Hop On, Hop Off London Bus tour - worth it?

The HoHo bus may be a good idea for a one off tour round to get your bearings but should not be regarded as the normal way of getting around, use public transport for that.

Thanks - we are planning to get an oyster card for our time in London as well.

London is a city where the concept can work, given that a number of the sights are stretched out, you can drive by most, and the city in general is interesting to look at.

I can't speak to the quality of the guide narration that goes along with them (been years since I was on a London one) and if you pick times in the morning and evening that conflict with traffic, much of your tour will be stationary with random movements.

My only comment about the pass is to take a hard look at what entries it gets you and if those are your interest. There are many sights that the card either does not cover, or are free anyway. Between the British Museum, the British Library, National Gallery, Albert and Victoria, Imperial War Museum, and a host of other museums, you could fill days without need for the London Card. Maybe a shorter term card to cover the places with cost in a day or two might be an option (if that exists).

IMHO the Hop On Hop Off bus isn’t worth it.

You can walk from Parliament Square (Big Ben ( still in scaffolding ) Parliament and Westminster Abbey up Birdcage Walk thru St james park to the Palace. Nice pleasant stroll.

Most of the Museums in London are free so do the math to truly see if the pass is worth the money. And don’t forget to look at the 2 for 1 deals if not traveling solo.

The London hop on/off buses is a bit complicated given the number of routes available. We generally are big fans of hop o/f for first time visit to a major city and that is the case with London. We generally will ride one full loop to identify the difference places, notice the pick up points, and to plan the sites we want to explore more fully. Generally the tickets are good for 24 hours so we tend to buy the ticket at noon to early PM so that it is good till same time the next day.

I can't give you a first-hand opinion about the London Pass, but the HOHO is useful if your flight arrives in London hours before your hotel room is available. You can leave your luggage at the hotel, and ride the HOHO to kill some time and take in the sights - but you may be too jet-lagged to remember much. I wouldn't do it with my luggage.

If I sat down on a bus for a long ride after an overnight flight, I'd be asleep within ten minutes. But some folks are made of sterner stuff.

I confess that I have trouble understanding the value of HO/HO buses in big cities with excellent public transportation. If you want to use a bus to become familiar with the layout of the city, why not just take a bus tour? Aren't they cheaper?

And keep in mind a pricey hoho bus gets held up in traffic, cannot take you through London parks, around many of the residential squares and gardens, into cathedrals and churches, through the small closes, narrow alleys and Mews streets, along the South Bank, for a Thames river ride or across pedestrian foot bridges.

And as mentioned, if your jet lagged, with the engine vibration, rocking motion and sitting down this will send you to sleep.

But, definitely have an inexpensive top deck ride on a proper London bus, use your Oystercard/contactless/phonepay

Thanks everyone for their input - and I have decided against the HOHO bus. Just not worth the $$

Good choice. London is so easy to get around that the tour buses seem somewhat redundent, and it's more enjoyable to go at your own pace. I highly recommend the Tube Map app - it makes things much easier.

Yes save the money and use it elsewhere on your trip.

London is a walkable city.

A favorite suggestion of mine for first time visitors is to tube to Westminster Station ( Mind the Gap*), exit and walk out into Parliament Square.

After photo ops and and a tour of Westminster Abbey cross the street ( always wait for the lights cuz traffic flows in the opposite direction than your brain is wired for) and head to the well signed Birdcage Walk and stroll up to Buckingham Palace.

If the Churchill War Rooms are on your “ must see “ list (timed entry tickets only) they are off Birdcage Walk on Horseguard Road. So is the Horse Guard Parade Ground.

Right now use Google Maps overhead view to see what I’m talking about. You’ll see how easy it is to see the above.

Get your Oyster Card when you arrive. No need to get the Visitor’s Oyster before you go. Use your credit/debit card and get them from the kiosks when you arrive.

Lastly, Mind the Gap is a phrase you’ll hear and see when using the tube. Merely a reminder there might be a small space between the train and platform.

Great city. Enjoy yourselves!

You could do this instead of the HoHo:
https://londonist.com/2016/10/london-s-best-bus-routes-for-tourists

You got good advice about the HOHO. I often somewhat joke that you’ll spend more time looking at bank buildings than sights of interest.

The three day London Pass almost never works out. The only time I’ve seen it work out is for a solo traveller, bought at a discount and for a longer period of time.

I have also decided against the London Pass. Thanks to everyone for their input.

As a family of four, we already get discounts as a family to many of the places we want to go (e.g. Tower of London) as long as we get the tickets ahead of time and at a much better price that the London Pass would have been.

I also found another website called www.discount-london.com which had other group discounts (e.g. London Eye) so I may investigate that.

Definitely look at the 2 for 1 deals as well. Google Days Out Guide London for the website link.

Enjoy your stay.