You know that song, A foggy day in London town.  Had me low, had me down?

Well that song has a whole new meaning after having spent a few days in London.  It was certainly foggy, and rainy, but that didn’t stop us from seeing everything we wanted to. Most of the reason we were able to is because we bought tickets for a hop-on, hop-off bus tour.  This allowed us to see the city without getting soaked (we even got free ponchos!), but we also got to explore different areas or buildings, as we wanted.

There are two bus tour companies in London.  The Original Bus Tour and the Big Red Bus Tour.  We used the second company mentioned…for no particular reason.  They are quite comparable in price and value.  The Original Bus Tour may have nicer buses, but I can’t be sure since we didn’t actually ride in one.

The Big Red Bus tour covers all the major landmarks like Big Ben, London Bridge, and Buckingham palace.  There are more than 70 stops…but we didn’t get off at each one.  There are two bus routes, one with a pre-recorded tour offered in 8 languages and the other buses have an English-speaking tour guide. 

The guides are sometimes pretty entertaining…but let’s face it, most things are entertaining when they’re said with an English accent! Some of my favorite parts of the tour included learning random facts like where the first Hard Rock Café is, where the Beatles recorded their first album, the parts of the city that had been burned by huge fires, or under water, or affected by the bubonic plague.  It really put a personality to London and even helped me brush up on my history!  We even saw a random monument dedicated to animals that have died in war, now seriously, I would never have noticed that on my own. 

The tour also comes with a free river cruise ride.  We got on the boat right by the London Bridge and it took us down the River Thames.  We saw the city from a new angle and sitting in a nice warm, dry boat was one of our favorite parts of the very rainy day. I don’t recommend the bathrooms, though.

If you are interested in going on the Big Red Bus Tour on your next trip to London—there are a few things we learned an thought you may want to know.  When you buy your pass for the tour, be sure to save your “receipt.” It’s actually your ticket.  That’s what will get you on any of the buses that come 10 or 15 minutes apart at each stop.  The stops are clearly marked—just be sure to get on the correct bus.  There are representatives from both tour companies and most of the stops to answer any questions you may have and make sure you get on the bus that will take you where you want to go.

Candace Little used to be afraid of traveling…but isn’t so much anymore. She is an explorer of ideas and  a comfort zone vacationer at heart.  She is currently an assistant editor at Utah Business magazine, but when she’s not at work you can find her in the closet on her MacBook with some crazy CS3-ing going on.