London Tour Buses: The Great London Tour

I've lived in London just over three years and with each year that passes I find myself becoming a little more complacent with my surroundings, not appreciating the truly spectacular settings that I have the opportunity to walk past each and every day. 

I see the London Eye every day, pass Big Ben on a weekly basis, sit in Hyde Park every other weekend without a true appreciation for just how incredibly lucky I am to do this. Without remembering that people travel across the world to do simply that just as I do when I travel. 

But how do you give yourself the chance to truly appreciate London?

For months I have been on about doing a London bus tour, joking with friends about doing an open roof tour with drinks (which, sadly, is prohibited on most I found out) for each landmark site we see. 

As a Londoner, by nature we joke about the tourists, if not regularly moan, and avoid doing the things that appreciate just why this city is so great. We pay £40 for two cocktails to admire the views of said landmarks, maybe for one photo, or a moment of appreciation, but actually avoid properly taking it in. Bus tours of cities, by nature of what they are, fall into the category of tourists attractions. 

I recently headed along to a MegaTours event to, in many ways, force myself to appreciate the city I proclaim to love yet spend very little time appreciating. 

The tour conveniently fell on a day where is was 28+ degrees - and I am not joking when I say London in the sun beats any holiday location for me. I love it.

The tour lasted around 2 hours and included sights from London Bridge, Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park and Piccadilly Circus. If you're in London for a short time, it truly is the perfect way to see the city.

But even if, like me, you live here it's great to see your city without the stress of spending the whole time pushing through tourists, or being unable to see the landmarks due to the masses of people. 

Tours start at £1 - yes, I am being serious - and you can book them HERE

If you want to see London in a completely different way, this is definitely the way - and trust me I never thought I'd promote a tourist attraction!