The London authorities in 2017 brought in a law banning tour companies performing hotel pick-ups in Central London for day tours. This is one of the many initiatives aimed at helping improve air quality in London.
Whether you agree with this policy or not you will have to now give more thought to the planning of the joining your day tour.
London's main day tour companies that used to offer the hotel pick-up service now start their tours from Victoria Coach Station, the main London terminus for scheduled coach services within the UK and to European destinations. Most tours also end at Victoria too.
Small Group Tours and a handful of tours operated by small companies do not start at Victoria, instead offering three or four pick-up locations at strategic points across Central London. But for most people it is Victoria Coach Station you will need to head for to join your tour.
Day tours from London leave early each morning at some time between 7.30am and 8.45am.
Victoria is a major public transport hub in Central London and a major hotel district in its own right. Victoria Coach Station is a 5-min walk from Victoria Underground and Railway Station and a few red London public buses stop outside.
The Golden Tours office and departure point is along the same route and is just before you come to the main Victoria Coach Station.
Transport for London (TFL), the official body that manages London's public transport has an excellent travel planner.
As well as giving you the best routes and scheduled timings for any given route it also includes walking distances/times from your hotel if you enter the postcode/zip code.
So first of all open up the journey planner, (see image). Enter the postcode of your hotel or accommodation in London in the “From” caption. (Or you can just put the nearest Underground Station.)
In the “To” caption below just start typing Victoria Coach Station-and it will automatically come up after a few characters.
In the “Leaving” caption below do put either the date/time of your tour or at least the same day of the week/time. The software will factor in any known disruptions on any particular day into the schedule.
Victoria Underground and Railway Station is one of the major transport hubs in Central London.
Unless your hotel is in Victoria it is very likely you will be taking the London Underground to Victoria.
Allow 5 to 10 minutes to walk between the two.
Victoria Coach Station is located at:
164 Buckingham Palace Road, SW1W 9TP.
All Golden Tours coaches are now leaving from:
Bus Stop 1, Bulleid Way, Victoria, London SW1W 9SH.
For details see map below.
Bulleid Way is the next street behind Buckingham Palace Road (turn into Eccleston Bridge from Buckingham Palace Road and then next right into Bulleid Way).
From within Victoria Railway Station, (with the Underground Station beneath it) look up and you will see signs for Victoria Coach Station.
It is a straight forward journey, you simply walk down Buckingham Palace Road that runs down the western side of Victoria Railway Station.
You will probably exit the railway station by the entrance to the Amba Hotel Grosvenor situated on Buckingham Palace Road or you ride up some escalators from the station forecourt which will take you to the junction of Eccleston Bridge and Buckingham Palace Road after walking through a small shopping centre, (Victoria Place Shopping Centre).
Between Eccleston Bridge and Elizabeth Bridge is another coach station called the Green Line Coach Station, there will be lots of scheduled buses and Ho Ho sightseeing vehicles parked here.
Just keep going straight ahead at the lights at Elizabeth Bridge, the imposing main entrance of Victoria Coach Station (picture top of page) on the other side of the road at the next set of traffic lights.
Victoria Coach Station is a like a small regional airport - look up at the departure screens for your tour and its coach bay.
Below you'll find some of the most common questions regarding joining your coach tour in London asked over the years, you can use these to help you or if you are really stuck use our contact form at the bottom of the page.