London Christmas Lights by Open-Top Bus, with a Live Guide

★★★★☆ 4.5 (2,049 traveller reviews)

Open-top busOxford St: walkers only from 26 OctLondon Eye bus stop

A seat on an open-top double-decker, a guide with a microphone and 60 to 90 minutes through the West End after dark. You board by the big wheel on the South Bank and you get off at the same stop. It is a low fare for a lot of lights, seen fast, and the easiest way round on tired legs.

Hours, prices and access verified by the London Christmas Lights Tours team — last checked 2026-09-29.

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Ninety minutes, one seat, most of the West End

Boarding at stop 4, in front of the wheel

The bus leaves from the tourist bus stop on Belvedere Road, in front of the London Eye. Golden Tours numbers it tourist bus stop 4, postcode SE1 7NA. Waterloo station is about two minutes' walk away. Get there 15 minutes before your departure, because boarding takes time with a full bus.

In the dark the stop is easy to miss, and more than one traveller has walked past it or struggled to find it by map app. Look for the stop number, not just the crowd. The stop is pinned on the meeting-point map, with the other boarding points beside it, so you can find it in daylight first if you are staying nearby.

The route past the lit streets

From the South Bank the bus crosses the river and runs along the Strand, then through Trafalgar Square and on to Piccadilly Circus. It passes Fortnum & Mason and runs along Regent Street, under the hanging displays, before heading back past Big Ben to the wheel. You stay on board the whole time: this is not a hop-on, hop-off bus, and there are no breaks.

The guide talks you through the streets as you pass. Expect history and jokes as much as facts about the lights. What each street hangs this year, and when it went up last year, is on the lights street by street. Your view depends on the traffic and on where you sit, so it helps to plan both.

Upper deck or lower deck

Upstairs is open to the sky. That is the reason to book: you look straight into the lights over Regent Street instead of up at them through glass. It is also cold. Travellers who sat on top say so first, and the wind at the top of a moving bus makes a winter evening feel colder still. Wear a hat, gloves and one more layer than you think.

Downstairs is covered and warmer, with a lower view. If it rains, that is where you want to be. Arrive early and board early for the widest choice of seat. The whole question of which deck, and on which bus, is in upper or lower deck.

What traffic does to your 90 minutes

The ride is sold as 60 to 90 minutes, and the West End decides which. On a quiet evening it can be as short as an hour. In the busiest shopping weeks you may crawl. The guide keeps you moving and may change the route slightly to see more lights. Either way, there is no toilet on board, so go before you board.

One traveller spent most of the ride in traffic and still gave it four stars for the lights. If you want the lights without the queue of cars, the fix is to walk. For the evenings of the season that suit you best, see the best time to see the lights.

The closed shopping stretch this season

The route above names Oxford Street, but from Monday 26 October 2026 its central stretch closes to traffic. The stretch between Orchard Street and Great Portland Street shuts to buses, taxis, private hire cars, cycles and pedicabs. So this bus cannot drive under the Oxford Street lights this year. Traffic can still cross from the side streets, so you may see the lights at a junction. You will not ride under them.

Regent Street is not part of the closure. If the Oxford Street lights are the ones you came for, see them on foot. The silent-disco lights walk goes along Oxford Street, and the other London Christmas lights walking tours are compared on one page. The closure, and what it means for each kind of tour, is in the traffic-free street explained.

When it is dark enough to go

No departure time is printed on the listing, so choose one when you book. The sun sets before 4pm in December. Pick a departure after the time in the right-hand column and the whole ride is in the dark.

Times are for central London, worked out from the sun's position; the clocks go back on 25 October, so the whole season is on GMT.

Your hour and a half, from the wheel and back

1. 15 minutes before. Be at tourist bus stop 4 in front of the wheel.
2. Boarding. Choose upstairs for the view or downstairs for the warmth.
3. The Strand. Along the river side of the West End.
4. The square. Past the column and, from early December, the Norwegian tree.
5. Piccadilly Circus. The lit screens, then past Fortnum & Mason.
6. Regent Street. Under the hanging displays, at bus-top height.
7. Big Ben. Back over the river and off at the stop you started from.

Who this suits, and who should book something else

What $40.45 covers, and what it leaves out

Know before you go

• Arrive 15 minutes early. Boarding takes time; stop 4 is easy to walk past.
• Go to the toilet first. There is none on board and no stop on the way.
• Dress for the top deck. Hat, gloves, a scarf and a spare layer.
• Babies ride on a lap. Under-5s travel free without a seat; buy a child seat if you want one for them.
• Not for wheelchairs. The bus is not wheelchair accessible.
• Expect traffic. The route may change on the night to keep you moving.

What travellers said when they got off

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