★★★★★
One of the best things we did in London. The air was perfect that evening, the guide was excellent, and we came away with the best photographs of Big Ben we took all week.
Katie M. · couple · August 2026
London Night Tour: Open-Top Bus with a Live Guide
Live guide12 audio languagesMax 72
From $39 per person
Length1 hour 30 minutes
Departs fromSeveral central London departure points, chosen when you book
Group sizeUp to 72
LanguageEnglish
CancellationFree up to 24 hours before
Wheelchair accessibleNo
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before it starts.
Your ninety minutes on the top deck
This is the widest sweep of London available in an hour and a half, and it is the only format where the whole city goes past you rather than the other way round. The roof is off, the landmarks are floodlit, and the bus does not stop.
Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the London Eye and the Tower of London are the spine of the route, and fifteen of the ninety minutes run alongside the Eye, which is the stretch most people photograph. A live English-speaking guide travels with the bus, with recorded audio in twelve languages as the alternative.
You choose your departure point when you book, from several across central London, which is unusual on this market and the reason this route beats its neighbour on convenience as well as on rating.
Six things you will see lit
Buckingham Palace
Floodlit across the front, with the Victoria Memorial in front of it.
The Palace of Westminster
The whole river frontage in gold, and the clock faces white.
The London Eye
Fifteen minutes of the circuit run alongside it.
The Tower of London
White under floodlight from the road above the moat.
St Paul's Cathedral
The dome lit warm against a black sky.
Your own departure point
Several across central London, chosen when you book.
The circuit, in order
- Board at your chosen central London stop
- Buckingham Palace, floodlit
- Westminster Abbey and Big Ben
- Fifteen minutes alongside the London Eye
- The Tower of London on the river
- Return to your departure point
Who this suits, and who should book something else
This is the right first evening in London. If you have two nights, no car and a list of things you have only seen in photographs, ninety minutes on an open top deck covers more of them than anything else at this price. It is also the easiest booking on the market: pick a stop, turn up, sit down.
Two groups should look elsewhere. If you want to get out and stand in front of things, this bus does not stop — the private black cab tour stops wherever you ask it to. And if the cold is a concern, the top deck in December is genuinely cold; the lower deck is enclosed but you are then looking through glass. For a warm evening with the same landmarks, take the cab, and for a story rather than a skyline a Jack the Ripper walk does something no vehicle can. Everything is compared on London by night open top bus tour.
What the fare covers
Included
- A panoramic 90-minute tour of London by night
- Views of Buckingham Palace and Tower Bridge
- Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly
- A live English-speaking guide on board, subject to availability
- Audio guides in 12 languages
Not included
- Gratuities
- Additional refreshments
- Hotel pickup or drop-off
Choosing your departure point
Several central London departure points are offered and you select yours at the time of booking, which is the main practical advantage this route has. Whichever you pick, the tour returns you to it at the end.
Arrive ten minutes early. Seats, including on the upper deck, are first-come and first-served, and on a busy evening the top deck fills first — which matters, because the top deck is the entire point.
Know before you go
It is not a hop-on hop-off ticket. This is one continuous loop, so you cannot get off and rejoin later. The seat you take at the start is the seat you keep.
The top deck is colder than the forecast. A moving bus at twenty miles an hour in December. Bring a hat, gloves and one more layer than you think you need.
It is not wheelchair accessible. If that rules it out for you, the private black cab tours are wheelchair accessible and reach the same landmarks.
The live guide is subject to availability. Audio guides in twelve languages are the fallback. If a live guide matters, ask when you book.
Infants must sit on laps. There are no child seats on the bus. For families needing them, the private minibus tour carries infant seats.
In summer it runs mainly in daylight. Sunset in mid-June is 21:19, long after the early departures leave. Between May and July, take the latest departure of the evening.
What passengers said afterwards
★★★★☆
It hits every part of London you would want and the guide was good value with his terrible jokes. Bring a coat, though. It gets cold up there once the bus is moving.
Joe L. · family · August 2026
★★★★☆
There is so much to see and the guide knew all of it. The only oddity is how close together everything is, so you spend the ninety minutes turning left, then right, then left again. Not a complaint, just be ready for it.
Neville B. · repeat visitor · August 2026
Frequently asked questions
Can I get off and rejoin later?
No, and this is not a hop-on hop-off ticket — it is a single ninety-minute circuit with no rejoining. If getting out at the landmarks is what you want, the private black cab tour stops wherever you ask.
Is there a live guide or a recording?
A live English-speaking guide travels with the bus, listed as subject to availability, and audio guides in twelve languages are provided as the alternative. In practice a live guide is on board on most departures, and travellers name them in their feedback.
How cold does the top deck get?
Colder than the air temperature, because the bus is moving and you are sitting still. In December treat it as several degrees below whatever your phone says. The lower deck is enclosed if you would rather be warm.
Will it be dark?
Between October and March, comfortably. Between May and July it runs mainly in daylight, so take the last departure of the evening or come in another season.
Where do I catch it?
You choose from several central London departure points when you book, and the tour returns you to the same one. Arrive ten minutes early for a seat upstairs.
Are there discounts for children?
The listing publishes reduced child rates. Infants must travel on a lap, as there are no child seats on board.
Other ways to spend the evening
If an open-top bus is not the evening you were after, a black cab covers the same landmarks with heating and stops, and the Jack the Ripper walks trade the skyline for a story.
London Jack the Ripper Guided Tour with Ripper-Vision. London by Night Taxi Tour. Or see All London Night Tours for every departure with live prices.
Book London by Night Sightseeing Open Top Bus Tour with Live Guide
Free cancellation up to 24 hours before it starts.
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