Summer holidays are finally upon us and we’re left trying to find as many fun activities to fill our kid’s days! Unfortunately I’m working through the majority of the holiday so, of course I tried to overcompensate for it on the first day off school by cramming in a whirlwind day of playing a tourist in London with the help of a London tour bus and map.
You may remember I went on a short Big Bus tour myself a few weeks ago (no? well click here to read it!) and I really enjoyed my time, so I thought, hey, I’ve got fond memories of my mum taking me on one of these open top bus tours of London when when I was about Princess’ age, perhaps she’ll get a kick out of it too? Well she did! We hopped on and off the buses, taking in different sights as and when they caught our attention.
St Paul’s Cathedral, London Bridge, Tower Bridge, The Tower of London, Hyde Park, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Bloomsbury, Green Park, Picadilly Circus…. we did them all! Even taking time out to make use of the free Cruise ride included in the price of the Bis Bus tour ticket. To be honest, that was probably the one downer on the trip- we waited 45 minutes for a ride, on a day where it was around 28 degrees. Luckily, Princess was in good spirits, having eaten her wait in noodles in Wagamama, so we managed the wait in relative peace. The ‘cruise’ itself was great and full of interesting facts, pointed out by the crew, it kept the kid’s attentions and made me ooh and ahh a couple of times too. It’s great seeing London as a tourist once in a while to gain a new appreciate for the city we call home, one that we sometimes take for granted when you get in the rut of work commutes, school runs and weekend trips to the supermarket. As you know, I love London and try hard to explore its hidden gems from time to time, but to see it from the perspective of a tourist, with a guide filling us in on the history of different areas and buildings, well, it was immense!
If you haven’t taken your kids on an open top tour of London, it’s definately a great way to spend a day out. The tickets are valid for 24-48 hours and you can hop on and off as many times as you like. Big Bus Tours have two main routes, blue (recorded tour in many different languages via a headset) or red (live commentary, in English). The blue tour covers a longer route, but both cover the main attractions.
I’d recommend you have some idea of where you’d like to see, just so you can plan in bathroom breaks and lunch, but the great thing about London is there’ll be somewhere to eat (and pee!) just about anywhere along the route!
6 things to consider when being a tourist in London
- Buy tickets ahead of time, online whenever possible for best rates on tours and attractions
- Many attractions (including The Tate Modern and majority of museums are FREE ENTRY!)
- Weekday rush hour is approx 08:00-09:00 and 17:00 -18:30, the trains, buses and roads will be heavily congested!
- Always stand to the right and walk on the left hand side on underground / overground train
- Look for independent restaurants away from main tourist streets for great prices and variety of foods
- Ask locals for their favourite places in London if you want to tread off the beaten path
I’d love to know what your experiences of London have been. Have you taken an open top tour and lost yourself to the wonders of the city yet? What about tips for tourists> what more would you add?
