There’s a reason these guys are dubbed The Original Tour and that’s because they were the first to run such an operation in London back in 1951. As the Festival of Britain got underway that year, an earlier form of TfL introduced a double-decker bus running ‘Service J’ to take visitors on a tour of the capital. Service J was such a success that it has remained in action to this day. By 1991 the service adopted the hop-on, hop-off mentality and in 1992 the company rebranded from Service J to The Original London Sightseeing Tour.
Their reasonably priced tickets allow access to all six of their bus routes and include a Thames River Cruise day-pass, as well as a Changing of the Guard walking tour. What’s more, all tickets are valid for either 24, 48 or 72 hours, and commentary is available in 11 different languages. Some buses on the main yellow route even have real-life guides delivering the fun facts in an entertaining manner.
If you're after something a little more specific, say with young ones in mind, you're in luck. The Original Tour has branched out into specialised walks and rides, including the Christmas Lights Tour, London Bar Bus (where you can drink on-board) and the 45-minute Original Kids Tour.