tour vs being on own- london
 

is there any advantage to taking a tour or is it just as easy to get around on our own?
we could take day trips - tours if we want to go outside of london

There was a post about this recently. You really don't need a tour - we speak english here after all! And transport around the city is SO easy - massive train and bus network that can get you anywhere you want to go.

If you want to take tours for day trips outside London, then there's lots of ideas on this forum, and I guess it would save some hassle of getting trains. But it's very easy to do it on your own. And of course, if you're ever in doubt about what to do ("how do I buy tickets, etc?") then you can always stop and ask someone.

If you know what you want to see, and are good with maps, then a tour isn't necessary.

We've been to London 3x's and we've never done the hop on/off bus tour. Always on our own except for the first trip we went escorted to Stonehenge,Bath,Stratford,Oxford.
London is incredibly easy to get around and unless you're looking for commentary from a guide I don't see the advantage.

The best deal in London for an organized tour is to use Original London Walks.You show up at a tube stop at the appointed time pay £5.50 and off you go for a two hour guided walk.I have done over a dozen walks with these people and have not been disappointed with them.
Here is a link for more info.
http://www.walks.com/

The hop on - hop off bus tours are fun and a great way to see London for the first time, while jet-lagged. We also enjoyed Original London Walks. They do very ecomomical one-day tours, too. We went with them to Oxford and the Cotswolds. You just show up at Paddington Station at the appointed time. Nice change of pace to throw in a guided tour every now and then when you are travelling independently.

I'd agree with MKingdom. If you are a tour person, there are good ones offered in London.

However, you would definitely see more of London on your own, and at your own pace. It isn't very difficult to get around, and all you really need is a map to plan your route.

Why not do both?. London is very easy to navigate --use the tube--know the end station!. Take your tours to Stratford or Stonehenge and enjoy the tour guides.Plus your spouse gets someone else to talk to!!
When in doubt - look confused, shake the map and someone will help. BTW, bus/tube passes are a must. It allows you to get lost(going the wrong way)at no expense

On my very first trip to London as a college student we arrived early am and what to do when our room wasn't ready. We took the hop on/hop off tour but did very little hopping. It was terrific. It gives you a sense of where things are, what's near what, if you're lucky and get a good guide you are entertained, learn some stuff. And then you go strike out on your own. There are a few other places like the Tower of London where it's really worthwhile to take the tour that's offered.

If you'd rather just do the research on your own that can work too and will be cheaper, but for some, an initial overview is a good idea.

The day trips are anther story, again, it's a personal preference thing.

When we travel, a part of our decision about tours is based on how tricky it is to get there. For instance, around London, it's very easy to get to Stratford or Bath on your own, but getting to Stonehenge would be a time consuming pain in the neck for a brief treat, so we opted for a day tour that included Stonehenge.

Get the tourist bus map at any Tube station:

<b>Tube &amp; Bus - Map out your Day</b>

The best transportation deal on the planet is the

<b>Weekly bus pass.</b>

&pound;9.50 gets you anywhere in Greater London for 7 days. We even rode the bus to the Thames Barrier, downstream from Greenwich.

You can get to Stonehenge with a 20-minute ride on the Wilts &amp; Dorset Bus Co. from Salisbury railway station.

<b>http://www.wdbus.co.uk/</b>

We left Waterloo at 14:03 and were back by dinner time.

I have done both and enjoyed Original London Walks and going around on my own. As mentioned, London is very easy to get around. The guides for London Walks are great and you will get information that you wouldn't get from a guide book. Going on your own allows you to set your own pace - there are quite a few very good self-guided walking books for London.

London Walks has several excellent day trips and it is also easy to do day trips on your own. I'm getting ready for my 8th trip to my favorite city - can't wait!

We loved the hop on/hop off bus tour for the quick overview of the city, which gave us a sense of the layout and where things were. We didn't hop off at all the first time around, until we got back to our hotel on Buckingham Palace Road, but the next day, still using the same pass, we took the hop on/off bus to the Tower and then to Westminster Abbey, two of the places we wanted to go anyway. We were on 3 or 4 different buses, one with a very entertaining guide, one with a nervous type (but we could tune her out!), and one with plug-in earphones to hear the tour in different languages. So, we opted not to plug in on that one. I would certainly recommend it, and would also suggest that staying in a hotel on the route is a great way to get &quot;home&quot; from major sightseeing stops.