Hop on Hop Off - Good Transportation?

The HOHO bus would be an expensive option if you want to use it for transportation. I would definitely recommend it if it's your first time as it gives you a great overview of the city but it's usually only available from 9 am to 6pm. I've actually been to London twice and did the HOHO bus both times. First time because obviously, it was my first trip and the 2nd time because it was my friend's 1st trip. Here's what we did: We caught the bus at Victoria Station, rode about an hour to Tower of London, got off toured the Tower and the Bridge till about 2 pm, had lunch, then took the included Thames boat ride from the Tower to Westminster. It was close to 4pm I think by the time we got there. We caught the bus, made our way to the Marble Arch area, then got off so we can catch a different route to the Harrod's/Kensington area. The traffic was really bad at this time, plus it took almost 30 minutes for the next bus to come along so it was close to 5 by the time we caught the next one. Made our way to Picadilly Circus where the driver suggested we should get off as he was finishing the route by Madame Tussaud's and he said there wasn't much to see there. I definitely didn't think we didn't get our money's worth as we weren't able to do all the routes since we spent so much time off the bus seeing the sights.
To repeat, the HOHO bus is great for a city overview, but for transportation, I would study the bus system and use them to get around. That may require less walking than the underground. This may lead to a question about the Oyster Card vs a travelcard but that subject has been discussed plenty of times on this helpine already!

We've done the Hop on Hop off buses in many cities but IMHO, I would just buy an oyster card and take the regular buses. Get on the bus, head upstairs and enjoy the view. The system in London is so incredible and easy to use - why bother using the tourist ride? With a sore foot - why wait? Just jump on whatever bus you need, sit down (hopefully) and get on the move to your next site. The only thing we TRIED to avoid was morning rush hour. When you tire of the bus or have quite a distance to go - head underground and zip to the next site. Enjoy London, it is one of our favourite cities in the world!

I have to agree with Bob- use either the buses or the Tube. The HoHo buses are great for an orientation, but would be an expensive, and slow way to get from one site to another. You'd have to buy a new ticket every 24 hours! Get either an Oyster card and load a travel card (depending on how many days you will be there) and some Pay-as-you-go money; or get a paper travel card from a National Rail station if you are with someone and want to use the 2-for-1 deals. There are plenty of places to stop and rest (Leciester Square is fun for people watching!). London is really a very easy city to walk- and I think you'll be able to manage it.

If you are dealing with some limited mobility, then the hop on/off would provide a good option. In London you have several routes to choice from. No single bus covers all locations. The tickets are good for 24 hours so start about noon or so you can have a good half day and again the following morning. Divides your time. The bus and tube system also would work but it can involve a lot of extra walking up and down stairs and sometimes the stops are not close to the sites. As someone said, this would be more expensive but you do get the commentary along the way which is useful for a first time visitor.

Thank you all for your replies...I can't believe how helpful this sight has been for planning my trip! I think I will use a combination of the transportation available and just play it by ear a little bit. I did not realize that the 24 HOHO hour really means 24 hours so if I started mid day I could still utilize it the next morning...that could be helpful! And further...I will now only refer to these tours as the HO HO buses...travel should be fun! Thanks again for your suggestions!

I've used the HOHO in several cities but not London. They are more expensive than regular transport and you can (generally stand) around waiting for one up to 15 or 20 minutes, which won't be easy with a sore foot. But, as stated earlier, they are nice if you only have one or two days in a city, the city has generally poor public transportation or you just want a quick orientation. London has pretty good public transportation, but the tube can involve a lot of walking (especially when an escalator or two is down.) I think doing careful planning in conjunction with public transportation and considering a HOHO for one day would be your best bet. Plus add in some low walking things like sitting in a park, a boat ride on the Thames or the London Eye (which I didn't like all that much, but others did.)

Thanks Ray, I appreciate your comments. I only have two days and 3 nights in London, (the other two days I have day trips to Bath and the Cotswolds scheduled) so I do think I will be able to effectively use the HOHO system to see my very long list. I am ok with a "drive by" of many of the sights. Do the regular city buses have open tops as well?

Nancy - Do take the HOHO in Bath, it works well there because of the distances between sights. We took both HOHO tours, the 'central' tour and the 'outskirts' tour. Both were great and you'll have lots of time at each of the sights, great incites and views of Bath.

Nancy, Some of the 'regular' buses do have double deckers, but I don't the top is open. In Bath, you can also take a very nice river cruise and see alot of the architechture as well as some of the countryside.

I thought I had read somewhere that the last of the double deck buses had been retired.

Frank, they retired most of the double deckers (routemaster), but there still are a couple of heritage routes that use them. One is the #9 route which goes down the Kensington High Street. They are not open top like the sightseeing buses.

We rode in double deckers all over London and Edinburgh in May 2011 . All of which are enclosed. Most of the old style buses with the open REAR decks have been retired not all of the double decker fleet.

They retired one type of double deck bus. They are being replaced with a newer/more modern kind of double decker bus.

I thought I had read somewhere that the last of the double deck buses had been retired. No no no no no no no no no! Virtually all the red buses in the centre of London which would be of interest to tourists have been, are, and will be double deckers. Throw me a route number and I'll tell you if it is a single decker or double. Several years ago the then Mayor of London, red Ken (so named for his ultra left politics) banned the original Routemaster bus which had been brought in in the 1950s. They were replaced by loads of driver only double deckers which went with hoppa buses and single deckers for suburban and less traveled routes. He also brought in the hated and despised "bendy buses" like the ones on the Continent, but which have now all been banned by Mayor Boris. Boris, who is also behind the bikes with his name, commissioned a modern Routemaster replacement which has just started service on route 38 and which will have 7 of these buses by May. They have 3 sets of doors, will have a conductor of sorts, two staircases, and an open rear platform. Please look at The TfL Visitor Guide and especially section 6 which has a simplified visitor bus map. It goes everywhere a HoHo bus goes, much cheaper, much more frequently, all day and well into the night. Go upstairs, just like you would on a HoHo, except the roof keeps the rain and wind and cold out and the air conditioning (on most buses) keeps out the fumes and the heat. Sit towards the front and you will see everything. Read up before and you won't need a guide telling you what you are seeing. If you missed something, get off, cross the road, get on one going back where you came from and look again. Try that with a HoHo. ... more

... more Use Oyster and you can ride all day for one low capped rate. If you don't want to walk you don't have to, and you don't need the Underground at all if you don't want to. Something else - most bus routes are really frequent. For example, the 73 and 38 are usually only a minute or two apart, 13 pretty frequent, 11 frequent, 19 and 14 frequent, 9 and 10 frequent, etc. Try that with a HoHo. ... sorry the red mist came down. getting off soapbox and going back in my shell...

Hi Nigel, Well I thank you for coming out of your shell long enough to give some very good advice! I love the idea of touring the city in a bus that has an upper level with a view to the city. As you probably know, the public transportation here in Southern California is not nearly as popular or efficient as in other areas of the globe.
I will make note of your bus routes and incorporate them into my time in London. Thanks again!

We have used Hop On, Hop Off many times. The disadvantage is you can get stuck on there all day, depending on the particular route. We found Gray Line day or half day tours were wonderful. We took a Gray Line tour (in a mini van with a few other people) and our driver, around London. We also took a larger bus out to Stonehenge, Windor, Bath, etc. You can book the tours on-line at Gray Line Tours.com. You will see the selection of tours on-line. They do a great job of showing you London. The Tube is a fabulous way of getting around. Unfortunately you don't see anything as you are underground.

Nancy, thanks for asking the question! I was wanting to find this exact info. Nigel - thanks for the link to the maps - very useful.

Nigel- the information from the link is the best info I have seen...wish I could find the same for Paris!
Thanks so much!

Elaine, Thanks for the Gray Line tip..I remember using them on a quick trip to New York many years ago. Wil check it out! I see that you are in beautiful Mission Viejo...
I probably pass you in the grocery store and dont even know it!

Hello Nancy Again. Yes you can go to Gray Line Tours.com and see their tour choices. We booked some of the tours (general London, Bath, Stonhenge, Windsor Castle, etc.) before we left the U.S. Sonmetimes we just booked the tours after we got over there. We stayed at the Crowne Plaza (part of the Holiday Inn chain) in the South Kensington area (100 Cromwell). It was directly across the street from the Glouster tube station. Sometimes we were picked up (and dropped off) at the Holiday Inn across from the Crowne Plaza for our Gray Line tours. Other times we took the tube to a particular train station and met the tour buses there. London is just BEYOND FABULOUS. Me