Big Bus or Originl Tour ?
 

I plan to buy a ticket for a sightseeing in London. I could find two :
Big Bus ( free walk tours )
http://www.bigbustours.com/uk/html/uk_our_tours.html
and The Original Tour ( cheaper )
http://www.theoriginaltour.com/tour_information/

Which one is better ?
Thanks
Claudia

We did Big Bus and were very happy. Their walking tour was great, too. ((b))

Thanks for the beer Budman. I´ll need one for sure ... I could not find how late the tours run ... Do you happen to know ? I´m considering a walk tours as well, but since my English is not very good I´m afraid it won´t work ... Which walk toura did you go ?

We did the GHOSTS BY GASLIGHT - The Spooky London Pub Crawl. As I recall, it lasted more than 1.5 hours. We stopped at, I believe, 3 pubs on the way, and one when it was over. ((b))

Both times in London we did Big Bus tour which was great. Enjoy.

Forgot one more thing. We purchased our tickets online which saved 2 pounds each.

For a less expensive option, simply purchase a day-pass on the bus and the tube. We had no problem finding our way around, even being first-time visitors to London. It's cheaper and the buses probably run later into the evening. Just a thought. Do try to take a Thames river cruise one evening as the sun sets.

I think the commentary alone was well worth taking the Bus, especially listening to some of the humor of some of the narrators joking about the sites we passed as well as providing a bit of local history. ((b))

I agree with Budman, the commentary by the tour guides on the Big Bus were very informative and something you wouldn't get on a regular bus. Of course, I wouldn't use the Big Bus as a mode of transportation, but for me the first in London, it was a great way to see the whole town in one day and to get history background on the sites.....the guide was very humorous....and quite cute. :)

Although the Big Bus tour has the advantage of a person giving the commentary, Claudia may prefer the Original Tour which has the opportunity to plug into a Spanish commentary

As I recall, Big Bus had plug ins for French, Spanish, German, Russian, Italian, and Portuguese. ((b))

Yes, both two have Spanish commentary but it's a recorded one so I don't think it is as funny and informative as the live one in English. That's one of the reasons I am doubtful to take it for my trip (I hate headphones :)))
My other reason is my problems climbing stairs and whether the access to the buses is the same as in normal buses which seems to be easier, I really don't know because I haven't seen them.

A problem with climbing stairs would preclude sitting outside on top, which is the principal added value the tours offer.

If sitting downstairs with a guide book rather than upstairs with an audio tour (live or recorded) is necessary, then creating one's own tour becomes an attractive alternative.

With a one- or seven-day Bus Pass (£3/11) and a bus map having the sights clearly marked (see link), it is possible to follow an itinerary at one's own pace.

<b>http://www.tfl.gov.uk/tfl/pdfdocs/cen_bus.pdf
</b>

Thank you very much, Robespierre :) That is the answer I needed.