Bus & coach · VINTAGE BUS TOURS IN THE UK
Good vintage bus tours in the UK fill up weeks ahead and the great ones go first. Below: the 15 to book early, what each fare includes and how they differ.
See London’s top landmarks from a vintage open-top Routemaster with a live guide, in 90 minutes for $40.
“Everything was fine, maybe the weather could have been better, but the organizer has no influence on that, we highly recommend it”
See London’s Christmas lights from a 1960s Routemaster, with Oxford Street, Hyde Park, funny guides, and practical winter tips.
“A guide not necessarily needed, really not clear of the role few basic comments about Trafalgar square and something else. There primarily to see the lights. need someone just to accompany the passengerd”
Review of London’s Christmas Lights Tour by vintage Routemaster bus, with route highlights, cold-weather advice, value, and booking tips.
“The running commentary was great and very interesting, The route taken from Embankment was much better than previous Christmas tours done in previous years. Thanks very much.......Look forward to the next one with you guys.”
Review of Edinburgh’s vintage bus afternoon tea tour, with castle views, prosecco, scones, optional gin cocktails, seating tips, and value advice.
“Everything was so lovely. I had this experience with my brother. The route was awesome, we had chance to see the city. Tea was so great and delicious. Alice was the guide of the tour and she was so friendly and lovely. Absolutely will recommend to everyone!”
Review of London’s vintage Routemaster bus tour, Thames cruise, landmarks, Changing of the Guard, and optional London Eye ride.
“it's was a disorganized mess!! totally awful, bus was stuck in traffic most of the time. Guide was easily frazzled, after 2.5 boring hours going thru random parts of London were we transferred to an equally horrible boat with dirty windows you couldn't see out of. Never went on London eye cause second guide left us... wish i could get a refund”
Review of Glasgow’s vintage bus afternoon tea tour, with city sights, prosecco, optional gin cocktails, food quality, tips, and practical advice.
“I enjoyed the entire experience. The humor of the guide and interaction with the guests made it more fun and entertaining. The food was wonderful and fresh. I had the tea, the prosecco and the gin cocktail. All of it was great!”
Review of London’s vintage bus and Thames cruise, with landmark stops, practical tips, fish and chips option, value, and drawbacks.
“We booked this tour as a way to see the key highlights of London while visiting friends. Our party consisted of 4 adults and 4 children ages 7-10. We were the last group to board the bus, and so sat in the only seats available which were in the front of the bus under roof. The information on the tour was sufficient for our needs / desires and we enjoyed seeing the sights, however we only made two stops on the tour (across the river from the House of Parliament / Big Ben and at St. Paul’s Cathedral) and the single speaker at the front of the bus was not…”
See London’s Christmas lights from a restored vintage bus, with live commentary, landmark views, practical tips, and an honest value review.
“Tour started at Gate 0 at Victoria Coach Station where Premium Tours staff were there to book us in and allocate us to our bus. There were several lovely Routemaster London busses lined up. It was part-open on top which made for great views but was chilly so wrap up warm. The guide was entertaining and very informative pointing out what to see and where to look. My only negative comment was that the speaker system wasn't great and it was a little difficult to understand the guide at times but this didn't really spoil the tour for us at all. At least we didn't need to use those horrible…”
See London by vintage Routemaster, Thames boat, and London Eye on a four-hour tour covering royal sights and historic landmarks.
“We had a great time on the Vintage Bus tour with our guide Clive. I've been on other London bus tours that have felt impersonal but Clive's live commentary around the city was informative and he was always happy to answer questions. We had two stops at Buckingham Palace & St. Paul's before boarding the short boat cruise (really enjoyed that!). We finished the day on the London Eye so this was a great trip to see a lot of the city in a couple of hours.”
See London by vintage bus and Thames boat, then enjoy scones, tea, and sparkling wine at Harrods in this four-and-a-half-hour tour.
“This was a fantastic tour and well worth the money. I added the tea at Harrods. The tour guide was extremely knowledgeable and pointed out all of the places to go and see, when to go and see, and how much to expect to pay to go and see. The guide gave us great tips on when and where to see the Changing of the Guards which is a top item on most to-do-in-London lists. We didn't have time to go into Buckingham Palace or the Tower of London, but we had a lot of time for good pics. This was a great overview of all of the things to…”
Review of London’s Christmas Lights Tour by vintage double-decker bus, with route details, costs, cold-weather tips, and honest advice.
“We reached the meeting point at Victoria Coach Station in time. There was no gate information available with the booking, but figured out that it would depart from Gate 0. The vintage double decker was lovely and we took up seats in the covered bit at the top, which give some respite from the horrible rain. The guide was very knowledgeable and funny. We went through most bits of London known for the Christmas lights. Most impressive were the angel lights, Oxford Street, Regent Street, and some shops with amazing Christmas themed windows. It was a lovely tour which finished in time (could take longer in bad traffic) and we…”
Review of Brighton’s Sussex vineyard tour by vintage London bus, with two tastings, a local picnic hamper, practical tips, and honest value advice.
“What an amazing day. I was initially unsure as quite pricy but if you work out what you get it's good value. 2 wine tastings at 2 vineyards, lunch, the London bus & driver, plus a Great British Wine Adventures guide. The second vineyard, (and they vary, but Bluebell for us), was far superior and we had an expected amount of wine. The first one was a bit tight and they completely missed the commercial opportunity to sell people a chilled bottle of wine with their lunch? They were distracted by a bigger tour from another company I think and even the shop seemed unmanned? Didn't affect the day it…”
See London by vintage Routemaster, Thames boat, and Buckingham Palace State Rooms in one value-packed half-day tour.
“Great tour by our guide Alan. He was witty and knowledgeable. The nice thing about this tour is that it was early, and you really avoid the crowds. Once the day progressed, you could see the masses of people out trying to see the same things we visited earlier. The Changing of the Guard at Buckingham Palace was nice to see.”
Review of London’s 90-minute vintage open-top bus tour, with Red Routemaster views, guide tips, pricing, sights, and practical advice.
“The tour allows you to see a lot of London and is well suited to anyone who may have difficulty with extended walking. You hear about so much more than what is highlighted in the tour summary, interesting things you would go right past and never know. Our guide was Johnnie….he was outstanding and made the tour well worth taking.”
Ride a vintage Routemaster from Brighton to two Sussex vineyards for eight English wine tastings, a local lunch, and South Downs views.
“we had a very enjoyable day- unfortunately due to some transport difficulties we had a nerve wracking journey at the start - but once we arrived all was well. The two visits were very informative and the wine was delicious and varied. the pace of the trip was good, allowing time to enjoy both visits- we just thought that the lunch was limited and the food, especially the cheese, ran out quickly.”
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