Curated list of London bus routes worth riding — whether you want a budget sightseeing tour past Big Ben and St Paul's, or the fastest cross-town commute. All routes accept contactless at £1.75 single.
Riding a red London double-decker is one of the cheapest ways to see the city. For £1.75 you can sit on the upper deck and roll past Big Ben, St Paul's, Trafalgar Square and the Tower of London with no audio tour and no time limit. The Hopper fare even lets you change buses for free within 60 minutes.
We pick routes by three criteria: sights along the corridor, frequency (so you never wait), and operational reliability. Routes 11 and 15 are unbeatable for first-time visitors; 24 and 38 are the locals' commuter favourites; 88 ties Camden to the South Bank.
via St Paul's, Trafalgar Square, Victoria
via Trafalgar Square, Oxford Circus, St John's Wood
via Tottenham Court Road, Piccadilly, South Kensington, Fulham
via Strand, Fleet Street, Tower Hill, Limehouse
via Oxford Circus, Trafalgar Square, Brixton
via Sloane Square, Parsons Green
via Victoria, Trafalgar Square, Camden Town
via Piccadilly, Bloomsbury, Islington, Hackney
via Oxford Circus, Westminster, Elephant & Castle
via Oxford Circus, Westminster, Vauxhall
via Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly, Knightsbridge, Kensington
Route 11 is widely considered the best sightseeing bus in London — for £1.75 you pass Bank, St Paul's, Trafalgar Square, Westminster, Victoria, Sloane Square and Chelsea on a single ride.
Yes. A single bus fare is £1.75 vs £2.80+ for the Tube in central London, and the Hopper fare lets you transfer bus-to-bus for free within 60 minutes. The daily bus cap is £5.25.
No. TfL buses are cashless. Tap a contactless card, mobile wallet (Apple Pay / Google Pay) or Oyster card on the yellow reader as you board.