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London at Christmas is full of twinkling street displays, light-decked landmarks, and pine trees everywhere.
One of the best ways to take it all in is from the top of a red double-decker bus, and if you’ve always wanted a whistle-stop tour of the capital at Christmas, you’ll be pleased to know The Original Tour’s rooftop open-top double-decker buses are back this winter.
Running daily from 14 November to 3 January (except Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day), The Original Tour’s Christmas Lights Tour travels through the city streets, with top deck views for everyone, so nobody is stuck downstairs peering through a window.
Plus, for a limited time, it offers a 20% discount on adult and child tickets when you enter code: FESTIVELONDON at checkout.
The tours last 75 to 90 minutes, and a local expert guide will share stories about the capital, so you’ll learn something while enjoying the best views of the city.
It hits central London’s best bits, including Trafalgar Square and its giant Christmas Tree, Regent Street, Mayfair, Marble Arch and Piccadilly Circus.
It’s especially exciting this year: from 26 October, a one-kilometre stretch of Oxford Street will become pedestrianised and traffic-free, so the route won’t be the same as in previous years.
A perfect early Christmas present for families, a festive date night or a memorable evening with friends, it’s well worth booking, especially as kids under two travel free with an adult.
But it doesn’t end when the bus stops: your ticket also includes a daytime River Thames cruise before your Christmas Lights Tour, plus access to six self-guided walking tours, so you can easily make a full day of it.
The bus itself departs from Stop 1 on Coventry Street in the West End and returns to the same spot, so you won’t end the night somewhere unfamiliar.
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Even if you’re a born and bred Londoner, it may well be worth booking a seat to ger a fresh perspective on the capital when it’s lit up for party season, or tick off major landmarks for the city’s first-time visitors.
Tours don’t start until 14 November, but bookings are open now. Just a bit of housekeeping, though: between 21 and 30 December, the discount code won’t be applicable,
If you want to see the capital at its most magical this Christmas, grab your warmest coat, head to the top deck and let London do the rest.
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