, each with its own coloured routes. The real planning question is not which company is best, it is which route reaches the sights you care about. Get the routes straight first and the booking sorts itself out.
The Central Core Every Operator Covers
If you only remember one thing from this page, make it this. Big Bus, Tootbus, City Sightseeing and Golden Tours all trace the same central London backbone. Whichever ticket you buy, you get the greatest hits.
- Westminster and Big Ben, with the Houses of Parliament and Westminster Abbey a short walk apart
- The South Bank and the London Eye, usually the busiest boarding point of the lot
- Trafalgar Square, the natural crossroads where north-south routes tend to meet
- St Paul’s Cathedral and the City
- The Tower of London and Tower Bridge, the eastern anchor for every operator
- Piccadilly Circus and the West End, threading past the theatres and the shops
- Buckingham Palace, or the closest stop to it, on nearly every main loop
So the overlap is real and it is large. Where the operators genuinely differ is at the edges: the museums out west, the parks, the northern stations. That is what the rest of this page is for.
Compare the Operators at a Glance
Every operator gets you round the core, so the honest differences are how many routes they run, whether the commentary is live or recorded, and what comes bundled into the ticket.
| Operator | Routes | Commentary | Walking tours | River cruise | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Big Bus | 3 | Recorded audio | Included on longer tickets | Included | Frequency, the strongest all-rounder |
| Tootbus | 5 | Recorded audio | Not included | Combo ticket only | Electric and hybrid fleet, themed and family tours |
| City Sightseeing | 3 | Recorded audio | Not included | Combo ticket only | The global red-bus brand |
| Golden Tours | 3 | Live guide on selected departures | Two walks included | Included | A live guide and the most inclusions |
How the Routes Differ by Operator
Each company splits its network into a central loop plus one or more routes that reach the museum quarter or the northern stations. Here is where each one goes. The coloured tags are that operator’s own route names.
Big Bus
RedBlueGreen Link
Three routes on one ticket. The Red Route is the classic central loop, Green Park across to Tower Bridge by way of Westminster and St Paul’s. The Blue Route pushes west to the South Kensington museums, Kensington Palace and the edge of Notting Hill. The short Green Link ties King’s Cross, St Pancras and Euston to the British Museum.
Tootbus
RedBlueGreenPinkBlack shuttle
The operator with the bee logo runs five routes. The Red Route is the central workhorse round the Tower, St Paul’s, the London Eye, Westminster and the Palace. The Blue Route heads west to Kensington and the museums, the Green Route links the northern stations and Bloomsbury, and the Pink and Black shuttle routes fill in Marylebone, Regent’s Park and the shorter hops. A good chunk of the fleet is electric or hybrid.
City Sightseeing
RedBlueGreen
The red-bus brand you will recognise from cities all over the world runs three routes. The Red Route is the central loop past Westminster, Trafalgar Square, St Paul’s, the Tower and Tower Bridge. The Blue Route reaches the V&A, Natural History and Science museums, Kensington Palace, the Royal Albert Hall and Harrods. The Green Route runs north through Bloomsbury to the British Museum, King’s Cross and Platform 9¾.
Golden Tours
ClassicEssentialMuseum
Golden Tours organises its network by purpose, which I rather like. The Classic Tour (Blue) is a compact central loop past Big Ben, the London Eye and Parliament, and it is the one with the live guide on selected departures. The Essential Tour (Red) reaches wider, adding Tower Bridge, Westminster Abbey and the northern stations. The Museum Tour (Orange) is the one to catch for South Kensington.
Which Route for Which Sights
If you already know what you want to see, here is the route that gets you there. The museum quarter is the single biggest reason the operators’ maps differ, so check your route reaches it before booking.
| What you want to see | Routes that reach it |
|---|---|
| South Kensington museums (Natural History, Science, V&A) | Big Bus Blue, Tootbus Blue, City Sightseeing Blue, Golden Tours Orange |
| Tower of London and Tower Bridge | Any operator’s central route |
| Westminster, Big Ben and the Abbey | Every central loop |
| British Museum and King’s Cross (Platform 9¾) | Big Bus Green Link, Tootbus Green, City Sightseeing Green |
| Kensington Palace, Hyde Park and Notting Hill | Big Bus Blue, Tootbus Blue |
| A quick greatest-hits loop with limited time | Golden Tours Classic, or any central Red route ridden without hopping off |
How to Plan an Efficient Loop
The mistake I see most is people hopping off at the first stop and then spending the day waiting for the next bus. Here is the approach that works.
- Ride the full central loop once before you hop off anywhere. Stay upstairs, listen to the commentary and get your bearings. You will spot the stops you actually want and understand how the city fits together, which is half the value of these buses in the first place.
- Hop off strategically, not constantly. Pick three or four places to properly explore rather than eight you will only glance at. Each hop costs you the wait for the next bus, and in central London traffic that adds up.
- Allow for traffic around Piccadilly, Trafalgar Square and the Strand. The western and northern routes tend to run less frequently than the central loop, so plan the museum leg early rather than leaving it to a tired late afternoon.
- Board where the buses start if you can. The London Eye and Victoria are common starting points, which means an emptier top deck and first pick of the front seats. Most Londoners I know would tell you the front-left upstairs seat is the one to aim for.
Key Stops and Interchanges
- The London Eye and South Bank is the busiest interchange for most operators, and often the terminus where central and northern routes both call.
- Trafalgar Square is the classic crossroads. North-south and east-west routes converge here, making it the natural place to switch between a central loop and a route heading up to Bloomsbury or out to the museums.
- Victoria is a common western pivot, close to Buckingham Palace and a sensible boarding point for the westbound museum routes.
- Marble Arch links the central and western routes on a couple of operators’ maps, useful for reaching Hyde Park and Kensington.
- King’s Cross and St Pancras anchor the northern connector routes, handy if you are arriving in London by train and want to start the day straight off the platform.
Want every stop mapped out? Each operator guide on this site lays a route out stop by stop, in its own colours: Big Bus, Tootbus, City Sightseeing and Golden Tours. Each operator also publishes its own official map and a live bus-tracker in its app.
FAQ
How many stops are there on a London hop-on hop-off route?
It depends on the operator and route, but expect somewhere between roughly a dozen stops on a shorter museum or connector route and around twenty-five to thirty on a full central loop. Each company combines two to five routes into a network of roughly forty to sixty-five stops in total.
Are the routes the same across all the bus companies?
The central core is nearly identical. Every operator covers Westminster, the London Eye, Trafalgar Square, St Paul’s, the Tower and the West End. The differences are at the edges: how far west a route reaches into the museum quarter and Kensington, and whether it runs north to King’s Cross and the British Museum.
Where can I get a London hop-on hop-off bus map?
Each operator publishes its own official route map on its website, and most also offer a live bus-tracker map in their app so you can see where the next bus is. Our own operator guides, linked throughout this page, lay out every route stop by stop.
Which hop-on hop-off route is best?
For first-time visitors who want the landmarks, any operator’s central Red loop covers them. If museums matter, choose an operator whose western route reaches South Kensington. If you are arriving by train and staying north, a network with a King’s Cross connector saves you a walk. Match the route to your sights rather than chasing the best brand.
How long does a full loop take?
A full central loop typically takes around two to two and a half hours end to end without hopping off, longer in heavy traffic. Shorter museum and connector routes run closer to an hour. Ride one full loop first to get your bearings, then start hopping.
Can I switch between routes on one ticket?
Yes. On every operator, a single ticket covers all of that company’s routes for its validity period, so you can ride the central loop, switch to the museum route and take the northern connector on the same pass. You cannot mix routes between different companies on one ticket, though, so pick the operator whose whole network suits you.
Do the buses run in winter?
Yes, the main operators run year-round, though frequencies drop and some routes shorten their hours outside the summer season. Hours and route timings can change, so check the operator’s official site before you set out.
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