Nowadays there isn’t a big city without a good open-top tour bus.  Most of them are hop-on, hop-off with unlimited use in a single 24 hour period.  Although they run year round it is safe to say they are less fun in the winter months when London tends to be wet and cold.  That said, don’t let this deter you – you can still sit downstairs and the tour guides are often so fascinating you won’t even notice the weather.

For London tours why not try:

•    The Original Tour
Adults: £22, Children - £12, £2 online discount and group rates

Providing tours since the 1950s, the Original Tour Company is the largest of its kind in the world.  Hop-on Hop-off tickets allow you access to any of the three tours - The Original Tour (starting from Piccadilly Circus); The City Sightseeing Tour (starting from Victoria) and The Museum Tour (again starting from Piccadilly Circus) – as well as a free walking tour and river cruise.  Special online prices are offered throughout the year as well as discounts for group bookings and cheap theatre tickets.  The City Sightseeing and Museum tours both have commentaries available in English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Japanese and Russian.

For more information visit the Original Tour website.

•    The Big Bus Tours
Adults - £22, Children - £10, Family - £58

With tours across the globe, Big Bus Tours provide two London routes with recorded commentaries in 8 languages.  Hop-on hop-off tickets entitle you to unlimited 24 hour use of both routes, although the red route takes 2 hours 10 minutes and the blue 3 hours and knowing the London traffic you may not have enough time to do them both in one day.

For more information visit the Big Bus Tours website.

•    London Duck Tours
Adults - £19, Children - £13, Family - £57.50

Named after the amphibious DUKWs that were used for the D-Day landings, Duck Tours run guided tours of Westminster by road and river.  The best bit is you never have to leave the vehicle – you stay on board as it flips between water and road.  Due to their unique nature tours book up quickly and their site advises booking up to a week in advance for weekend and public and school holidays.

For more information visit the Duck Tours website.