City Cruises

Absolutely loved this cruise. We took it from Tower Bridge to Greenwich and then all the way back to Westminster bridge with a quick stop again at Tower Bridge.

Its a bit expensive as a mode of transport to Greenwich vs the tube, but its an amazing experience and definitely worth trying out at least one way.

There is a bit of recorded commentary and sometimes the crew themselves take a hold of the microphone and reveal interesting details about the buildings you are passing (remember they are not tour guides though, so don't expect lengthy historical or architectural descriptions)

I've done a couple of boat rides across the globe that are just modes of transport, not sold as a cruise, and this one is right at the top of the list. Try and wait for a boat that has a top deck if you can, the views and pictures are so much better from here on a good day.

The lower section was also amazingly comfortable. I have never seen such comfortable table seating on a transport boat.

There's a tiny cafe counter which sells pre-packaged food and some hot drinks.

Clean toilets too.

We quite enjoyed taking a break from some hectic sightseeing while just relaxing on the boat for the afternoon.

Big Bus Tours

In bigger cities like London and Paris, we tend to use Big Bus as a full day program rather than a Hop on Hop Off.

Since my brother is visiting, we are doing touristy stuff with him and since I loved my Big Bus London experience a couple of years ago, I opted for Big Bus again.

Their website is pretty self explanatory and easy to navigate and buy tickets online (minor discount available for online booking)

The red line is the one with live commentary and only in English. If you need any other of the languages that Big Bus offers, what you want is the blue line.

The blue line covers all that the red line does and a slightly longer trip around Hyde Park which is very useful if you are staying at a hotel in that area or need to get to Paddington or Victoria stations to catch a train out.

I bought the one day ticket (valid only on that day) rather than the 24 hour one, because we were going to be on the bus by 9 in the morning, so no chance of using it the next day.
The 48 hour ticket is better value for money. Plus you get a night ride around the city. But since we live in London, it didn't make sense for us and my brother had other plans for the next day.

What I really liked when booking tickets was that it didn't restrict you to pre-choosing your date, so you have the option to hold on to your ticket for a slightly sunnier day if you have time flexibility.

Our first guide for the day was Leanne #bigbusleanne who was AMAZING! Such an infectious bundle of energy. she gave us an all singing, dancing, musical experience on the tour. None of the following guides could match up to her energy and enthusiasm levels.

We then stopped for lunch before hopping on to City Cruises (complimentary with big bus) before we completed the circuit.

Big Bus does offer 3 free walking tours. But it won't be possible to attend all 3 of them and complete a circuit. If you take the 48 hour option, you may be able to do 2 of the tours. Then I would recommend the Royal Walk (to take in the changing of the guard) and the evening ghost walk.

You do get a booklet of vouchers, but I don't see myself using any of those any time soon.