London or Paris Hop On Hop Of Buses

They’re easy enough in London to buy on the day, no need to buy in advance.

I’m not in favour of the HOHO bus in London. The sights are pretty spread out, you’ll spend a lot of time in traffic looking at bank buildings.

We did the one in Paris, 2015. We paid on the bus. Some hotels may have tickets. I'd suggest waiting until you get there to scope out the situation. They're not reserved seats so buying ahead of time won't guarantee a seat.

I will say that I am hesitant to use them again, if your purpose is to get from one attraction to another. You spend a lot of time waiting for the next bus to come by to pick you up again, because of traffic and because they could be full at peak times. However, for taking a long ride around to get oriented, then its worth doing. For intense, targeted sightseeing, the Metro was better, and not that hard to figure out.

In London, we took one of the big bus tours that included guided stops at a few of the major attractions, instead of the HOHO. Then did the other sights on our own. There too, the Tube makes it easy to see most things on your own.

You can also us the public transport (red) buses to tour around rather than the expensive HoHo buses, although obviously you won't get a commentary:
https://londonist.com/2016/10/london-s-best-bus-routes-for-tourists

If this is your first visit to London and you have not researched what you want to see, a HOHO bus is a good way to get an overview of the city and some ideas.

if you already know what you want to see, then public transport (and walking) is much better (i.e. faster and cheaper).

To actually answer the OP's question, just buy the tickets on the day. IMO those buses only begin to be worth the time and money if you get a seat upstairs on a day when the weather is decent. No need to waste money on that if it's raining or crazy windy, so wait till you're there and the weather is OK.

I have mixed feelings about HOHO buses in London. Their main value to me was giving me a sense of the overall geography of central London. A bonus was the perspective of sitting several feet higher than street level as we rode around. I really liked that as we crossed Tower Bridge and drove past the Tower walls.

If absolutely all you want to look at are the handful of sites that are on the usual "must see" list, then you're like to be bored because you'll be riding through heavy traffic between those spots. If you're also interested in seeing a city during its day, the buildings and the people, then there will be plenty to look at.

You will, as someone said, be "sitting in traffic looking at bank buildings" Or - and this is up to you - you will be sitting on the top of an open air bus with a pigeon's eye view of a city in motion. Old buildings rubbing elbows with new. An occasional red phone box on a sidewalk, an old man walking a little dog, a young woman walking two big dogs, two guys leaning against a wall having a smoke break, a ceremony being conducted on an open green space across the road from the Tower with a few dozen people seated in chairs in front of a small platform, soldiers, flags and possibly some Royal the star attraction.

I remember all that from a HOHO trip I took in 2009. I took the tour because it had been seven years since I'd been in London and I wanted to get my bearings and the lay of the land. I didn't begrudge the money and had a great time. I might have achieved much the same result by taking a couple of regular TfL buses, including the No. 24, and getting a seat upstairs. I wasn't bored on that HOHO ride, and still remember very clearly, how much I liked riding across the Tower Bridge that day.

I wouldn't personally use them, but I do understand people using the HoHo in London as an extended tour - including the river portion.

As transport between places though it is poor, especially if it involves changing between the interlocking routes. The second day is free to make the first one appear cheaper ...

Suz has capably described the best reason for taking a HOHO bus, especially spread-out London. But you can have the same kind of "street scene" experience on any public bus, especially from the upper deck (best of all from the front row if you're lucky).

A HOHO tour can help you with the "lay of the land," especially if you bring along a good map. (Benson's is very good for London and includes public bus routes.) Definitely wait till you're there to decide whether and when to spend money for HOHO.

You can buy tickets at the bus in both cities. There are multiple companies operating in each city, so do a little internet research first to see which best suits your needs.

While I see the point made by others who don't like them, personally I like the HOHO busses. Since this is your first trip to Europe, consider using them on your arrival day. I find it to be a great way to get acclimated to the city when I'm usually jet lagged and tired. And certainly take advantage of the ability to hop off and then hop back on to get a bite to eat or shop a little.

We're going to Paris later this year for a few days. We are not buying tickets for the HOHO buses as we can't see the value in it. With Rick's podcasts and his travel books, we can take local buses, walk, or the métro/tube from place to place with knowledgable info at our fingertips or being said to us in our headphones. A few years ago, we took local Vienna buses around the inner ring using Rick's podcast for the ride. Wow, that was amazing! We got off the bus when we wanted and got back on other local buses easily.

Let me explain further why I can't see the value in HOHO buses. In NYC, there are similar tour buses on specific routes throughout Manhattan with tourists hopping off here and there.

The problem is that when tourists want to want to get back on the bus, they have to go to the nearest bus stop for that tour bus and wait on line with the others ahead of them who also want to get back on the bus. When a bus finally does arrive which can be already at capacity, if only a few people disembark, only a few people on line ahead of them will be able to board and the rest will be stuck waiting for the next bus or the bus after that which wastes a tourist's precious time visiting a city. I've seen this again and again in NYC and hear the tourists grumbling about not being able to get back on a bus as I walk by them.

Food for thought.

Thanks for the input. We will be travelling in the shoulder season and this some great info to get us started. You have given us some good pros and cons. I have never been to London so for me a city tour would be a great way to get my bearing in a large city I've never been to. I have been to Paris before and may not take a city tour.

Thanks again.

Donna, in Paris Bus No. 69 and No. 42 are good for sight seeing. No. 42 starts at the Gare du Nord, so board there and get a seat. Get off at the Tour Eiffel, (Champs de Mars) cross over the road and board No. 69. It is the beginning of its route so you will get a seat. If Pere Lachaise Cemetery is of interest, the No. 69 terminates close by.

Edit. You can download and print the entire route of any RATP bus.