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London is a sprawling, fascinating city with history and surprises on every corner. The question is how to take it all in so you know what you really want to explore. The answer, get on a bus. The London Subway Tube will get you from place to place faster, but if you want to actually see London, the top of a double-decker, through one of the big glass windows affords a view of the street life. The cheapest way by far to get around London is the standard transport bus pass. For about 4 pounds for all day you can ride about anywhere. The tickets can be bought on any city bus or from automated ticket machines at Victoria, Waterloo or other main stops.

If you actually want to be clued in on what is passing by on the street, take a London Bus Tour where a guide will thrill, entertain and inform you of the history, quirks and color of the city sights. There are two main London Sightseeing Bus Tour companies – The "Original" London Bus Tour and The Big Bus Company. The Original Tour has been around for about 60 years and has the traditional red London double deck busses, but wasn’t called “the original” until The Big Bus Company came along about 15 years ago and started doing it a little better, then the other guys started doing what Big Bus was doing and put "original" in their name, so the battle of the busses rages on the streets of London. The Big Bus is distinguished by its maroon and gold color scheme.

On a guided bus tour the ticket you purchase lasts for 24 hours with hop-on hop-off privileges, so if you get to a sight you want to explore, get off, check out the Tower of London or Harrods for shopping or whatever interests you, then get back on and continue to explore. You may find it most useful to start by making a full route ride to decided what you really want to see and go back to specific destinations later. Though you might find a tube or regular bus pass useful rather than take the tour route again.

What’s the difference between the London sightseeing bus tours? They both have live guide commentary in English (on at least one route) and recorded in other languages. The guides are entertaining and each has a bit of their own style. They both pretty much travel the same routes and stop in the same places. They both include a Thames River Cruise boat trip with the ticket (see Thames Time). They both also sell tickets to London attractions. The “Original” Tour is the bigger, older brother, but the Big Bus Company has won more awards for the “best sightseeing tour”. The Big Bus Company also has broken its routes into sections, the Red, Blue and Green tour routes, so the turn around times are shorter, with buses running about every 20 minutes.

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The real difference, the walking tours! With the “Original” you just ride the bus. The Big Bus Company includes walking tours in the price of the ticket. Take the “Royal London Walking Tour” in the morning to get the colorful story on London’s royal history and the best views of the famed Changing of the Guard. While mobs of tourists crowd outside Buckingham Palace waiting almost an hour for something to happen, your experienced walking guide is taking you from the first moment of the appearance of the colors at St. James Palace following the pageantry though all its intricate steps to Buckingham, close enough to tickle the tuba player, alone worth the price of a bus ticket. Later take the London Pub Crawl haunted London “Ghosts by Gaslight” walking tour. Get spooked and get in a little elbow bending with a pint or two at the same time.

At the Big Bus Company Information Office at 48 Buckingham Palace Road a block from Victoria Station you can purchase discount theater tickets, fast track admission to other London attractions and even arrange for out of London day and overnight tours to Windsor, Bath and Stonehange, a Eurostar trip to Paris with a Champagne Lunch on the Eiffel Tower, tour to Leeds Castle, Dover and Canterbury, or Warwick Castle (See Medieval Ghosts and Love Birds), Stratford Upon Avon and the Cotswolds. The staff is very helpful and can guide you through many of the questions of dealing with a London visit.

The other difference, price. The “Original Tour” is a little cheaper at £19 with a discount for buying online. The Big Bus Company tour price is £22 also with discount online, but worth it with the included walking tours, service and bonus extras.

The downside of riding a bus in London? Rain and traffic. But its London after all, what do you expect. For a small group (5 or less) and about £85 to £95 you can take a guided London Cab Tour for about two hours with Black Taxi Tours of London. You get to see some alleys and mews you can’t go on a bus, and you can go where you request and stay out of the rain. © Bargain Travel Europe

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