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Golden Tours (Gray Line) hop-on hop-off open top bus tour

Hop-on hop-off double deck open top sightseeing bus tour with tickets for 24, 48 or 72-hours

Golden Tours London hop-on hop-off open top sightseeing bus

Cruise around London with Golden Tours hop-on buses

Golden Tours London hop-on hop-off sightseeing tour

The Golden Tours London hop-on hop-off service is one of the three main London hop-on, hop-off sightseeing tours operating in London.

Unlike the other two London hop-on, hop-off sightseeing bus operators, Golden Tours also offer a broad range of guided coach tours from London to places like Windsor, Stonehenge and Oxford.

Golden Tours also combine their hop-on bus tours with popular attractions in London.

Two big popular combinations right now are Hop on & hop-off bus tour with London Bridge Experience as well as Hop on & hop-off bus tour with London Transport Museum.

Golden Tours are currently the only tour operator to consistently offer a fully live-guided tour on their 1.5-hr Express ticket (not hop-on, hop off).

BOOK GOLDEN TOURS HOP-ON BUS TICKETS   What's included   About Golden Tours ticket options   Routes and buses   With London Bridge Experience   With London Transport Museum   With Merlin attraction pass   River Cruise   Walking tours   Add-ons to Golden Tours tours & themed tours   Golden Tours compared with Tootbus & Big Bus   Hop-on buses price comparison table  

Golden Tours hop on bus London tickets

GOLDEN TOURS HOP-ON BUS LONDON TICKETS

London Golden Tours hop on bus tours

Hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus London & 2 walking tours

Choice of 1-day, 24, 48 or 72-hr tickets • Free one-way Thames river cruise (if selected) • Two walking tours • Free Wi-Fi on board • Audio in 11 languages • London in your Pocket app access

Golden Tours hop on bus London - what's included in your ticket

Golden Tours hop on bus - top deck
Golden Tours offer a range of hop on bus tickets
  • Unlimited travel for 24, 48 or 72-hours on the Golden Tours London sightseeing bus network that visits all major attractions in Central London

  • Free one-way river cruise included with ticket

  • Free walking tours - Coronation and/or Jack the Ripper

  • 4 open top sightseeing routes with pre-recorded commentary in 11 languages

  • 90-min open top bus tour featuring English speaking guide

  • Cancellation policy - up to 24 hours beforehand to get full refund

  • Free Wi-Fi on all buses

Comparison table of London's hop-on bus prices 2024

What you need to know about Golden Tours London tickets

Golden Tours hop on bus London
Choose from a number of ticket options

The basic format of the Golden Tours sightseeing bus is the same as for its two competitors, Big Bus London and Tootbus: a hop-on, hop-off bus service stopping at all the major tourist attractions supplemented by a one-way river cruise.

Golden Tours tickets

You can buy tickets for the Golden Tours service in 24, 48 and 72-hr durations. So, if you buy a 48-hr ticket, the ticket is valid 48 hours from the time you activate the ticket by boarding the bus.

Tickets can also either be purchased with or without the Thames river cruise.

There is a best price guarantee if you purchase direct from the Golden Tours website, see banner link above.

Golden Tours advance tickets - how it works

You pay for your tickets on the website in advance, by credit/debit card at the time of purchase.

A confirmation ticket is sent to you immediately by email which you need to print out.

You can join the tour from any Golden Tours bus stop, exchanging your email voucher for your tickets. Your tickets start from the time when you board the first bus.

Golden Tours routes and buses

Golden Tours view from top deck hop on bus
Enjoy terrific views from the top deck

Golden Tours offer 4 routes that between them cover all the major sights in London. You can switch from one to another as you please if you buy the hop-on hop-off ticket.

The Classic Tour (Blue route): Covers all the main Central London sights and visits London’s Museum Quarter.

The Essential Tour (Red route): Passes Madame Tussauds and Kings Cross, as well as Hyde Park and Regents Park, two of the prettiest parks in London.

The Morning and Evening Drop off Service (Yellow and Green routes): Operating in the morning and late afternoon, this route travels from the popular hotel districts to Central London.

Golden Tours route map London 2024

Frequencies are every 5-10 minutes at the main tourist points where routes overlap and 10-20 minutes at the outer reaches of the network. The main routes start up about 8.30am to 9am and start to wind down around 5pm.

Guides and audio guides

Golden Tours offer the most languages of all the hop on bus companies on their audio guides, currently 11. These are: English, French, German, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Russian, Brazilian Portuguese, Indian, Japanese and Arabic.

No live guide is available currently on any of the hop on hop off bus routes, but there is a continuous 90-min route that does have an English speaking guide, called the Open Top London Bus Tour With Live Guide.

Golden Tours 24-hr hop on bus with London Bridge Experience

London Bridge Experience
A terrific day out: London Bridge Experience & hop-on bus tour

Hop-on bus tour of London by Golden Tours

This incredible value London Hop on Hop off bus tour grants you the freedom and convenience to explore the city in depth in one day.

Enjoy a fabulous hop-on bus experience for a whole 24 hours, allowing you to see such London icons as the Tower of London, Shakespeare’s Globe and spectacular Westminster Abbey, as well as, of course, the inimitable Buckingham Palace.

Thames River cruise

This 24-hr hop-on bus tour also gives you a free Thames River Cruise, where you travel from Westminster to either Tower Bridge Quay or Greenwich (or vice versa), and get to soak in panoramic views of the capital’s most iconic landmarks along the way.

Two walking tours

Plus all Golden Tours hop-on bus tours offer two different complimentary walking tours of London (currently Jack the Ripper or Coronation walking tour).

Entrance into London Bridge Experience

In addition with this fantastic package you get entry into The London Bridge Experience:

Travel back in time become part of London's gruesome history and travel back in time to an age of adventure, uncovering the dark secrets that lie beneath the world’s most famous and haunted bridge. Laugh, scream and cheer your way through 2000 years of history.

london bridge experience

GOLDEN TOURS 24-HR HOP ON BUS PLUS LONDON BRIDGE EXPERIENCE

Combine Big Bus hop on hop off bus tour with London attractions

Combine hop-on hop-off sightseeing tour with the London Bridge Experience

• 24-hr Hop-on Hop-off London Bus Tour • Entrance to The London Bridge Experience & The London Tombs • One way Thames river cruise ticket • 2 walking tours • Audio guide in 11 languages


Golden Tours 24-hr or 1-day hop on bus with London Transport Museum

Lonodn Transport Museum
200 years of history: London Transport Museum

Another great offer combining a Golden Tours hop on bus tour (choose form 24-hr or 1-day) with entrance to the memorable London Transport Museum.

Thames River cruise

This 24-hr hop-on bus tour also gives you a free Thames River Cruise, where you travel from Westminster to either Tower Bridge Quay or Greenwich (or vice versa), and get to soak in panoramic views of the capital’s most iconic landmarks along the way.

Two walking tours

Plus all Golden Tours hop-on bus tours offer two different complimentary walking tours of London (currently Jack the Ripper or Coronation walking tour).

Entrance into the London Transport Museum

Discover spectacular exhibits showcasing the 200-year history of London’s public transport network at the London Transport Museum in Covent Garden.

From abandoned tube stations to historic vehicles, see how London’s transport has evolved over the years.

Discover rare photos, vintage posters and old tiles from derelict stations while you hear stories of travel in Victorian times, the first railway and underground lines and how Churchill took shelter underground during the Blitz. There’s also the only surviving steam engine from the 1860s to see!

london transport museum

GOLDEN TOURS 24-HR HOP ON BUS PLUS LONDON TRANSPORT MUSEUM

Combine Big Bus hop on hop off bus tour with London attractions

Combine hop-on hop-off sightseeing tour with the London Transport Museum

• 24-hr Hop-on Hop-off London Bus Tour • Entrance to The London Transport Museum • One way Thames river cruise ticket • 2 walking tours • Audio guide in 11 languages


Golden Tours 1 day or 24-hr hop on bus, river cruise + Merlin attraction pass

Merlin Magical London with hop on bus
The Ultimate London Experience

The Ultimate London Experience

With this pass you can be fully flexible. Choose to combine a 1-day or a 24-hr hop on bus tour of London with a combination of three different Merlin attractions, or all five - it's up to you.

Plus - your hop on bus pass also comes with a FREE Thames river cruise.

A great bundle of top London attractions.

Big City Saver (aka Merlin's Magical London) pass - more details

5-in-1 Merlin Attraction London Pass

THE ULTIMATE LONDON EXPERIENCE - WITH HOP ON BUS

5-in-1 Merlin Attraction London Pass

HUGE SAVINGS: Buy a 3 or 5 attraction pass
for top 5 London attractions plus hop-on bus & river cruise

• 1-day, 24, 48 or 72-hr hop-on bus tickets available • Thames river cruise • London Eye • Madame Tussauds London • London Dungeon • Shrek's Adventure! London • SEA LIFE London Aquarium

Adult from £89 for 3 attractions + 1-day hop-on bus. Child (age 5-15) £68

Adult from £105 for 5 attractions + 1-day hop-on bus. Child (age 5-15) £82


Free river cruise with Golden Tours

Thames River Sightseeing cruise with Golden Tours hop on bus tour London
Free Thames cruise included with your hop on bus ticket

Free Thames river cruise with Thames River Cruising

Enjoy a complimentary river trip included in your Golden Tours hop-on, hop-off bus ticket. The river service that the Golden Tours ticket covers runs from the Westminster Pier by Big Ben to the Greenwich Pier in the east, with several stops along the way.

Cruises are for one-way only.

Frequencies are approximately every 20 minutes in the summer and every 30-40 minutes in the winter.

Note - the river cruise is not included in the one calendar day ticket.

Free walking tours with Golden Tours hop on buses

Golden tours hop on buses also include a free Jack The Ripper Walking Tour and/or the Coronation Walking Tour.

The Jack the Ripper tour offers you the chance to explore the locations where vital clues were found and play detective in trying to solve this morbid mystery.

Alternatively, you can choose the Coronation walking tour: a majestic 2-hour stroll through the capital uncovering spectacular Royal sites. Learn more about coronations past and present as well as quirky facts such as where The Queen Mother bought her cigarettes and Queen Elizabeth’s favourite off-licence.

Golden Tours hop on bus alternatives and top London attractions

Golden Tours 90-min non stop bus with live guide
Take a 90-min ride through London with your live guide

As well as the traditional hop-on bus services from Golden Tours, there are also a range of other services to choose from.

Options include:

Click on the banner below for more details.

In addition to these options, Golden Tours have also bundled many of their top London attractions with a hop on bus service.

Choose from:

Tower of London with hop-on bus

Westminster Abbey with hop-on bus

St Paul's with hop-on bus

SEA LIFE with hop-on bus

The London Dungeon with hop-on bus

Madame Tussauds with hop-on bus

London Eye with hop-on bus

Shrek's Adventure! London with hop-on bus

 

Golden Tours hop on bus London tickets

GOLDEN TOURS HOP-ON BUS LONDON ALTERNATIVE TOURS

London Golden Tours hop on bus tours

Hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus London with add-ons

• 90-min bus tour with LIVE GUIDE option • Option to add on Disney 100: The Exhibition or Warner Bros Studio - Harry Potter • London by Night tours • Christmas lights tours


Golden Tours v Big Bus v Tootbus

In terms of London coverage all three Ho Ho sightseeing bus operations visit the same areas and all the main London attractions.

Live guides

This is one area that has changed in recent years. Traditionally all three companies offered live guides on at least one of their hop-on tours.

Today you will find this is no longer the case. If having a live guide is important to you there are a couple of options, but none of them are hop-on, hop-off but rather 60 or 90-minute continuous sightseeing tours.

Golden Tours have a live guide on their 90 min non-stop tour.

Tootbus have a live guide on their London Kids Tour and London Christmas Tour.

Big Bus no longer offer a live guide service on any of their tours.

Otherwise all three companies use pre-recorded commentaries for their hop-on bus services (they vary on the number of languages offered).

Durations

All operators offer tickets with 24 and 48-hr validity periods; Tootbus and Golden Tours also offer 72-hr tickets.

In addition Tootbus offer a 60-min Bar Bus ticket, while Golden Tours offer a fully guided 1.5-hr Express ticket (see above).

Evening Tours

All three operators offer evening tours. Big Bus also include a separate evening tour with their Premium and Deluxe tickets.

See websites for more details.

Walking Tours

Both Golden Tours and Big Bus offer highly regarded professionally guided walking tours included with your ticket (selected tickets only).

With Golden Tours you can choose from a Jack The Ripper Walking Tour or Coronation Walking Tour.

Big Bus offer THREE FREE TOURS with their Essential and Explore tickets: Changing of the Guard Walking Tour, City of London Walking Tour and a Jack the Ripper Walking Tour. Each tour is 1.5 hours long.

In addition Big Bus are currently offering a Royal themed hop on bus tour - 'A Big Royal Adventure'' together with a 45-min Royal Walking Tour.

Tootbus do not offer guided walking tours but instead give you the chance to download "Tootwalk" to your phone: a choice of three self-guided walks.

River cruises

Two different river cruise operators are used, City Cruises and Thames River Sightseeing.

Golden Tours and Tootbus both offer tickets which are cheaper because they do not offer the river cruise. River cruises come standard with all Big Bus tickets.

All river cruises are for one-way only.

Add-on attractions or alternative tours

Golden Tours offer a range of attractions as add-on to the basic 4-hr hop-on bus ticket.

You can buy discounted bundles of Big Bus and top London attraction through Discount London.

In addition, through the Big Bus official website you can also add on tickets to: Madame Tussauds, Tower of London and London Eye Fast Track.

Tootbus don't currently offer any add-on attractions but they do offer alternative tours such as an Evening Tour, Bar Bus and a very popular Kids tour.

Click through on the banner for a thorough discussion on the differences between companies.

London's hop-on buses - discussion comparison

Golden Tours hop on bus London tickets

GOLDEN TOURS HOP-ON BUS LONDON TICKETS

London Golden Tours hop on bus tours

Hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus London & 2 walking tours

Choice of 1-day, 24, 48 or 72-hr tickets • Free one-way Thames river cruise (if selected) • Two walking tours • Free Wi-Fi on board • Audio in 11 languages • London in your Pocket app access

LONDON'S OPEN TOP HOP-ON, HOP-OFF SIGHTSEEING TOUR PRICING 2024

 

Online advance ticket price adult/child/family from...

Tour

24 hrs or 1-day no cruise

24-hrs or 1 day with cruise

48-hrs or 2 days no cruise

48-hrs or 2 days with cruise

72-hrs or 2 days no cruise

72-hrs or 3 days with cruise

London Evening tour

Tootbus (Original Tour) Adult
Child
Family
£29.75
£17.00
£90.00
£35.70
£20.40
£108.00
£34.85
£21.25
£107.00
£41.65
£24.65
£127.00
£39.95
£25.50
£124.00
£47.60
£34.00
£146.00
£23.80
£13.60
£72.00
Big Bus Adult
Child
Family
N/A £43.00
£33.00
£140.50
N/A £45.00
£37.00
£174.00
N/A N/A £35.00
£26.00
£109.00
Golden Tours Adult
Child
Family
N/A £29.99
£18.46
£100.10
N/A £43.47
£27.10
£129.83
N/A £49.95
£32.11
£154.60
£27.00
£15.00
£74.00
London's hop-on buses - 3 hop on buses compared

All the hop-on bus companies have permanently discounted online prices, (compared with walk-up prices) which are between 10 - 15% off.

Prices are seasonal and variable and prices above are based on low season prices. During school holidays prices are typically higher.

To be sure you are getting the best possible price it is advisable to check our prices above against the hop-on bus companies' websites as they occasionally run sales throughout the year:

Tootbus official website

Big Bus official website

Golden Tours official website

Tootbus offer cheaper tickets, which are bus only, no river cruise. Tootbus offer this for a 24, 48 or 72-hr period and call this ticket 'London Discovery'.



POPULAR LONDON ATTRACTIONS - ADVANCE PURCHASE AND/OR FAST TRACK TICKETS

London Eye Amazing panoramic flight on the world's highest observation wheel. » Fast track tickets available.
The Shard Tallest building in Western Europe with viewing of London from the top. » Fast track tickets available.
St Paul's Cathedral Cathedral of the Diocese of London, venue for royal weddings. » Pre-book to guarantee entry.
Westminster Abbey Along with St Paul's, England's main religious building.» Pre-book to guarantee entry.
Tower of London Home of the Crown Jewels and a rich thousand year history. » Fast track tickets available.
Madame Tussauds See wax statues of the most famous people in the world. » Fast track tickets available.
London Dungeon The creepiest attraction in town, the London Dungeon. » Fast track tickets available.
Hampton Court Palace Henry VIII Medieval Palace set in vast grounds. » Pre-book to save money.
The London Zoo World class zoo in the centre of London. » Flexi tickets available.

Every effort is made to keep all our information correct and the advertised prices up to date. We endeavour to be as accurate a source of information as possible but Travellers Toolkits cannot be held responsible for any price differential between our stated prices and those of the companies supplying the product or accuracy of information provided on our sites.