I Found My New Best Friend Traveling to London: Part 8 – Big Bus Tour

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Update:   One or more card offers in this post are no longer available.  Check our Hot Deals for the latest offers.  Emily:   I love to travel, and my mom does, too!

When I was growing up in Ohio, we could only afford road trips to local amusement parks.  But collecting miles and points has opened up a whole new world of travel neither of us thought possible!

She and I decided to go to London and Paris for a mother-daughter getaway.  We flew Business Class and stayed in 5-star hotels.  I paid for this trip for a fraction of the retail cost by using airline miles and hotel points.

I’ve never traveled so long with my mom before, and at the end of the trip, I felt like I had a new best friend!  Without the miles & points hobby, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to experience the joy of traveling with my mom.

A London “Big Bus” Tour Is a UK Must!

In this series, I’ll show you how you can get to Europe, too!

I Found My New Best Friend Traveling to London Trip Report Index:

What to Do in London – Big Bus Tour

My mom and I visited London in January, so it was a little cold, rainy, and windy.  We thought taking a Big Bus tour would be the best way to see the city.

Connie:  Truly, there is so much to see and experience in London. We walked across the street from the Hotel to Hyde Park to board the Red Bus tour. The tour guide explained the various landmarks and you could get off at any time to stay and view the landmarks. Some of the stops included Piccadilty Circus, Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, London Tower Bridge, London Eye, House of Parliament and of course Big Ben to name a few.
In Front of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel

I purchased the tickets online, and it cost us around ~$75.  Each ticket included:

This was a great way to see the city!  We hopped off the bus stop near St. Paul’s Cathedral.

A Rainy Day Made the Cathedral Gleam

I love seeing old architecture and the detailed carvings.  This was no exception!

Big Bus Tours Are Beneficial Because You’ll Have a Tour Guide Giving You History to Help You Appreciate What You’re Looking At

In London, the streets wind through the city.

Austin Streets Are Organized Like a Grid. Easier to Navigate, but Much Less Charming Than London!

Even though it was dreary, I was still having a fantastic time with my mom!

We Ran Around When There Was a Pause in the Rain

It started raining again, so we got back on the bus.

We Wouldn’t Have Explored the City in This Weather Without Big Bus

We sat upstairs and had front row seats!

A Fantastic Way to See the Most Famous Sights of the City

The tour guide had a small audience—just me and my mom—so it was a good chance to ask questions.  And take lots of pictures, of course! 🙂

Tourist Season Must Not Be in January, Because We Had the Bus to Ourselves!

I was loving all the photo opportunities.

Give Me Some Sultry Jazz With This Rainy Scene

In London, old architecture sits next to the newer buildings.

Past and Future Complement Each Other

We passed by Tower Bridge, and it looked beautiful in the evening light!

One of the Greatest Suspension Bridges in the World! It was Operating ~45 Years Before the Golden Gate

A “River Thames Cruise” was included in our ticket price.  Traffic started jamming up because it was rush hour, and the bus driver encouraged us to take the cruise back home instead.  So, we got off the bus and walked to the boat stop, and took the boat back towards our starting location.  This gave us a great chance to see London from the river view!

Walking tours were also included with the Big Bus ticket price, but we didn’t go on any tours.

A Boat Cruise Was Included in Our Big Bus Tour

We passed Tower Bridge again…

Extra Beautiful from Afar
…and also passed Big Ben and the Parliament.
Elizabeth Tower at Night

The London Eye also looked really neat!

This Giant Ferris Wheel Is One of the Biggest Attractions in London

I really enjoyed taking this bus tour.  It was a great way to see the city and be protected from the cold, rainy weather.

To really get your money’s worth, start early, do a loop around, then get off at your favorite sights.  Or plan where you want to get off ahead of time.  We ran out of time and then got caught in rush hour…which was not a good idea!  But, it worked out because we got to go on the cruise tour down the river.

You Can Do It, Too!

We used British Airways Avios points to fly to London.  But we ended up paying a lot in fuel surcharges.  And we stayed at the Intercontinental London Park Lane.

But there are cheaper ways to get to London on miles & points!  And plenty of options for hotel award stays.

Here are my top recommendations for booking award flights to London.  And some ideas for where to stay!

Flights

1.   American Airlines

Using American Airlines miles to get from the US to Europe costs:

  • 30,000 miles one-way in coach (22,500 miles between November 1 and December 14, and January 10 and March 14) + taxes & fees
  • 57,500 miles one-way in Business Class + taxes & fees
  • 85,000 miles one-way in First Class + taxes & fees
Note:   Make sure you don’t fly on British Airways planes, because American Airlines will pass along the fuel surcharges!  Try to cross the ocean on an American Airlines or Air Berlin plane.

It’s easier to earn American Airlines miles than you might think!  Right now, Citi American Airlines credit cards are offering:

The information for the Citi AAdvantage Platinum and CitiBusiness AAdvantage Platinum card has been collected independently by Million Mile Secrets. The card details on this page have not been reviewed or provided by the card issuer.

Redeeming American Airlines miles is simple, too.  Look for flights on your desired dates by logging into either your American Airlines account.  Make sure you click on “Redeem Miles” and then Show Full Calendar” for the fewest number of miles needed if your dates are flexible.

Check out my guide on how to book American Airlines miles!

2.   United Airlines

You can fly from the US to Europe on United Airlines for:

  • 30,000 miles one-way in coach + taxes & fees
  • 57,500 miles one-way in Business Class + taxes & fees (70,000 miles if you fly on a United Airlines partner)
  • 80,000 miles one-way in First Class + taxes & fees (110,000 miles if you fly on a United Airlines partner)

You can earn United Airlines miles quickly by signing-up for these cards:

  • Chase United Explorer – 30,000 bonus miles after you spend $1,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
  • Chase United small business card – 50,000 United Airlines miles after spending $3,000 in purchases within the 1st 3 months of opening your account

You can also transfer Chase Ultimate Rewards points to United at a 1:1 ratio with:

  • Chase Sapphire Reserve – 50,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
  • Chase Sapphire Preferred – 50,000 points after you spend $4,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening
  • Chase Ink Business Preferred – 80,000 points after you spend $5,000 on purchases in the first 3 months from account opening

Check out my ultimate guide to booking United Airlines miles!

Note:   Remember, Chase has changed their application rules for airline and hotel cards.  So if you’ve opened 5+ credit cards in the past 24 months, it’s unlikely you’ll be approved for any of these cards.

Hotels

1.   IHG

You can book IHG hotels for between 10,000 and 60,000 IHG points per night (or just 5,000 IHG points per night during IHG PointBreaks!).

I stayed at the 5-star Intercontinental London Park Lane, which costs 60,000 IHG points per night.  But you can stay at cheaper options, like the Holiday Inn Stevenage30 minutes north of London, for just 10,000 IHG points per night.

2.   Hyatt

Hyatt charges between 5,000 and 30,000 Hyatt points per night.  I’ve previously stayed at the Hyatt Regency London – Churchill and loved it!  The hotel costs 25,000 Hyatt points per night.  But you can also stay in cheaper hotels, like the Hyatt Place London Heathrow, which costs 12,000 Hyatt points per night.

3.   Marriott, Ritz-Carlton, & Starwood

Marriott and Starwood have merged!  You can link your accounts, and transfer points between your Marriott and Starwood accounts at a 3:1 ratio.  And Marriott and Ritz-Carlton essentially have the same rewards program, just with different branding .  So if you collect Marriott or Starwood points, you’ll have lots of options in London!

It costs between 7,500 and 70,000 Marriott points to stay at a Marriott or Ritz-Carlton hotel.  And Starwood hotels charge between 3,000 Starwood points (2,000 points on weekends) and 35,000 Starwood points for a free night.

You could stay at The London EDITION, a 5-star Ritz-Carlton hotel, for 50,000 Marriott points (or convert 17,000 Starwood points into Marriott points).  Or you could stay at the Aloft London Excel for 10,000 Starwood points (or convert 30,000 Marriott points to Starwood points).

4.   Hilton

Hilton has lots of hotels to choose from in London!  You can stay at the incredible Waldorf Hilton, London for 60,000 Hilton points per night.  Or you can stay at the more affordable Hampton by Hilton London Croydon for 20,000 Hilton points per night.

Bottom Line

My mom and I only had a few days in London, so booking a Big Bus tour was perfect for us.  If you have limited time in London, or if you’re facing unpleasant weather, I’d recommend booking a tour!

You can get on and off where you want to.  Try not to rush the experience!

Also, don’t forget during rush hour or construction, it can take a long time to get where you want to go.  So be sure to factor that in and go with the flow.

Editorial Note: We're the Million Mile Secrets team. And we're proud of our content, opinions and analysis, and of our reader's comments. These haven’t been reviewed, approved or endorsed by any of the airlines, hotels, or credit card issuers which we often write about. And that’s just how we like it! :)
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