The Original Tour Bus Tour was amazing. It takes you by all of the popular tourist attractions and you can get on and off the bus at any time. In addition they have a Thames river cruise that you can take to see Greenwich. The views from the top of the bus are amazing and the history form the tour guide is like no other.

The best thing we did to get around in London was to take The Original London Sightseeing tour bus. It was bright and sunny day, we got to the Baker Street station to meet one of our cousins. We met near a huge statue of Sherlock Holmes, right outside the station. Right next to it was a small booth that runs these tour buses. We had a nice and filling breakfast at Café Uno near by on a cross street and headed straight to the booth. We bought our tickets for £17, which is usually good for 24 hours. This also included a free boat tour at the Thames River.

We got on the top of the bus and hooked our headphones provided by the bus into the receiver. The first thing was the Madame Tussauds that was right next to the booth. Then the bus moved towards busy Oxford Circus passing the Communication tower and then to the Piccadilly Circus. At the center of the circus, there is a famous aluminum statue of Eros, which is one of the London’s landmarks. Oxford Circus and Piccadilly Circus are mostly filled with business and shopping places. You might get lucky to meet some celebrities at the Leicester Square—that is just couple of blocks from Piccadilly Circus. We got the opportunity to see a premier of Poseidon.

Next stop was the Trafalgar Square, another popular spot in London, built to commemorate the Battle of Trafalgar. There you will find the National Gallery and the famous fountain where tourists feed the pigeons in their hands. However, you are not allowed to feed the pigeons anymore.

From Trafalgar Square, we decided to take a walk towards Big Ben. On the way we also visited the Prime Minister’s residence and The Horse Guards. Big Ben and Westminster Abbey were just couple of minutes from Trafalgar Square. If you walk towards the Big Ben you will find the River Thames and across the river are the London Eye, Aquarium, and County Hall. And if you walk towards Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace is about a 7 to 10 minute walk from there.

We walked to the Buckingham Palace after the Thames River Cruise. I didn’t find anything fancy about the palace except for the architecture and the sculptures. You can also watch the changing of the royal guards there if you got lucky. The ceremony will take more than 30 minutes.

We got on the tour bus again and then visited Nottinghill Park, Hyde Park, the Marble Arch, and finally to Piccadilly Circus again. At the Leicester Square you can buy tickets to some museum for a discount of only a couple of pounds. We bought the tickets to Tower of London for £15, which usually cost you £18 at the counter standing on the line.

Well, we had a great time touring around London in this tour bus and I think the free Thames River Cruise made it worth paying £17 per person.

The Original Tour gives you everything: a 24-hour pass to ride their buses, a cruise along the Thames River, and for an extra 3 pounds, a meal at your choice of several kitschy tourist destinations. That being said, they also give you a fantastic tour of London, too.

Depending on where you jump on and off, the Original Tour will take you past many important sights in London. If you stay on for the entire ride, you will go past Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Marble Arch, the Globe Theatre, St. Paul's Cathedral, and over the Tower Bridge. Those are just a few of the sights you get to see!

Your trip experience probably depends heavily on your tour guide. Our first guide was fantastic - witty and charming, and threw in tons of tidbits (he knew where the Gringotts scenes from Harry Potter were filmed, for example). Our second guide was still informative, but did not quite have as much personality, so it wasn't as much fun. If you don't like your guide, hop off and stroll around, and wait for the next bus to come by!

Overall, this was a great way to get an overview of London. The buses are easy to spot - who can miss a giant red double-decker? The stops are also easy to spot, as they have their own signs posted.