Hop On Hop OFF Bus in London

It's a good way to get a sense of the city and see the sights and decide what you really want to visit.

Unless you're desperate for the commentary, using normal buses will be much cheaper and give as good a view. This page gives a good tour of central London using normal buses. There has been one change since - the number 9 no longer serves Piccadilly Circus, so at the beginning take a 14, 19 or 22 to Hyde Park Corner and change to the 9 there.

We've done the Hop On Hop Off bus in London and really enjoyed it. We like sitting up top, in the open air, at the very back. It's relaxing and enjoyable for us to drive around and just see everything. We don't get off and on. The ear buds with info worked well for us. I took mine out when I was tired of listening.

If your tour includes sights in London, you could use the HOHO bus to get an overview of the city, plus stop at any sights that interest you but won't be covered on your tour (the tour itinerary ought to give you a good idea of what they'll show you).

I agree that regular city buses are another good way to get places, for much less cost, but you'd have to figure out your route(s) and get no commentary. I haven't seen criticisms of the HOHOs re poor service; heavy traffic could always be an issue. The tube is fast and easy but you don't see anything except Tube between your stops. Half the fun of buses is the street scene, especially up top in front if you're lucky enough to snag one of those seats.

I thoroughly enjoyed the HOHO bus! Got myself a big coffee, sat back up top and soaked in the sun and ambiance. Headphones on. People watching. Listening. Relaxing. Making mental notes on what I might want to come back to see later in my stay. Got "off" once for the restroom, then got back on and traveled back to the "start." Traffic was not bad at all. I loved looking at the architecture on the buildings from a higher vantage point than the street.
Enjoy your trip!

Hey.. .I just noticed you're from Austin. I'm in Georgetown. It was mid-June when I traveled. The sun was out, the weather was a pleasant 76 degrees. It was pure bliss to take off my jacket and sit in my shirt sleeve shirt without needing a 40 SPF to prevent sunburn. Felt so good!

We have used the Hop-on, Hop-off buses a number of times. I believe there are three routes though. One will lock you into a very boring trip. They are a good idea, if you have all day. I also suggest you do a day tour of London. We used Gray Line Tours. They subcontract out their tours to Evan-Evans Tours, in London. We took a number of their tours, over a four year span. You can go to Gray Line Tours.com or Evan-Evans Tours.com. Sometimes we booked the tours on-line before we left the U.S. Other times we booked the tours after we arrived in London. We learned so much with a live tour guide, on the day tours. Sometimes you are picked up at or near your hotel. We were staying at the Crowne Plaza, South Kensington, three years in a row. Sometimes you meet the tours at Victoria Station. They drop you off near your hotel. Have a great trip.