Big Bus Company
When I initially suggested to my two children (16 year old son and 13 year old daughter) that I would like to take them to London to visit all the sites, I expected the usual teenager response of ‘do I have to?’, but to my surprise, and frankly amazement, they both seemed really keen. Our proposed carrier through the London sites was the Big Bus Tours who were formed in 2011 from the merger of two companies each with over 20 years of successful tour experience and who offer open top sightseeing tours across 3 continents and 17 cities. This experience was evident as it tackled the near impossible task of catering for everyone from the first time visitor to the seasoned veteran, both children and adults with aplomb, as the information was both current and historical and even the most seasoned of you will learn new facts. What is also nice is the routes are well thought out and not only cover all the well known sites, but visit some of the lesser known areas where it is great to spot those quirks which I believe make London the best city in the world to live. These include hidden churches dwarfed by modern buildings, the hidden gardens only visible from the upper deck, and the quirky alleyways or mews.
What is clear is that the buses are regular and give fantastic views, and if the weather is fine, which it was when we went, you also get a tan whilst being educated, and we all loved it. There are two routes to choose from, the classic Red Tour which has live English commentary which wends its circular route from Green Park tube via Tower Bridge and Trafalgar Square to Victoria station, and the Big Blue tour which has an audio commentary in a choice of 12 languages and does a similar route but also takes in Westminster Abbey. The thing I loved the most is the fact that when you reach somewhere you want to investigate further you just hop off the bus and when you are done there is always another bus on its way for you to continue your journey.
The highlight for my daughter was the free boat cruise which you get with your ticket which takes you from The Tower of London to Westminster pier or vice versa. The waterway is underused, but this isn’t just a shuttle, it is a tour, and what made it for my daughter was the commentary which struck the perfect balance between providing information and being slightly more irreverent. There was so much to do we couldn’t fit everything into one day (which is why you get a second day free with your ticket), so although we missed the first walking tour taking you to see the changing of the guard, we did manage the ‘Scene in London’tour which lasts approximately 2 hours, where we visited film locations for many films including Harry Potter. Did you know that the setting for Gringotts Bank is, in fact, the Australian High Commission for example? I do now! After almost 6 hours of sightseeing we had to admit defeat before the Haunting Mysteries Tour, but we had had a marvellous time and learnt something in the bargain.
As we returned home on the train I asked my chidren what their favourite thing was, and my son delightfully came up with the fact that he wished he had been around in the 18th Century so he could have seen the hangings at Tyburn which is now the site of Marble Arch, and although a little gruesome, at least he had come away with more knowledge of London than when he arrived.
The Big Bus Adult ticket costs from £27.99 for the day tour (2nd day free), £12.99 for Children, or from £72.99 for a family ticket that includes the cruise, all walks and also a reward voucher book for a number of the sites, and when you consider the cost of a travelcard in London these days, is excellent value and has something for all the family, even a Londoner for over 20 years.
For further information visit: www.bigbustours.com