Five Tips to Make the Most from a Hop on Hop Off Tour

A hop on hop off London bus tour is probably the best way to explore imperious London in all its grandeur.

Hop on Hop off tour lets you see dozens of different attractions around the city, yet also gives you the freedom to explore specific attractions in greater depth than a simple bus tour. With this freedom, however, comes several opportunities to squander your tour. It can be tempting to try and cram too many stops into your day. It's also too easy to get lost in one or two sites, leaving yourself no time to explore the rest of the city. This is why we've come up with a few tips to help you make the most of your hop on hop off London sightseeing.

Know your schedule

A hop on hop off bus leaves one of its several stops around London roughly every 30 minutes, and you can join the tour from any of these stops. However, there's no guarantee you'll get to ride a full loop or get back to your original stop if you're not on time. Keep a copy of your bus schedules handy, and take note of times for last full loop, as well as last bus.

Knowing your schedule also keeps you from going around in circles. Your bus schedule allows you to plan which stops to take first, and how much time you can spend at each stop.

Get off the bus

The main point of taking the London hop on hop off is the chance to get off the bus and explore some of London's iconic attractions. Some of the sites we suggest you take time to see include the Tower of London, which is packed with different attractions to see; Buckingham Palace, especially in August or September when the royal family is away on vacation; and Trafalgar Square, which houses Nelson's Column. Also, if you find yourself at York Road near dusk, make sure you take a ride on the London Eye, and get a spectacular view of the city.

These are just a few of several stops we think you should see. Of course, you may have different stops in mind. The main point though is this: get off the bus and explore the city on foot too.

See the sites

Don't spend too much time at any one stop on your route. Otherwise, you might not have enough time to see any of the other attractions available to you. This, of course, takes us back to our first tip – know your schedule. When you know your schedule, you can plan how much time you can spend at each stop, decide which stops can wait another day, and even choose to skip some stops and enjoy them entirely from the comfort of the bus.

Carry some cash

Your big bus tour package may include entrance fees for the different attractions on your route, but you still need to carry some cash to cover food, souvenirs, and anything else you might want to buy. Hop on hop off London bus tours can take several hours, and can even take a couple of days. Your tour package may take care of transportation and some commentary, but you never know what else you might need, or want, along the way.

Get on a bus today

You know the bus schedule, you know the sites you want to see, and you've set your budgets for both time and cash, so now it's time to book your hop on hop off London tour. Once you've done that, all you have to do is find your way to any of the stops along the route, and hop on the next bus.

Golden Tours is one of the leading sightseeing company, offers a wide range of tours. These include London tour, London Pass, Roman Bath tour, Leeds castle tour, Windsor tours, David Hockney exhibition, Stonehenge tour from London, Hop on Hop off London and many other.

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