there is two hop on/hop off bus tours- The Original Tour and the Big Bus Co. Which one is the best?

Peas in a pod.

The two buses follow the same route. My understanding is that the Original Tour uses recorded commentaries. The Big Bus has live commentary. I have taken the Big Bus Tour a couple of times and really liked it.

They both charge the same for a day ticket, but one of them gives a Thames river cruise as part of their day ticket. I'd go with that company. I'm sorry but I don't remember which one it was, but that was the deciding factor for us when choosing a company.

I will check that out. Thanks!

Both contain a free Thames river cruise. See theoriginaltour.com and bigbus.co.uk

Took the Original this past May. It has both a hosted and recorded tour (just look for the right color code if you have a pref). Both cover virtually the same areas. The only advantage I thought the Big Bus had was that it ran a little more frequently...so if you happen to hop off often, you won't have to wait as long for the next one. Otherwise, the Original is just fine and a little bit cheaper.

The Big Bus now includes three free walking tours. Check out their website for more information on them. I believe there's a royal walk, pub walk, and ghost walk.

There is not a bit of difference between them. Just pick one. In fact - what some folks don't know - you don't even have to always pay the full ticket price. Especially on slow days, if you buy your ticket at a staffed stop (like at Victoria, near Madame Tussauds, etc) instead of one where you pay the driver, both companies will have agents on the sidewalk and may get in a bidding war over you. You can often save £4 or £5 or more. The buses run full or empty and they will gladly take less £ to get butts in the seats - much like airlines.