London Christmas Eve Illuminations Guided Tour by Night
Description
Spend Christmas Eve on a tour of the mesmerising Lights of London. You will see all the main sights of London lit up and ready for this festive time of year! Become enchanted by the lights illuminating the most striking landmarks of the city as dusk falls. This sweeping, wide-ranging tour will encompass the most distinguished and vibrant areas of this world renowned capital, including Parliament Square, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus and the financial district of the City. The tour also glides past eminent structures and attractions such as the world renowned London Eye, St Paul's Cathedral, the inimitable Buckingham Palace, formidable Tower of London, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament. Embark upon this tour and discover the extraordinary allure of London as darkness falls.
Tour Options
Itinerary
Join a tour of the Lights of London on Christmas Eve. You will see all the main sights of London lit up and ready for this festive time of year! The tour will start at London Victoria- Bus Stop 1, Bulleid Way, Victoria, London SW1W 9SH (closest station Victoria-7 min walk) where you will meet your guide at 6:15pm for 6:30pm departure.
Buckingham Palace, the grand and iconic London residence of His Majesty the King is an absolute must-see on any visit to London. A fully working royal palace, housing not only The King, but serving as the administrative headquarters of the Royal Household.
The Tower of London, founded by William the Conqueror in 1066-7, is one of the world’s most famous fortresses yet despite its grim reputation as a place of torture and death, there are so many more stories to be told. The ancient stones reverberate with dark secrets, priceless jewels glint in fortified vaults and ravens strut the grounds.
Also known as the Millennium Wheel, London Eye is one of the largest Ferris wheel in Europe and one of the most popular attractions in the UK. The iconic London Eye offers breathtaking views of London from high above the River Thames.
An essential addition to any visit to London and set in the heart of the city, Westminster Abbey is legendary and iconic. Boasting a rich history that spans over one thousand years, the site was originally occupied by Benedictine monks in the middle of the tenth century. The current gothic masterpiece has stood there for about 700 years. The imperious gothic master work is truly breathtaking and the intricate stained glass is some of the most beautiful in the UK.
The Elizabeth Tower, also known as “Big Ben“, dates from 1858 and had its 150th anniversary in 2009. It is one of the most iconic symbols of the UK and a must see attraction in London. Big Ben is famous in the world for its accuracy and for its massive bell.
Located in the City of Westminster, Trafalgar Square is one of the most important and bustling squares in London. It takes its name after the Battle of Trafalgar from 1805, and it was built to memorialise Lord Horatio Nelson's victory.
A cathedral dedicated to St Paul has stood in the highest point of the City of London for over 1,400 years. The current Cathedral (the fourth to occupy this location) was designed by celebrated architect Christopher Wren and is widely considered to be his greatest masterpiece. Completed in 1708, this cross-shaped building has been the backdrop to many key moments in British history and is an essential part of the London skyline thanks to its magnificent dome.
Highlights
What's included
Traveller Ratings
Important Information
- Infants are required to sit on an adult’s lap
- Public transportation options are available nearby
- Travelers should have at least a moderate level of physical fitness
- You must bring the e-ticket provided to gain entry to this tour.
- Please arrive at least 15min before your scheduled pick up time to avoid missing the bus.
- Children aged 0 to 2 years travel free of charge but will not occupy a seat and will sit on the guardian's lap. If you would like your infant to be seated, please purchase a child ticket for them.
- Our vehicles are modern, comfortable, and kept to the highest standards of cleanliness, including a deep clean every day.
Reviews(28)
The whole experience was a shambles run by kids who didn't show any enthusiasm or care for the entire bus ride. After joining a long queue we were pointed to the relevant bus, no greeting - no smiles. On the bus we were pointed to where our table was with no further interaction. There was no safety briefing by staff - this resulted in a male trying to walk around the bus to take photos - staff didn't immediately intervene until other passengers raised a cause for concern. This tour provided 2 x drinks, shortbread biscuit and a mince pie - at no point was anyone asked if they had any food allergies, which I found very concerning. A family of 7 tourists (not from the UK) asked the staff if the food had meat in it - was informed no. The family then asked if the food had egg in it - the first staff replied that she didn't know but wanted to serve the food anyway - family refused. Second member of staff came up to the family and said all English food has egg in it and that's all across the UK!! I've never heard of anything so ridiculous. But again the staff didn't ask if this was an allergy or preference. The staff sat and hid at the rear of the bus - no interaction. The atmosphere on the bus was awful with non UK tourist finding the whole experience confusing. We were served drinks pre ordered as part of the package - when it came to the second drink I was promptly told I had to have the same drink and not allowed to change to other drink selection - this I do not understand, therefore no second drink was provided, however was paid for! We left the bus station 25 minutes late as staff were waiting for late comers - we arrived back 20 minutes early - there was heavy traffic in London due to the time year - so work that one out !! There are far better companies that operate tours around London - Bridgit's Bakery for one - Staff from this company are warm and welcoming and look happy to be there. They make the whole experience special and everyone is in high spirits. This tour you could tell the staff just wanted to get it over with and to be honest I couldn't wait to get off the bus. I have complained to the company direct and had to chase replies - 2 x tickets were £72.00 (the trip I was booked on was not on the trip advisor drop down so I have selected another tour) I was offered and given a 10% refund of £7.20 !!! what an absolute joke. The refund was agreed as I wasn't happy with the service provided but the offered amount is a joke and an embarrassment. This company doesn't see health and safety as priority or think food allergens is of their concern - BOOK WITH ANY OTHER TOUR COMPANY THAN THIS ONE!! London is a beautiful city to visit - don't let this company ruin it for you - as if you do have a complaint they will reply that you are lying and offer poor customer service. I requested a full refund but was refused being told that 10% was the max they would ever refund. DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY AND GO WITH ANOTHER BUS COMPANY THAT HAS GOOD CUSTOMER CARE AND VALUES YOU AS A CUSTOMER, AND NOT HERDED ONTO BUSES BY STAFF THAT WOULD RATHER BE ANYWHERE ELSE IN THE WORLD
We’re sorry to hear you were disappointed with your experience. The tour was slightly delayed as we were waiting to accommodate a wheelchair passenger. Our guide provided a safety briefing and promptly addressed a passenger who stood up, ensuring all safety protocols were followed, and even went above and beyond by taking photos for them. While we did not receive any allergy queries from your table, our team handled all other passenger inquiries with no further issues. Our staff always strive to provide a fun, engaging, and memorable tour, and we regret that you felt otherwise. As a gesture of goodwill, we offered a partial refund. While we are sorry you did not enjoy the experience, we are grateful for your feedback, which helps us continue to improve. We wish you all the best.
Fantastic tour and the guide Emma was so amazing, all our family really liked her. The tour was great even though it was raining.
Magical Christmas decorations, Cover yourself well because upstairs it's not hot Too bad the guide spoke only English and difficult to understand
The tour guide Brennan was incredible he kept everyone entertained he was funny and he knew so much about London it was incredible he even Managed to entertain children in traffic jams of London however the tour itself was pointless. I really think golden tours should have communicated just how bad the tour would be and see if you even wanted to do it anymore, all the good roads were pedestrianised and the diversion didn’t take you past any Christmas lights so other than winter wonderrland and Oxford street we didn’t see any.
Always a lottery booking something outside with the English weather. We took a chance and booked tickets for the upper deck of the open topped bus tour of the Christmas lights in London. Of course it poured with rain, and despite some very classy ponchos handed out by the tour guide, we had to bail out and go downstairs to avoid being completely drenched. If we’d booked this to start with we’d have saved ourselves several pounds each. We did notice that there were two separate individuals upstairs under the covered area who were each taking up a double seat. Rather selfish considering the situation. However our guide Jay was excellent! Despite being a native of the USA, he gave us interesting information about what we were seeing. He engaged with the children upstairs. We even enjoyed his American pronunciation of Belgravia! Alan, our driver drove the bus deftly in the very busy Saturday traffic. We did enjoy the tour, and will certainly remember it! Just a shame about the weather ☔️.
My friend and I are born and bred Londoners. So we thought we knew everything about our home city, but I wanted to see the Christmas Lights, and I know the best way to do this is on top of a double decker bus. It was a wonderful adventure. All the other passengers were tourists. They were all a lovely group of people, really interesting. I felt quite honoured that they had chosen to visit my home City. Now, the best thing was the Golden Tours guide. She was really knowledgeable and very friendly. I actually learned some things about London I didn’t know. At the end of the tour she even offered to walk some guests to the underground station, which I thought was really kind and above and beyond.
Disappointing, I went around by bus to see the Christmas lights, I paid 114€ for a family of 4 and we saw nothing special. You might as well walk Oxford street and regent street, to admire these lights! I regret my purchase.
Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback. We are very sorry to hear that your experience did not meet your expectations. Our Christmas lights bus tour is designed to offer a convenient way to see multiple illuminated locations across London, but we understand that the experience may feel different from seeing the lights on foot. hope to have the opportunity to provide a more enjoyable experience on a future Golden Tours trip.
To flee!!! They're thieves! They put you in a bus full so you don’t have access to the floor, you’re downstairs so you don’t see the illuminations. Plus the trick is ridiculous, you just stay stuck in traffic. The guide speaks only in English, you have to pay an extra €5 to have headphones and translation (an attic for a tourist bus) Also be careful because the meeting place is not well indicated and the bus leaves 10 minutes early. Don't waste your money, let alone your time
The London lights were amazing. The driver took his time so that we could take lots of photos and videos. Our tour guide Katie was awesome. She was extremely knowledgeable and told us lot’s of interesting fun facts about the Christmas lights.Definitely recommend this tour, you won’t be disappointed
Great tour. Saw the lights. Great info from helene. Our tour guide. I thought it was good value for money. Wrap Up Warm and enjoy
