Kings Cross Station

12:00 · London

We depart from York Way, to the side of Kings Cross station, past McDonalds and just in front of Bus Stop G.

Directions

The Globe

12:20 · Moorgate

Situated right in the heart of the City, The Globe stands directly on the former site of the historic Swan and Hoop Inn. This spot was the birthplace of one of England’s greatest Romantic poets, John Keats, in 1795. Keats’s father managed the inn and kept horses there. You can still spot the commemorative plaque on the pub’s exterior today.

Directions

The Prospect of Whitby

13:45 · Wapping

London’s oldest riverside pub (c. 1520). Originally ‘The Devil’s Tavern’, a den for pirates and smugglers. The infamous Hanging Judge Jeffreys drank here while watching executions. Original flagstone floor survives; a mock noose dangles over the Thames out back.

Directions

The Space Bar

14:45 · Isle of Dogs

This is not your standard East End boozer. The bar is located inside the vestry of St Paul’s Church, built in 1859. The church was originally constructed specifically to serve the thousands of Scottish shipyard workers who migrated to the Isle of Dogs to build Isambard Kingdom Brunel’s mammoth engineering marvel, the SS Great Eastern. After falling into heavy ruin in the 1970s, the building was saved by a local community trust.

Directions

The Hung, Drawn & Quartered

15:55 · Tower Hill

Named after the brutal medieval punishment for high treason, this pub sits just a stone’s throw from the Tower Hill scaffold site where countless historical figures lost their heads. Housed in a spectacular former bank building, the interior is defined by towering ceilings, ornate cornicing, and dark wood paneling. Famed 17th-century diarist Samuel Pepys lived on this very street, documenting the Great Fire of London and the local executions from his nearby home. It’s also incredibly convenient for the bus, as your driver can park easily in the Tower Hill Coach Park just around the corner.

Directions

Westminster

17:10 · City of Westminster

As the sun sets and the city lights begin to glow, our sightseeing journey officially kicks off in the political heart of London. We will sweep directly past the spectacular London Eye, Gothic architecture of the Houses of Parliament, and Westminster Abbey. Have your cameras ready on the top deck to capture the iconic, brightly illuminated clock face of Big Ben before we head west toward the luxury storefronts of Knightsbridge.

Harrods

17:25 · Knightsbridge

Our first major sightseeing pause brings us face-to-face with London’s most famous department store. The sprawling Edwardian terracotta facade is famously draped in thousands of glowing golden bulbs, creating a massive, luminous spectacle. We will hold here for a 15-minute photo opportunity so you can capture the ultimate luxury Christmas backdrop before we dive into the West End.

Directions

Piccadilly & Regent Street

18:05 · West End

After navigating the bright neon glow of Piccadilly Circus, the bus takes a sweeping curve north up Regent Street. This is where the top deck truly pays off—we will drive directly beneath the majestic “Spirits of Christmas,” a fleet of massive, glowing angels spanning the entire width of the street, suspended high above the historic John Nash architecture.

Theatreland & Trafalgar Square

18:20 · West End

We weave straight into the heart of Theatreland down Shaftesbury Avenue, treated to a dazzling canyon of illuminated theatre marquees and buzzing crowds. The bus then sweeps through the world-famous neon glow of Piccadilly Circus for a second time and then heads down to Trafalgar Square to catch a glimpse of London’s iconic Norwegian Christmas tree, perfectly setting the scene before we pull up to our final pub stop.

Mr Fogg’s Society of Exploration

18:35 · Strand

This incredibly immersive bar is an eccentric shrine to Jules Verne’s famous Victorian adventurer, Phileas Fogg. The interior is a spectacular, theatrical tribute to global travel, packed with antique maps, globes, taxidermy, and curiosities collected from around the world. The highlight is a life-size, wood-paneled Victorian train carriage sitting right in the middle of the room, modeled after the Orient Express.

Directions

St Paul’s Cathedral

19:50 · City of London

Emerging from the pub and heading down the historic stretch of Fleet Street, we pull up for a dedicated 10-minute photo stop at Sir Christopher Wren’s architectural masterpiece. Beautifully up-lit against the winter night sky, the cathedral’s iconic dome provides a stunning, solemn contrast to the frantic neon energy of the West End.

Directions

London Bridge & Tower Bridge

20:00 · River Thames

For our grand finale, we roll past the towering Monument to the Great Fire of London before crossing the Thames. London Bridge offers sweeping, unobstructed views of the illuminated Shard and HMS Belfast, before we loop back over the spectacular, glowing suspension cables of Tower Bridge itself to complete our journey.

The Traitor’s Gate

20:20 · Tower Hill

Taking its name from the notorious water entrance to the nearby Tower of London, this quintessential pub perfectly channels the area’s dark Tudor history. For centuries, accused traitors like Sir Thomas More and a young Queen Elizabeth I were ferried by barge through the original stone gate to await their fate. Today, the pub offers a much warmer welcome, blending mottled leather, traditional wooden panelling, and candlelight just a stone’s throw from where those infamous prisoners once arrived.

Directions