London: London Eye, River Cruise, & Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour

See London from three useful angles in one package: an open-top bus, the River Thames, and the London Eye. That combination makes this a strong first-day introduction, especially if you want to spot Big Ben, Buckingham Palace, Tower Bridge, and St Paul’s Cathedral without building every connection yourself.

I like the flexibility of the hop-on, hop-off ticket and the fact that the cruise and Eye are included rather than sold as separate extras. I also like the London Eye at the right time of day, when you can watch daylight fade over Westminster. The main drawback is traffic. A bus that should take a short time can crawl through central London, so this is sightseeing transport, not a fast way across town.

Key points to know before booking

• Three views of London: See the city from the upper deck, the Thames, and the top of the London Eye.
• Choose 24 or 48 hours: The longer ticket gives you more time to use the routes and adds three guided walking tours.
• Book the Eye early: You must reserve a London Eye time slot after booking, and popular periods can fill up.
• Use the Big Bus app: Live bus tracking and stop information are especially helpful when traffic changes the schedule.
• Expect traffic delays: The route passes the city’s major sights, but a full circuit can be slow.
• A good first visit package: You get an easy orientation to central London before choosing which sights deserve a longer visit.

What the $74 package really gives you

At about $74 per person, this is not simply a bus ride. You receive a Big Bus pass for either 24 or 48 hours, entry to the London Eye, and a one-way City Cruises trip between Westminster Pier and Tower Pier.

The value is strongest if you plan to use all three parts. Paying separately for a sightseeing bus, the Eye, and a Thames trip can quickly add up, while this package puts the main pieces in one booking. The 48-hour version makes better sense if you want to stop at several places rather than merely ride around once.

The 24-hour option suits a packed single day. The 48-hour ticket gives you room to repeat a route, pause for lunch, visit a museum, and wait for better weather or a preferred Eye time. It also includes three guided walks: the Royal Walk at 10:00, the Jack the Ripper walk at 13:00, and the Harry Potter walk at 16:00.

The package is not a sightseeing shortcut. London traffic can slow the buses to a crawl, especially around central streets and major events. If you need to get from one side of the city quickly, use the Underground or another city bus. If you want to see the streets as you move between landmarks, the slower pace is part of the deal.

Starting at the London Eye and Westminster

A sensible place to begin is Stop 12 at the London Eye, on Westminster Bridge Road beside the lion statue and outside the London Marriott County Hall. From here, you can handle the Eye, board the bus, and reach the river cruise without spending your first hour working out the city map.

The area gives you an immediate view of Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Westminster Abbey is close by, and the bus route also passes 10 Downing Street and Whitehall. You will not have time to properly visit every attraction during a single circuit, but the route helps you decide where to return on foot.

Other useful starting points include Marble Arch, Victoria Station, and Trafalgar Square. The exact stop matters less than finding a clearly marked Big Bus stop and checking the app before you board. Several sightseeing bus companies operate in London, so look for the Big Bus vehicles in their cream and dark red colors.

The upper deck is the best place for views and photographs when the weather behaves. On a rainy or cold day, the lower deck is more comfortable, though windows and traffic can make sightseeing less satisfying. Bring your own headphones if you have them, since the supplied earbuds may not fit small ears well.

Riding the three Big Bus routes

The bus network covers three routes, with stops placed near the city’s main sights. You can ride through Westminster, the West End, the City of London, Kensington, and areas around Notting Hill.

The Westminster section is the classic London introduction. Look for Buckingham Palace, Green Park, Hyde Park Corner, Westminster Abbey, Big Ben, the London Eye, and the Houses of Parliament. If you want to see the Changing of the Guard, check the schedule independently and leave time to stand in the right area. The bus can show you the palace, but it cannot replace a planned visit for the ceremony.

The central London route takes you past Piccadilly Circus, Trafalgar Square, Oxford Street, Regent Street, Covent Garden, and Marble Arch. These stops are useful for combining the bus with shopping, food, theaters, and short walks. Trafalgar Square is a particularly practical change point because it connects you with several central sights on foot.

The City route brings a different mood. You will pass the Bank of England, Monument, St Paul’s Cathedral, the Tower of London, Tower Bridge, City Hall, and the Shard. This is the part of the tour where the river cruise becomes especially useful, since Tower Bridge looks far better from the water than from a moving bus.

The bus commentary is delivered through headphones and is available in Chinese, English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, and Spanish. I like having narration on a city tour because it gives streets and buildings some meaning as you pass. The tone can be playful, and some listeners may find the recorded banter too much after several hours. You can always remove the headphones and use the bus simply as a moving viewpoint.

The Big Bus app shows route information, stop locations, and real-time bus positions. Use it before leaving a sight, not after you have already reached the curb. Stop signs and maps can be confusing in busy areas, and a few stops are not as obvious as you might expect.

The London Eye, with Big Ben below

You must reserve a time slot for the London Eye after booking. Instructions and a link to the Manage My Booking portal come with your confirmation. This is the most important piece of planning, because the bus pass is flexible but the Eye visit is tied to a scheduled time.

The Eye makes one rotation in a large glass capsule, giving you a 360-degree view over central London. From the top, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament sit close by, while the Thames curves through the city below. The view is broad rather than intimate, but it gives you a clear sense of how Westminster fits together.

Morning can be a smart choice if you want to avoid the heaviest lines. Another good option is late afternoon, when you may see daylight on the way up and London beginning to glow on the way down. One useful detail from the experience is that the standard capsules can feel busy around the loading area, but the cabins themselves may not feel overly crowded once you are moving.

Allow extra time around your booked slot. Even with a reservation, the entrance area can be busy, especially in summer. The Eye is not a quick photo stop if you count the walk, queue, security process, and boarding.

Cruising from Westminster to Tower Bridge

The one-way Thames cruise runs between Westminster Pier and Tower Pier, in either direction, and takes about 40 minutes. Boats depart roughly every 15 to 40 minutes in summer and every 30 to 40 minutes in winter, although the river schedule can change.

Going from Westminster toward Tower Pier gives you a good sequence of sights. Start with the Palace of Westminster and Big Ben, then watch the city open out toward the City of London. You will see the riverfront from a lower and more open angle than from the bus, with bridges and riverside buildings forming the main show.

Tower Bridge is the payoff. Its towers, suspension structure, and position beside the Tower of London make for some of the best photographs on the package. The cruise also gives your feet a rest after walking around Westminster or the City.

Commentary is live on the boat. Bill and Pasquale are two names associated with particularly lively presentations, and the quality of the narration can make a real difference to a short cruise. The style is informal and entertaining, but engine smells may bother some people, so choose your seat with that in mind if you are sensitive to fumes.

The boat is not a sightseeing cruise covering the whole Thames. It is a one-way connection between two central piers. That limitation is useful because it fits neatly into a day, but you should not expect a long river excursion or a return trip included automatically.

What to do with the 48-hour ticket

The 48-hour pass is the better choice if your London visit is spread across two days. You can use the first day for a complete orientation ride, then use the second for targeted stops at the Tower of London, St Paul’s, Kensington, or the museums.

It also includes three guided walking tours. The Royal Walk begins at Stop 8 at 10:00 and focuses on the royal district. The Jack the Ripper walk begins at Stop 19 at 13:00. The Harry Potter walk begins at Stop 21 at 16:00. The Harry Potter option has been led by Lea, whose tour brings film-related locations and city streets together in a way that works well for families.

The walks require more planning than simply boarding a bus. You need to reach the right stop at the correct time, and traffic can affect how easily you get there. Still, they add a human guide and a closer look at London streets, which the recorded bus commentary cannot provide.

A 48-hour ticket also reduces the pressure to cram every major sight into one day. You can ride a route in the morning, take the river cruise after lunch, and save the Eye for evening. On another day, you can stop for a pint or fish and chips, then continue without feeling that every pause is wasting paid sightseeing time.

The biggest practical issue: London traffic

The bus is excellent for seeing London, but not always for covering London. Central roads can slow badly, and a full circuit may take far longer than the map suggests. Several routes pass through areas affected by parades, protests, road closures, and public transport disruptions.

That means you should leave a generous buffer before your London Eye reservation. Do not finish a museum visit on the opposite side of town 20 minutes before your scheduled entry. If an event closes a street, you may need to walk to another stop or change routes.

The app helps, but it can take a little practice. Check the live location of buses, confirm the route color, and look carefully at stop names. Staff members are present at many stops and can point you in the right direction, which is useful when a stop is hidden among ordinary London bus signs.

Service can also thin out later in the day. If you are relying on the bus to return to accommodation, check the final departures rather than assuming the sightseeing service runs late. The package does not include hotel pickup or drop-off.

Access, languages, and booking details

All buses have ramps for wheelchair users, and the activity is listed as wheelchair accessible. Infants under two travel free. The package includes free Wi-Fi on board, though I would still download the Big Bus app and save your booking details before leaving reliable internet.

You can activate the bus ticket through the app with the Activity Provider Reference number. You can also show a printed or mobile voucher to a Big Bus team member or driver at any stop during operating hours.

For the Thames cruise, go directly to Westminster Pier or Tower Pier and show the City Cruises ticket. For the Eye, use the booking portal in your confirmation and reserve your preferred time as soon as your plans are firm.

Free cancellation is available up to 24 hours before the activity for a full refund, and you can reserve now and pay later. Those terms help if weather, flight timing, or a short London visit makes your plans uncertain.

Who will get the most from this package

I would choose this for a first visit to London, especially if you have one or two days and want to understand the shape of the city quickly. Families may also like it because the bus, Eye, and boat break up the day and offer different types of sightseeing.

It works well for anyone who dislikes planning a complicated route through unfamiliar streets. You can simply get off near a major sight, explore, and board again when ready.

I would be more cautious if you already know London well or mainly want fast transport. The Underground is quicker for many journeys, and independent sightseeing may cost less if you plan only one attraction. This package earns its price when you use the included Eye and cruise and make several bus stops.

Should you book the London Eye and Big Bus combination?

Book it if you want a broad, easy introduction to London and can accept slow traffic. The land, water, and sky combination is the real strength: the bus shows you the streets, the Eye gives you the city from above, and the Thames reveals the landmarks from their best angle.

Choose 48 hours if you want the walking tours or prefer a relaxed pace. Choose 24 hours if you have one full day and will plan carefully around your Eye reservation.

Do not book it as your main transport pass. Book it as a sightseeing experience that also helps you move between major attractions. Use the app, reserve the Eye early, allow extra time in traffic, and make the river cruise part of your route rather than an afterthought.

FAQ

How long is the London Eye, river cruise, and Big Bus package valid?

You can choose a 24-hour or 48-hour hop-on, hop-off bus ticket. The London Eye and Thames cruise are included with all ticket types.

Do I need to reserve a time for the London Eye?

Yes. You must pre-book a London Eye time slot after booking the package. Instructions and a booking link are provided in your confirmation.

Where can I start the Big Bus tour?

You can board at any Big Bus stop during operating hours. Suggested starting points include the London Eye, Marble Arch, Victoria Station, and Trafalgar Square. Stop 12 at the London Eye is recommended as a convenient starting point.

Where does the Thames cruise go?

The included cruise travels one way between Westminster Pier and Tower Pier, or in the opposite direction. The trip takes about 40 minutes.

Are the guided walking tours included with every ticket?

No. The Royal Walk, Jack the Ripper walk, and Harry Potter walk are included only with the 48-hour ticket.

Is the tour wheelchair accessible?

Yes. All buses have ramps for wheelchair users, and the activity is listed as wheelchair accessible. Infants under two travel free.