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The 9 best bus tours in London from 007 to fine dining

Anyone call for a bright red double-decker? See the capital in all its glory on one of these brilliant London bus tours

Whether you’re after a whirlwind tour of London’s attractions  for the first time or you want a little refresher of your favourite spots in London, we’ve rounded up the best London bus tours for you to take your pick. Our choice selection includes open-top classics that enable you to tick off your favourite landmarks one by one and some sinister tours that take place after dark... And don’t worry Harry Potter fans – we’ve included a London bus tour that takes in all the bespectacled boy wizard’s trips around the capital, from King’s Cross to Number 12 Grimmauld Place. 

Time Out tip:  Wherever you're headed while you're visiting London always have two things to hand: a brolly and Citymapper. 

Want more? 🚲Try a London bike tour instead 💂‍♀️Check out  the best London tours   🛏Stay in the best Airbnbs in London

This article includes affiliate links. These links have no influence on our editorial content. For more information, click here .

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Best London bus tours

1.  The Beatles evening tour

Trace the years from 1962 to 1970, when Beatlemania was at its peak, as you visit more than 35 Beatles-related landmarks on this evening tour of central London. You’ll also see some of the sites surrounding the band members’ individual music careers, while your expert local guide entertains you with Beatles history through music and film footage - don't worry, there are plenty of photo stops.

Time Out tip: If you're a Beatles fan, you might also enjoy Music of The Mind, an exhibition exploring the works of artist and activist Yoko Ono. It runs until 1st September. 

2.  Ghost bus tour

Set aside an hour of your time to get well and truly spooked. On this ghost bus tour you’ll cruise the city’s historic streets in an old Routemaster (painted black, of course), learning all about London’s gruesome past with a hefty helping on chilling tales and the most haunted sites in the capital.

Time Out tip: For even more gore, why not check out the Sweeny Todd experience at the London Dungeon ?

3.  Big Bus London hop-on hop-off tour

Hop on and off at London's best landmarks and attractions on this classic open-top tour bus. Soak up the sights with over 40 stops around the capital, listen to captivating commentary about your surroundings and experience it all at your own pace.

Time Out tip: With a city this widespread, you'll need some flexibility. For that, you can grab a ticket valid for up to three days, that way you can take your time getting to know London.

4.  Harry Potter bus tour

We may all be muggles, but London contains a wealth of fun Harry Potter experiences that are more than magical. Hop onboard this tour and you’ll journey from Platform 9¾ at King’s Cross to Number 12 Grimmauld Place – a trip that takes three hours (aka just enough time to get  really  into the Potterverse). You’ll get to learn about locations that inspired JK Rowling’s awesome books and discover the tales behind some of wizarding wonders. And the best thing? You’ll also be shown some of the most famous Harry Potter film locations.

Time Out tip: Once you head back to Kings Cross, you grab a slice and enjoy the sun (providing there is any) at Happy Face Pizza. It's Neapolitan style, so you know it's good. 

5.  James Bond bus tour

Sure, James Bond drives fancy cars, like a classic Aston Martin, but can he fit all his mates in there for a jolly around London? Not likely. Especially if you want to throw a guide in for good measure, too. Luckily, you can fit all those people and more on this Bond bus tour. Delve into 007’s world of espionage and late-night wanderings to discover filming locations as well as sites frequented by Ian Fleming.

Time Out tip: Want even more British novelty? Just a 14-minute tube stop away you'll find Rules, London's oldest restaurant serving traditional British fare. It's pretty fancy, so Bond would approve.

6.  London at night tour

Giving lucky riders a taste of the lit-up London skyline, this 1.5-hour night tour hits all of the top tourist spots. Naturally, you’ll be travelling on-board a classic double-decker, and it’s the perfect way get views of famous attractions, including Big Ben, Westminster Abbey and the London Eye after hours. Plus, learn fascinating facts about these legendary landmarks from your expert guide and hear insider tips on exciting places to visit in the capital at night.

Time Out tip : If you're looking for more lates the National Gallery is open until 9 pm every Friday, while Sir John Soane's Museum hosts a themed late each month.

7.  Open-top tour on a vintage bus

A vintage double-decker bus has been transformed into an open-top sightseeing experience. From Buckingham Palace to the Tower of London via the Houses of Parliament, The Shard and St Paul’s Cathedral, see London without any of those annoying panes of glass in the way. Aboard the bus, you'll also have screens with historical footage of London through the decades. 

Time Out tip: If you're feeling peckish after the tour, head to the vibrant, colourful Carnaby Street (a 15-minute stroll) for lots of great food options. 

8.  Bustronome London

A bus tour for gourmands. The Bustronome team combine fine views with fine dining, across a series of lunch, afternoon tea and dinner services. As you pass a sequence of landmarks including Nelson’s Column, the Houses of Parliament, St Paul’s and the Tower of London, you’ll also enjoy a seasonal menu with an optional paired wine. Bon appetit!

Time Out tip: While this tour is on the pricier end of the scale, it makes a great gift. Not to mention you get to site-see while you dine.

9.  Afternoon Tea Bus London Tour

Fancy a quintessentially British afternoon tea on a classic London bus? Get involved on one of Golden Tours' afternoon tea buses  – as you sit down to a brew and a spread of sandwiches, cakes and pastries, you’ll be driven past Big Ben, Westminster Abbey, St James’s Park, Hyde Park, the Royal Albert Hall and all the usual suspects. Splendid!

Time Out tip: This tour is an excellent choice if you're looking for wholesome hen-do ideas. 

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London sightseeing bus tours : places to visit in London

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London Kids Tour

Non-stop live guided bus tour

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Non-stop evening bus tour

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Hop-on hop-off bus tour + cruise

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London Discovery

Hop-on hop-off bus tour + walking tours

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Daytime hop-on hop-off bus tour + evening bus tour

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Discover London with Tootbus , the must-do sightseeing bus tour experience!

 Enjoy our various routes to explore the city at your own pace, with panoramic views from our open-top deck buses .

Embark wherever you like on our different lines to discover London and all its iconic landmarks.  Our themed tours will immerse you in the heart of its history, culture, and architectural wonders. Whether with children on the Kids Tour , over a drink on the Bar Bus , or with your loved one on the Night Tour , there's something for everyone!

Continue your excursion beyond your sightseeing bus tour with Tootwalk . Our free guided walking tours , available through the Tootbus app on App Store and Google Play , will accompany you on your strolls in London, which will no longer hold any secrets for you. 

Let the city simply take you by surprise, welcome to London!

Hi, I'm Candace

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A London & Travel Blog

London , London Tours & Experiences , London Travel Tips & Inspiration · August 23, 2023

5 Best Open Top Bus Tours in London (2024) — from a London Travel Blogger

Table of Contents

Looking for the best open top bus tours in London? Look no further. Here’s the best ways to do London sightseeing by bus — from a London travel blogger.

This post may contain affiliate links. Check out my  Disclosure & Privacy Policy  for more information.

As a Londoner who loves playing tour guide, I can’t help but recommend open top bus tours in London.

From the grandeur of the Houses of Parliament to the timeless allure of the Tower Bridge, these bus tours offer a lovely ride through the city’s most iconic landmarks, often accompanied by a knowledgeable tour guide to gIVE you a great introduction to the city.

With that said, here’s the best open top bus tours in London — from a London travel blogger.

The Best Open Top Bus Tours in London

Big Bus London Hop-On Hop-Off Tour and River Cruise

If you want a comprehensive tour of London take a trip on the Big Bus London Hop-On Hop-Off Tour and River Cruise .

The journey lasts around 3 hours and 30 minutes and costs £40.50 to feel the breeze as you cruise past the London Eye and hop off to explore the buzzing streets of Covent Garden or Piccadilly Circus.

It also comes with a free cancellation policy should your London travel plans change, ensuring a stress-ride booking either way! Check Reviews .

City Sightseeing London Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

Alternatively, you can take the City Sightseeing London Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour .

Priced at £37.00, this two and a half hour trip lets you soak in the sights of the magnificent St. Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, and the Tate Modern (+ free cancellation too). Check Reviews .

London Tootbus Hop on Hop off Bus Tour and Thames River Cruise

For a combined sightseeing deal check out The London Tootbus Hop on Hop off Bus Tour and Thames River Cruise .

For £42.00 you’ll take an incredible two-hour journey through the city by bus and a refreshing river cruise.

Savor the beauty of the Southbank, the Shard, and London Bridge from the comfort of your seat and the Thames. Check Reviews .

The Big Day Out – London Eye Ticket, London Hop-on Hop-Off Tour & River Cruise

If you’re in for an entire day of London sightseeing, the Big Day Out should be your go-to.

For £62.50, you get a two and a half hour bus tour, a London Eye ticket, and a River Cruise on the Thames. That’s one great three-for-one! Check Reviews .

London Hop On – Hop Off Bus with optional River Cruise

Similarly, you should also consider the London Hop On – Hop Off Bus with an optional River Cruise .

For £37.00, you get to spend three hours exploring the best of London alongside an optional River Cruise. Check Reviews .

The Pros of Open Top Bus Tours in London

Although open top bus tours in London can often be seen as a tourist trap, there’s tons of reasons they make a great add to your tourist itinerary (plus if you know me you’ll know we don’t tourist shame over here !).

Open Top Bus Tours in London History Did you know open-top buses in London can be traced back to the early 20th century? In 1910, London General Omnibus Company (LGOC) introduced the first-ever open-top bus on the streets of the capital, providing passengers with an open-air view of the city’s landmarks. These early versions were modest in design, featuring a simple roofless upper deck, but they quickly became a hit among Londoners and visitors. As the popularity of open-top buses soared, so did their design and capacity. In the 1920s and 1930s, newer models were built with more comfortable seating, enhanced safety measures, and extended routes. By the mid-20th century, open-top buses had become a quintessential sight on London’s streets, contributing to the city’s bustling tourism industry and distinctive urban landscape.

Panoramic Views

One of the primary advantages of riding an open-top bus is the unparalleled panoramic view it offers.

On an open top bus tour you can take in the city’s majestic architecture, historical landmarks, and scenic beauty without any obstructions whatsoever.

Immersive Experience

Open-top buses are also a super immersive experience, allowing you to do some ample people watching from above before taking in the sights by foot.

Being able to feel the essence of London’s energy and atmosphere makes the ride more than just a means of transportation, but a memorable part of any London visit.

Tourist-Friendly Routes

Open-top bus tours are carefully curated to cover the most popular tourist attractions and historical sites, which you’ll of course want to see if you’re a first-time visitor in London (or just like seeing the sights!).

These hop-on-hop-off tours enable you to explore the city at your own pace, with the flexibility to disembark and explore areas of interest further before rejoining the tour at your leisure.

Audio Guides

Most open-top buses provide audio guides in multiple languages, making learning about London’s fascinating historical and cultural insights accessible to all.

Photography Opportunities

For photography and Instagram enthusiasts, open-top buses offer excellent opportunities to capture stunning photographs from elevated vantage points in London — giving you the very best perspective of London’s iconic landmarks.

The absence of windows ensures unobstructed shots of London’s iconic landmarks, giving you cherished London memories for years to come.

Thanks for reading my London Open Top Bus Tours Guide. If you enjoyed it, let me know on  Instagram !

Check out more tour recommendations:.

• The Best Bus Routes for Sightseeing in London
• Top 10 London Attractions: 10 Famous Places to See & Visit
• 3 BEST Afternoon Tea Bus Tours in London You Have to Check Out
• The Best Harry Potter Tours in London
• 10 Tips for Tourists in London (Tourist Mistakes and How to Avoid Them)
• London Tours & Experiences
• London Neighbourhood Guides

Happy Londoning,

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Your one-course meal is a choice of either Fish and Chips or Vegetarian dish available on the day. Drinks are available at additional cost. The pub is located near Victoria station.

TRIP ITINERARY

Open Top Vintage Bus Tour with Live Professional Guide

What better way to enjoy the highlights of London than from on board a Classic 1950s Route-master Bus with a live professional guide?

Enjoy great views of the capital’s iconic sights, both old and new, including Big Ben, the Houses of Parliament, Trafalgar Square, St. Paul’s Cathedral, London Bridge & the London Eye. The Vintage Double Decker Bus Tour includes a photo stop at Westminster Abbey, burial place of Britain’s monarchs and the host for coronations and many royal weddings since its construction in the eleventh century.

Buckingham Palace

Buckingham Palace is the home of the British monarchy and it was The Queen Elizabeth II’s residence in London as well as her administrative headquarters.  We stop here for a photo.

Private guided cruise on the River Thames

Finally we will take a guided private extended boat trip on the River Thames. Enjoy excellent views of The Houses of Parliament, St. Paul's Cathedral, The Shard, Shakespeare's Globe and many more from the river whilst being entertained by our tour guide. (Private cruise exclusive to Premium Tours customers operates during summer months.)

Why not upgrade to add a visit to The London Eye, The Tower of London or Fish & Chips lunch?

• Panoramic tour of London on Open top Vintage bus
• Thames River Cruise
• Photo stop outside Buckingham Palace
• Transfer and entry to the venue (when upgrade option selected)
• Professional Guide

Please note:

• Please note that this is an  open top  bus tour - please be prepared for the possibility of rain
• On rare occasions the open top bus may be changed to a closed top bus or a coach
• When the guard change does not take place, we stop instead for photos of Buckingham Palace
• Boarding starts 15 minutes before the scheduled departure time
• Transfer for all venues is available except for Madame Tussauds and Tower of London. Tour ends at each venue leaving you to explore at your leisure.

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• Topdeck Travel

The Topdeck Story.

Ever been held up in traffic or crushed up against some random on a bus and let your mind wander to the ‘what if’? What if I was in Europe right now? What if I sold everything and just took off? What if I had the freedom to travel where I wanted, when I wanted? Where would I go?  

Trust us, you’re not alone. At one point or another, we’ve all been there. And none more so than Topdeck’s founding-father Graham ‘Skroo’ Turner – the only difference is, he actually did it and built a pretty successful business from the ‘what ifs’ (if we do say so ourselves).  

Where it all started…  

Like so many young Aussies before him – and the hordes that would follow – a 23-year-old Skroo landed in London in the early 70’s to start his working holiday having recently graduated as a vet. 

To his new mates, the blonde-haired, scruffy-bearded Queenslander was a hard-drinking, indiscreet, swearing mans’ man who had a passion for travel. And in 1973 he joined the annual migration over to Munich for – yep, you guessed it – Oktoberfest.  

Like most bloody brilliant ideas, the concept we now (lovingly) know as Topdeck was born while Skroo and his mates consumed vast quantities of Bavarian beer and took part in the crazy antics that usually go along with this infamous event. Let’s be honest, not much has changed. As the empty glasses piled up on wooden tables, Skroo and his mates reminisced about a crappily run Scandinavian camping tour they’d been on earlier in the year. True to form, the young men agreed that they could have run the thing much better.  

The top-deck in  Topdeck …  

Back in England, Skroo stumbled upon an old WWII airfield whilst on a work call-out. The deserted airfield in the middle of the English countryside was filled with double decker buses. One, had even been kitted out as a mobile home, with bunk beds and a kitchen downstairs – it was fate.  

After many more beers in the pub and several days’ discussion with his mate Geoff ‘Spy’ Lomas, the two men decided to buy the run-down converted bus and start their own tours through Europe. Little did they know, this moment was the beginning of a $$$ business that would see success beyond their wildest dreams.  

Out the front of their London apartment, they spent weeks modifying the bus to take extra passengers. Much to the annoyance of their English neighbours – especially when the pavement collapsed under the weight of the bus. They advertised a six-week tour of Spain, Portugal and Morocco at £110 pp and sold tickets to like-minded travelers in the middle of Trafalgar Square.  

Finally, on 19 November 1973 the first Topdeck tour departed. 14 passengers. A driver with no license. No spare tyres or maps. And absolutely no worries. It was the 70’s after all. But despite some treacherous black ice in the Atlas Mountains, a side of police-bribery, a bout of food poisoning and some accidental drug purchasing, the group made it back to London in one piece a month and a half later. 

From then on…  

By 1975, Topdeck had made £15,000 profit and was running life-changing trips throughout Europe – including shorter trips to Oktoberfest, Pamplona and Hogmanay. But Skroo was ready for something bigger. And in October 1975, he and 16 (brave) passengers set off on the first ever ‘overland’ trip from London to Kathmandu.  

To say this trip was BIG would be an understatement. The group travelled over 9,500km through Europe to Turkey, Lebanon, Israel, Syria, Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan. Think: driving from Sydney to Perth and back again…but more. And it wasn’t without a few hiccups. Like the time the group underwent ten hours of not-so-civil questioning at the Syrian border after being in Israel (illegal at the time). Or when they nearly hit a bullock cart head-on driving into Delhi.  

But! The group eventually made it to Kathmandu – with some passengers continuing on home to Sydney and others returning to London in their trusty double decker, just four days before the bus was due to set off on the next trip.  

As time went on, Topdeck evolved into a professional travel organisation – getting rid of the ‘I like it better on top’ marketing stickers and tightening up operations on the road. And by the late 80’s, Topdeck was one of four remaining tour operators in Europe.  

And today?   

Topdeck’s inventiveness and free-living mentality in the early days paved the way for the incredible business we now know. While the double decker buses have been replaced by modern air-conditioned coaches and our trips now span the globe, the passion for free-spirited travel and inspiring people with seriously incredible trips remains part of our DNA. 

More than 40 years on, and we’re still your exit from the daily grind into life-changing experiences. Your ticket to discovering more destinations. A chance to uncover extraordinary with a bunch of curious, like-minded people – with the freedom to delve deeper and just be you. 

So, are you ready to get out of here and uncover what a  Topdeck trip is all about?  

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Top Sight Tours Group

Open Top London Bus Tour with Live Guide

Tour start time: daily from 10am to 5pm, start every 1 hour, what we will see & where we will be.

This is an open top bus tour through most iconic landmarks of London with live guide ( on selected departures, subject to availability) . Sit back and relax as our well-ventilated bus reconnects you with the city. The tour lasts between 1.5 hours and 2 hours (subject to traffic on the day).

The bus glides past Central London with most iconic landmarks such as London Tower Bridge, Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace, Westminster Abbey, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, London Eye, .

The buses will be running at reduced capacity and tickets will be sold in specific time slots to avoid overcrowding.

Know before you go

What’s included :

• Professional live guide on selected departures (s ubject to availability)
• Audio guides available in 11 languages
• Reduced capacity and allocated time slots to avoid over crowding

What’s exlcuded :

• Entrances to any attraction

Please bring with you

• Bottled water

Please note :

• Not hop-on hop-off bus tour
• Buses will be cleaned thoroughly after every tour.

Where we meet

London Eye Tourist Stop, Belvedere Road

Once you have booked, we will send you a confirmation email with all the details of how, where and who to meet on the day of your tour.

Tour Highlights

• A fully ventilated open top bus tour of London
• See London’s most iconic landmarks
• Great history lesson for all ages
• Live English-speaking guide
• Audio guide available 

Notable sights :

• London Tower Bridge
• Houses of Parliament
• Buckingham Palace
• Westminster Abbey
• Trafalgar Square
• Piccadilly Circus
• London Eye 

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Wimbledon Tennis & Westminster Landmarks Walking Tour

See the top sights of Westminster in 3 hours before visiting the iconic Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Club! ...

Visit The Clink Prison & Westminster Highlights Walking Tour

This is a fun 3 hour walking tour where you will visit the UKs oldest Prison : The Clink! ...

3 hour Westminster Sights Tour & Go On-Board HMS Belfast

This is a fun 3 walking tour of London where you will go on board a WW2 Battleship that saw action i ...

Top London Sights Tour with Westminster Abbey and The Churchill War Rooms

We will see more than 20 of London's most iconic sights and visit two of London’s most iconic attr ...

Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potter with return transportation & 3 Hour Westminster Tour

Enjoy a walking tour of Westminster & Warner Bros. Studio Tour London – The Making of Harry Potte ...

See Over 30 Top London Sights! Fun Local Guide!!

This is a fun London walking tour where you will see the top 30 London Attractions & hear about thei ...

London’s Amazing Palaces & Parliament Walking Tour

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Eat 8 English Foods & See 30+ London Sights Walking Tour!

See the top 30 London landmarks then head to Borough Market to enjoy the best of British food! ...

Full Royal Tour: Royal London & Buckingham Palace Tour

Visit Buckingham Palace See 15+ Royal London Sights. Fun local guide ...

J K Rowling & Wizard Walking Tour

A J K Rowling & Wizard Walking Tour of London through some magical streets. Children (15 and under) ...

British Royalty 3 Hour Walking Tour!

We will see 10+ most iconic sights of The British Monarchy in a 3 hour walking tour, with a chance t ...

The Crown British Royalty Walking Tour

Join us as we show you the British Royalty sights that are well known and featured on the series on ...

British Royalty Walking Tour (Including The Changing Of The Guard)

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Lights & Sights Of London: 30+ London Top Sights At Dusk!

An evening walking tour of London's lights - the best way to see London at night! The London's light ...

Castles & Bridges Southbank Tour

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Londons Palaces, Parliament and Wizard Walking Tour

See 20 of London's most iconic sights and more than 10 movie set locations of Harry Potter movies in ...

Jack The Ripper Tour : Solve The Crime

We will take you on a walking tour through the dark and narrow streets of Jack the Rippers's famous ...

See 40+ London Sights – Fun Local Guide

Want to see every major sight in London? This is the tour for you! See the top 40 Landmarks in Londo ...

Visit the 3 Best London Art Galleries with a Fun Local Guide!

Visit the 3 Best London Art Galleries with a Fun Local Guide! Tate Modern, National Gallery & Portra ...

Wizard Walking Tour (Film Location) & River Cruise

Wizard walking tour & castle – the tower of london.

See a variety of Harry Potter-related locations that inspired JK Rowling and many filming location s ...

Westminster 3 Hour Walking Tour & Visit Churchill War Rooms

We will see 20 of London's most iconic sights in a 3-hour historic walking tour! After the walking t ...

Westminster 3 Hour Walking Tour & Westminster Abbey

Since the coronation of William the Conqueror in 1066, all coronations of English and British monarc ...

Ride the London Eye (Skip The Line) & See 30+ London Top Sights

This is a fun 5 walking tour of London where you will go for a spin on the London Eye and also see t ...

The Tower of London & See 30+ London Top Sights

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London WW2 Day Out: Churchill War Rooms & HMS Belfast

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Jack The Ripper Walking Tour & Ripper Museum Entry

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Westminster Walking Tour, River Cruise & Go Up The Shard

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Westminster Tour, River Cruise & Tower of London Entry

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Buckingham Palace Entry Tickets

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The Shard Viewing Gallery : Entrance Ticket

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Visit Tower Bridge & See 30+ London Top Sights

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Visit St Pauls & See 30+ London Top Sights

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Discover The Top London Attractions in 75 minutes

The Classic Tour is a wonderful vintage double decker bus tour and sightseeing experience like no other. Hop on board our carefully restored classic 1960s double-decker Routemaster bus, for your open-top ride through the best attractions in London.  Our hand-picked, highly trained, entertaining and comedic tour guides are the best in the business and will help you experience an authentic London you may not have known. They are also very funny! You will see more, learn more and laugh more while understanding the astonishing history of the Capital, taking the photos and selfies of a lifetime, and enjoying the glorious sights of London.

Please note – choice of seats and deck are given on a first-come first-serve basis.

A Classic London Bus Experience

Experience historical London from our beautiful and iconic open-top London bus which was originally used by London Transport from the 1960s.

Finest Tour Guides in London

Our brilliant tour guides come from a variety of entertainment backgrounds and will bring you a tour like no other. Our guides really do know their history and facts about London. They will share their wealth of knowledge with you, as you pass the key landmarks. Watch and listen out for some incredible insights into the making of our Capital city.

State of The Art Audio Equipment

The buses have been fitted with state of the art enhanced technology to bring your experience into the 21 st century.

The Classic Tour Story

The Classic Tour provides a unique and entertaining tour on one of the most iconic and historic vehicles of our time - the Routemaster bus. It is seen in all the classic films with London as a back-drop, it is on all the postcards, and though they are no longer in widespread public service, with us you can still experience this thrilling, prestigious and stately ride that allows the most intimate and authentic opportunity to be experience and be part of our great city.

YOUR JOURNEY

Your journey starts at Trafalgar Square.

Departing from the absolute heart and centre of London, you will follow a carefully selected route to allow you to discovery the very best of our Capital and see the best attractions, buildings and landmarks in London. You will have constant opportunities to take some fantastic photographs and better understand the history of how and why the buildings came to symbolise our great city. Please also note, although we will always try our best, on rare occasions we may be unable to visit every landmark listed on the tour.

Find out more here

Our tours depart from Northumberland Avenue at:

Please Note: Our tours only run on certain days, please check our booking form for the latest date & time information

Please note that tour times are subject to change.

The following tickets are available when you book:

• Private Hire
• Privacy Policy
• TERMS & CONDITIONS

Connect with us

Have a query? send us an email and we'll get back to you, asap.

St Paul’s Cathedral, London, is an Anglican cathedral, the seat of the Bishop of London and the mother church of the Diocese of London. It sits on Ludgate Hill at the highest point of the City of London and is a Grade 1 listed building.

Trafalgar Square is a public square in the City of Westminster, Central London, built around the area formerly known as Charing Cross. Its name commemorates the Battle of Trafalgar, a British naval victory in the Napoleonic Wars with France and Spain that took place on 21 October 1805 off the coast of Cape Trafalgar, Spain.

Buckingham Palace is the London residence and administrative headquarters of the reigning monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It has been a focal point for the British people at times of national rejoicing and mourning.

Westminster Abbey, formally titled the Collegiate Church of St Peter at Westminster, is a large, mainly Gothic abbey church in the City of Westminster, London, just to the west of the Palace of Westminster.

The Shard, also referred to as the Shard of Glass, Shard London Bridge and formerly London Bridge Tower, is a 95-storey skyscraper in Southwark, London, that forms part of the London Bridge Quarter development. Standing 309.7 metres (1,016 ft) high, the Shard is the tallest building in the United Kingdom, the fourth-tallest building in Europe and the 111th-tallest building in the world.

The Tower of London, officially Her Majesty’s Royal Palace and Fortress of the Tower of London, is a historic castle located on the north bank of the River Thames in central London. It lies within the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, separated from the eastern edge of the square mile of the City of London by the open space known as Tower Hill.

The London Eye is a giant Ferris wheel on the South Bank of the River Thames in London. The structure is 443 feet (135 m) tall and the wheel has a diameter of 394 feet (120 m). When it opened to the public in 2000 it was the world’s tallest Ferris wheel.

Tower Bridge is a combined bascule and suspension bridge in London built between 1886 and 1894. The bridge crosses the River Thames close to the Tower of London and has become an iconic symbol of London, resulting in it sometimes being confused with London Bridge, situated some 0.5 mi (0.80 km) upstream

Downing Street is a street in London, United Kingdom, known for housing the official residences and offices of the Prime Minister and the Chancellor of the Exchequer. “Downing Street” is used as a metonym for the Government of the United Kingdom.

On Hold. Update Coming 2024

Classic Sightseeing Tour

Sit back and let us show you a selection of central London’s best loved sights

City of London Tour

The ancient city, packed with world renowned landmarks.

D-Day Duck Tour

A road-only tour to whisk you back to the blitz and tell the story of the Normandy beach landings

Pirate Treasure Hunt Tour

Solve the pirate-themed puzzles in order to snatch the treasure from under your opponent’s noses!

James Bond Tour

Simply Bond, Fleming and spies. Nobody does it better!

Code Breaker Challenge

Work as team to crack the secret code and stop London’s Tourist Attractions from being stolen!

A Quackmas Carol

A festive Charles Dickens themed tour for all the family. The perfect Christmas land and river adventure.

An Amazing Amphibious Adventure!

Please note that we are no longer able to operate our usual range of sightseeing tours due to Thames Water’s compulsory purchase of our slipway to build the next phase of the Thames Tunnel super sewer.

Watch this space, as we intend to be in a position to give an update on events in 2024.

Hop aboard one of London Duck Tours’ distinctive yellow vehicles and see some of London’s most talked-about sights, learn interesting facts about the city, and be entertained by an action-packed live commentary.

It’s terrific fun for everyone, whether it’s with the kids, an activity for family or friends, a special occasion, a corporate event or even a wedding party!

We are currently offering a choice of three fabulous fun-packed sightseeing and themed tours, all private-hire and road-only, including our ever popular Classic Sightseeing Tour and City Tour plus the historical D-Day Duck Tour.  Which one will you choose? Tap  here  to explore.

All our private-hire tours can leave from Belvedere Road, Waterloo, London, SE1 which is near to the London Eye (between Jubilee Gardens and The Southbank Centre’s Royal Festival Hall) and a short walk from Waterloo tube and rail stations. Alternatively we can work with your to design your private hire tour around your pick up and drop off requirements. Tap  here  to view a map.

The Ducks, originally used in the Second World War, have been completely rebuilt from scratch and modified to meet the stringent safety regulations set by the road and river authorities.

All commentaries are presented in English by a live tour guide.

Update Coming 2024

Protect Your Trip »

The 5 best sightseeing tours of buckingham palace.

See one of Britain's top attractions on a walking, biking, bus or private taxi tour.

The Best Tours of Buckingham Palace

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A tour of Buckingham Palace is a must-do on your next London vacation.

On a visit to London , some of the top attractions are linked to the royal family. But nothing is quite as iconic as a visit to the one of the three official residences of the monarchy – Buckingham Palace . While it's only open to the public on select dates, you can relish in its beauty from the regal gates, snap a selfie and catch a Changing the Guard ceremony.

How to Tour Buckingham Palace

For about 10 weeks every summer (select dates from July 11 to Sept. 29, 2024), Buckingham Palace opens its elaborate gates, welcoming visitors to explore its lavish State Rooms, grounds and Royal Collection artworks. The Royal Mews is also open to visitors from March to October, showcasing the Royal Family's real working stables and ornate, historic carriages – including the Gold State Coach used for Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Coronation in 2022.

The Best Sightseeing Tours of Buckingham Palace

If you aren't here at the right time, fear not; this extravagant, 18th-century royal residence is just as impressive from the outside, making it worth a visit any time of year. Come on a Monday, Wednesday, Friday or Sunday morning to see the Changing the Guard ceremony – when the red-and-black-clad Royal Guard marches toward the palace, accompanied by striking military music – and see a tradition that's been running for more than 300 years. Combine it with explorations in the surrounding area of Westminster to see London at its most quintessential.

You can explore all of this independently, of course – but if you're looking to dig a little deeper, hear about the king's coronation and uncover local secrets, consider a guided London tour . Insider experts can point out the best photo spots, take you to the must-see sights and show you the ins and outs of the area while sharing  knowledge of the country's royal history along the way.

There are tons of options out there, so where do you start? Based on local knowledge and traveler review sites, here are some of the most highly rated tours.

Changing of the Guard Walking Tour

Price: From $13

Duration: 2 to 3 hours

Standout perk: Witness the pomp of the iconic Changing the Guard ceremony.

Watch the Royal Guard march toward Buckingham Palace as you witness this historic, quintessentially British spectacle on a two-hour tour of Westminster's highlights. Accompanied by a military band, you'll see the Old Guard (soldiers on duty) switch to the New Guard as they arrive at the palace from Wellington Barracks. Your guide will explain which regiment is which, before taking you on a guided walking tour past other world-famous, attractions, including Big Ben, Clarence House, the Houses of Parliament , St James's Palace and Westminster Abbey .

Recent travelers gave high ratings to the tour, saying guides were able to take them to the best photo spots for the ceremony, while offering a wealth of historical and entertaining insight.

Tours leave at 10 a.m. and depart from the corner of Piccadilly and Arlington Street (between The Ritz and The Wolseley), ending at Parliament Square.

Local tip: Look at the Horse Guards Clock on the Horse Guards Parade – the official entrance to Buckingham Palace and St James's Palace – to see a dark stain above the 2 (II, in Roman numerals). It marks the time King Charles I was executed outside the Palace of Whitehall in 1649, after being charged with treason.

View & Book Tickets: Viator

Windsor Castle & Buckingham Palace Tour

Price: From $164

Duration: 8.5 hours

Standout perk: Get a rare chance to explore the State Rooms with Buckingham Palace tickets, and tick off two of the United Kingdom's grandest royal residences in one day.

This twin-castle tour offers the opportunity to enter Buckingham Palace and see its State Rooms, Royal Collection artwork and other treasures, with commentary from an audio guide. After you've toured the palace, you'll travel by coach about 25 miles west of London to Windsor Castle – the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world, and the family home of the monarchy for more than 900 years. Explore the castle's lavish State Apartments and grounds, and visit St George's Chapel – the burial place of Queen Elizabeth II alongside many other monarchs, and the spot where Prince Harry married Meghan Markle. Recent travelers said the tour was a great opportunity to see inside both palaces. Several commented on the extensive art collection at Buckingham Palace, and many enjoyed hearing insights from the guides, although some complained about long lines. The tour takes place from July through September on select Mondays, Thursdays and Saturdays, and leaves from Victoria Coach Station at 7:45 a.m. Local tip: Windsor Castle has its own Changing the Guard ceremony, as well as its own extensive art collection – the ceremony takes place at 11 a.m. on select days of the week.

Full-day London with Changing of the Guard and Private Cruise

Price: From $158; with optional London Eye or Harrods cream tea for an additional fee

Duration: 9 hours

Standout perk: You'll see many of London's key attractions in one day, and enjoy a river cruise thrown in for good measure.

If you want to combine a visit to see Buckingham Palace's Changing the Guard ceremony with stops at several other London spots, this is a great choice. The full-day trip begins at the UNESCO listed Tower of London where you'll have the chance to see the crown jewels.

From here you'll visit Buckingham Palace to witness the famous pomp and pageantry of the ceremony, and get the chance to admire the palace's impressive architecture from the outside. The day includes a tour of the elaborate St. Paul's Cathedral (not available on Sundays), before embarking on a boat tour of the Thames, passing key attractions including Tower Bridge and Shakespeare's Globe. The day also includes a photo stop at Westminster Abbey, where Prince William and Kate Middleton married in 2011, and a brief walking tour of Parliament Square. Travelers can choose to add a ride on the famous London Eye observation wheel (or opt for a quintessentially British cream tea at Harrods instead).

Recent travelers loved the tour and praised the guides as highly knowledgeable and entertaining. Many were impressed with how much they saw in a day and said it gave them a great introduction to London (although it's worth noting a few felt there was quite a bit of walking involved).

Tours leave from Victoria Coach Station at 7:45 a.m. and finish at the London Eye.

Local tip: If you fancy delving deeper into the Tower of London in your own time, book a ticket to see the Ceremony of the Keys. Dating back seven centuries, this nightly ceremony is when the castle gets locked up for the night, with a special exchange between the sentry and Yeoman Warder taking place at 9:30 p.m. between the atmospheric battlements – both eerie and magical.

Tips on Trips and Expert Picks

Travel tips, vacation ideas and more to make your next vacation stellar.

The London Essentials Bike Tour

Price: From $38

Duration: 3.5 hours

Standout perk: Get active on two wheels, and combine a Buckingham Palace stop with a visit to Kensington Palace and other royal sights.

This half-day guided cycling tour is a great option to get active on your London trip. You'll start at Kensington Gardens – the home of Kensington Palace, where Princess Diana lived with the now King Charles, and Queen Victoria's birthplace. From here, pedal to the Royal Albert Hall to check out this elaborate concert hall, opened by Queen Victoria in 1871. Afterward, cycle through Hyde Park and on to Green Park to reach Buckingham Palace, where your guide will regale you with little-known stories about the palace. Continue on to Trafalgar Square, Westminster Abbey, the Houses of Parliament and Big Ben as you take in some of the capital's key highlights, before returning to the Royal Parks.

Recent travelers raved about the tour and were really impressed by the knowledge of the guide. Many enjoyed the small group size and said the cycling was a good, leisurely pace, with plenty to see along the way, and iced tea and snacks included as a bonus.

The tour leaves from outside the main entrance at Hilton London Hyde Park. The recommended minimum age is 9 – you can pre-book junior bikes and child seats. While the bicycle and helmet for use during the tour are included, attraction entry fees are additional.

Local tip: If you've got time after the tour, it's well worth exploring Kensington Palace a bit more. Admire the elaborate, Georgian-era King's Staircase and the King's State Gallery with its fine art collection, see the Queen's State Apartments where Mary II would come to relax or welcome guests, and visit the Sunken Garden, once a favorite spot of Princess Diana's. After, enjoy afternoon tea or lunch at the Kensington Palace Pavilion amid the gardens.

View & Book Tickets: GetYourGuide

The Premier Classic London: Private 4-Hour Tour in a Black Cab

Price: From $461

Duration: 4 hours

Standout perk: You'll see many of London's must-see attractions, and as it's a private tour, you can tailor the trip to your liking.

If you're after a private tour, this half-day trip in a classic London black cab is just the ticket.

You can choose to align your visit to Buckingham Palace with a Changing the Guard ceremony, and you'll get expert commentary from your personal taxi driver, who's also a registered tour guide. Alongside the palace, you'll pass must-see points including the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, St James's Palace, the Tower of London, Piccadilly Circus, Shakespeare's Globe, Borough Market and Covent Garden , with options to stop along the way.

Recent travelers loved the tour and said guides were able to tailor the trip, stopping at spots both on and off the tourist trail and offering plenty of historical insight.

Your driver-guide can pick you up and drop you off at your hotel; or a central London location.

Local tip: Make a stop at Borough Market to try some of the best food in the city, with more than 100 stalls offering everything from Persian to Italian, alongside plenty of fresh produce.

Why Trust U.S. News Travel

Laura French is an award-winning British travel writer based in London. She grew up just outside the city and worked around the corner from Buckingham Palace for several years. She loves exploring the surrounding area, and used her own experience alongside online research to compile the roundup.

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Sir Paul McCartney’s Wings tour bus could fetch up to £200,000 at auction

A bus once used by Sir Paul McCartney during the 1972 Wings Over Europe tour is going under the hammer at auction.

The eye-catching double-decker bus was used by Sir Paul and Linda McCartney, as well as the rest of Wings, to travel more than 7,500 miles across nine countries and 25 cities during the summer of 1972 – with its psychedelic colour scheme ensuring nobody missed it wherever it went.

Completely and faithfully restored to its original heyday condition, the bus features wooden bunk beds, bright yellow colours and a bespoke cover for the upper deck which features “1972 Wings Tour Bus” graphics.

The top deck itself has been engineered as a performance space – now referred to as The McCartney Stage.

Sold by Car and Classic via online auction, the bus could fetch up to £200,000 by the time the hammer falls. The auction is set to run from April 22-29.

The bus is accompanied by artefacts and memorabilia donated by founding Wings member Danny Seiwell, while an official licence permits the use of artwork, logos and the names of both Paul and Linda McCartney.

Dale Vinten, Car & Classic head of editorial, said: “Just as [John] Lennon’s Rolls-Royce and the notable cars of other Beatles members carry the weight of history, tour buses tell a different story, and bear witness to the behind-the-scenes magic that fuels the onstage brilliance.

“This essence is perfectly encapsulated in the Wings tour bus, still adorned in its psychedelic colours, and restored to how it would’ve been when the McCartneys and the rest of the band toured Europe over the summer of 72.”

• International edition
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From low-level drug dealer to human trafficker: are modern slavery laws catching the wrong people?

When I heard that a boy from my primary school had been convicted of trafficking, I had to find out what had happened to make him fall so far

When armed police burst through his front door in Tottenham, north London, at 5am in September 2014, Glodi Wabelua knew things looked bad. The house was full of drug paraphernalia, including a hydraulic press, scales and mixing bowls, as well as a mobile phone full of incriminating texts advertising deals for crack cocaine and heroin.

The case went to trial in February 2016, and Wabelua’s two co-defendants – who, like him, were aged 20 – received 10- and 11-year sentences. Wabelua, who had lodged an early guilty plea a year before, was handed six years for dealing class A drugs. He was not new to the criminal justice system, having already served three years for drug offences in his teens. But soon he would be charged with an even more serious crime.

The dawn raid had been the result of a months-long investigation by the Metropolitan police gang unit. In spring 2014, five teenagers from London had been picked up by police in Portsmouth for dealing class A drugs. They were initially charged, but the focus of the investigation subsequently changed, so that the five teenagers were treated as victims of a network of established dealers based in London, of which Wabelua and his associates were the alleged ringleaders.

Cases of inner-city teenagers posted to provincial towns to deal drugs had been on the rise nationwide, and police had been looking for new ways to tackle the problem. When Wabelua was arrested in September 2014, his phone contained messages to a 16-year-old boy, as well as texts advertising drug deals in Portsmouth and Folkestone. In October 2016, six months after his conviction for drugs offences, detectives visited Wabelua in Brixton prison and charged him with an additional offence under the Asylum and Immigration Act 2004: human trafficking.

When the trafficking case was finally heard in the spring of 2019, the same two associates pleaded guilty to multiple counts, but this time Wabelua protested his innocence. He did not believe he deserved to be labelled a human trafficker. During the trial at Inner London crown court, the jury heard details of the case detectives had pieced together from DNA evidence and mobile phone data, as the five teenagers had refused to provide statements to police.

The jury returned a guilty verdict and the judge handed down a further three-and-a-half years in prison for Wabelua. In addition, he and his co-defendants were served with slavery and trafficking prevention orders under the terms of the recently introduced law on modern slavery, which would place severe restrictions on life after their release.

Wabelua’s case represented, as the media asserted , a legal landmark: for the first time, a domestic drug dealer had been tried and convicted as a slave master.

I first came across Glodi Wabelua’s story on a Friday evening in March 2023. Idly browsing YouTube, I’d clicked through to a video on a popular British channel that often interviews people who have spent time in and out of the criminal justice system: Glodi | Human Trafficking Sentence | Stabbed in OT | Raised in Forest Hill . Surely not, I’d thought. It couldn’t be the same painfully shy boy I’d known at primary school. The same boy who had lived a few hundred yards from the flat I’d lived in with my aunt and grandmother.

Any doubts were dispelled within a minute. The man on screen was Glodi from Fairlawn primary. We had never been close. In truth, our connection amounted to a few fleeting playground memories and a couple of enduring mutual friends. I watched the entire 80-minute video in a single sitting, as the story unfurled from the poverty of his early childhood, through teenage homelessness and drug running, to prison and the buildup to his trial. Wabelua, who had been released from prison the year before, spoke with unusual frankness, swerving any opportunities for self pity. As the video finished, I knew I had to reach out, to try to understand what had led the boy I’d once known into such darkness.

A couple of days later, I sent a message via Instagram, explaining my shock at coming across his story and the memories it had dragged up. I explained that I was a writer now and would be interested in talking. The response arrived that evening. “Can you send me your number … we’ll speak on the phone.” During our first discussion the next day, I could sense his wariness. An interview he had given to the New York Times the year before had been critical of the law that turned a low-level drug dealer into a slave master, and the piece had provoked a backlash in the British media. The Daily Mail wrote that police and prosecutors responded with “fury” to “another anti-UK story”. They called the article: “An extraordinary broadside on [the] British criminal justice system.”

When we finally met in April 2023, in a greasy spoon cafe near his home on the outer fringes of north London, Wabelua’s caution was palpable. The tall, muscular man in front of me spoke in short, methodical sentences as we chatted briefly about old acquaintances. He told me he had launched a personal training business, for which he is an incredibly jacked walking billboard. He talked about the challenges he faced after his release the summer before. Starting over at 28 hadn’t been easy. The anti-trafficking restrictions were harsh. His social media was limited to users over 18 and he was barred from being near children or visiting youth clubs and schools. To rent a flat, or a car, to accept a job offer, even to embark on a romantic relationship – all of these would need official approval for him to comply with his probation conditions.

Wabelua is an easy storyteller. He is serious and disciplined, but has a quietly self-deprecating sense of humour, particularly when outlining some of the fraught absurdities of his teenage years. Over the course of the year, we would meet at cafes or pubs in north and south London, and mostly at his flat, a one-bedroom extension at the back of a property on a busy suburban road. The more time I spent with him, the more I was struck by his candour and lack of self-pity. He did not see himself as a victim and had no interest in painting himself that way.

Of all the shocks for a five-year-old-boy experiencing his first British winter, the strangest thing was snow. Arriving with his mother and sister from the Democratic Republic of Congo in 1998, Wabelua was used to afternoons in the heat, playing outside with his older sister, evenings inside with mum and dad. Now he would scald his hands under the hot tap after coming in from the cold. Memories of life before the UK soon became a happy blur.

His father had made the move a few months before. They soon settled in a council house in Forest Hill, south-east London. At first, primary school was a struggle for Wabelua, who was cross-eyed and initially spoke no English. He was bullied and often got into fights. “I couldn’t really express myself verbally [so] that became my only response to what was going on,” he told me. His father, the family’s sole breadwinner, worked as a painter and decorator, though ends never seemed to meet, particularly when his two younger sisters were born at the turn of the millennium.

By the time Wabelua reached secondary school, life was no easier. “I struggled academically. It felt like I was always behind,” he told me. “I was still getting into fights. [They] became almost automatic. Weirdly, it started to get me some respect, because I held my ground.” His parents could not understand his frustrations and “it was hard to watch them struggle to put food on the table. Gathering every last bit of money to feed us all.” His older sister had attended school in the DRC and settled well in London. “She was more academic, very quiet and reserved,” Wabelua said. “Her skin is much lighter than mine. I only say that because the darker you are in this country, the less accepted, especially back then. It is what it is, really.”

Slowly, it began to feel as if the world was opening up, as early friendships solidified and his face gradually became accepted on the estate. He enjoyed playing football and embarked on a side hustle reselling supermarket doughnuts and cartons of Capri Sun in the playground. He was about 13 when he began to smoke weed, and soon he graduated to selling gram bags for some of the older guys in the area, who’d let him keep a tiny percentage of the profits. “I’d bunk school to smoke with my friends,” he told me. “It was a release from the bullying, from the pressure at home. That’s when you’d start building relationships with people. The people you trust.” Before long, his strict Congolese Christian parents were concerned at his poor school reports and increasingly lengthy unexplained absences. When it arrived, the crisis was sudden. One night after he got home, he sparked a joint in his bedroom, and his mother kicked him out. He was 14.

At first homelessness almost felt akin to maturity. It was now up to him to figure the world out by himself. Fear didn’t come into it. Sometimes he’d rummage in bushes, fantasising about discovering a bag of money he could bring home to transform his family’s life. There was even a routine of sorts. School, followed by long, aimless evenings on the estate with his friends, smoking weed and subsisting off chicken-shop meal deals. At night, there was the 176 bus, the 24-hour route that runs from Forest Hill to Tottenham Court Road. Wabelua would sleep on the top deck until it stopped in central London. He would then cross the road and get back on again.

That spring, in 2009, reality set in. Some nights he’d doze at the top of a stairwell on the estate, wrapped tightly in his thin summer jacket. He became attuned to the noise of footsteps, his head jerking to attention at their approach. It was tough to know who to confide in. He was still going to school, but he didn’t feel as if he could speak to his teachers, or that he could expect a welcome from his parents at home. Friends came to feel like family. One friend would sneak Wabelua into his house late at night. “I’d sleep under his bed and have a shower when his mum went to work in the morning,” he recalled. “That wasn’t every night, but I depended on it.”

It was that period that cemented his “loyalty to the streets, if that’s what you want to call it. Other people might say a gang was forming, when we just saw it as a bunch of young boys growing up together.”

After a couple of months, another school friend offered what seemed like a way out. An older guy had space for an informal tenant but he wanted £50 a week in rent. That kind of money was way out of reach of a homeless teenage boy, but the same schoolfriend had the solution: he knew a drug dealer in his early 20s, who always needed workers. Wabelua held out until the first month’s rent was due. Introductions were made, not long before school broke up for the summer holidays. “There wasn’t much talking,” Wabelua recalled. “And that’s how I ended up going to Hastings.”

For a boy who had barely left his borough of Lewisham, let alone London, the East Sussex seaside town, 60 miles away, came as a shock. He couldn’t believe how white it was; how much his face stood out. That summer was the first time he could remember seeing the sea. Having been driven down by his new boss, Wabelua was taken to a top-floor flat in a converted house on the seafront. The dealer spread different coloured powders and crystals from two small packages across a coffee table in the front room. “He said: ‘Do you know what these are? No. OK, this is called heroin, this is crack. This is how much they cost. These are the deals.’ From that day on I had to adapt and learn quickly.” Wabelua was shown how to wrap the drugs in cellophane and store them in his rectum to evade police searches. He was also given a phone, to set up deals with local users, as well as organising resupplies of product from his boss. “I just took things in my stride. It was literally just: ‘Any questions, pick up the phone.’” Then he was left alone.

Hastings in the mid-to-late 2000s wasn’t yet the subject of aspirational features in the property supplements. It was a slightly battered-looking town with a picturesque high street and pockets of deprivation. At first, the work felt simple enough, the wages decent: a few hundred pounds from a phone line that brought in £6,000 a week. Wabelua’s days mostly consisted of fielding calls and being directed from the flat he was staying in, to sort out hand-to-hand deals with drug users across the town.

He was a runner, the lowest level of drug dealer. Despite the stress of being ripped off by addicts and regularly stopped and searched by local police, there was an undeniable thrill to making money. “Consequences and morality didn’t come into it. I was thinking: ‘This is lit, I’m going to be a millionaire.’ I was so naive.” Sometimes he had to stay with drug users in town, whose flats doubled as stash houses. The conditions were often squalid and chaotic. After a few weeks, Wabelua started to feel paranoid. “I’d sleep with one eye open. You get to know that you can’t trust anyone in that situation.”

In September, after the summer in Hastings, Wabelua returned to south-east London, back to the flat he could now pay to live in. Instead of tatty hand-me-downs and baggy church donations, he had the latest Nike trainers and a wad of cash in his pocket. He started the new term at school in year 10, but things went no better. His attendance dropped below 30% and he was constantly getting in fights. When a BB gun and scissors – stupid adolescent hijinks, he told me – were discovered in his rucksack, he was permanently expelled, aged 15. Within days, he was back on the south coast.

One afternoon, he answered an anonymous phone call on his personal phone. It was a police officer from the Met, in London. Wabelua’s father had repeatedly been down to Lewisham police station to report his son missing. After weeks of not hearing from him, his parents had grown alarmed. “The officer asked if I was doing all right,” recalled Wabeluah. “I said yeah and that was it. He said he’d tell my dad and hung up. That’s the last I ever heard from them about that.”

His stint in Hastings eventually ended in 2010, when he was charged with possession of heroin and crack cocaine with intent to supply, just days before his 16th birthday. When his father came down to the police station, he begged Wabelua to tell him who he was working for. Wabelua refused. He pleaded guilty, and was sentenced to three years in custody.

Whenever we spoke about this time in his life, Wabelua shook his head disbelievingly. Back then, he’d never considered prison a possible outcome, especially as this was a first time, non-violent offence. “I honestly thought it would be community service or something,” he told me. To see how unprepared he was, you only had to look at the desultory prison bag he’d packed before being shipped to Cookham Wood, a notoriously violent young offender institution in Kent. “Not enough boxers and no money for canteen, it was rough.”

The prison was a high-pressure environment, pulsating with teenage bravado and trauma, including boys convicted of murder and other serious violence, some with sentences as big as their ages. “It was full of teenagers gassing each other up. There was no space for reflection, let alone rehabilitation. All it did was teach me how to be a criminal.”

When Wabelua left youth detention and returned to Forest Hill in 2012, aged 18, the world had changed. Old friends had moved on, some to college or university, others deeper into street life. His release conditions mandated living back with his parents, who had moved into a smaller flat. He had not lived at home for four years, he didn’t have his own room, and the atmosphere could be tense. Endless job applications went nowhere, barring a disastrous group interview at McDonald’s (“When they asked everyone how they’d spent the summer, I couldn’t say ‘prison’”). He was accepted on to a mechanics course at Bromley College, but lasted barely two weeks, as the classroom made him jittery. An unexpected noise, a sudden movement in his peripheral vision; it felt like everything reminded him of being in prison, waiting for the mood to turn at the least provocation.

He found himself back on the estate, broke and aimless. One afternoon, a white Mercedes pulled up beside him. It was the guy he’d worked for in Hastings, whom he owed money for the gear that had been confiscated by the police. Over a meal, Wabelua accepted a new job offer. This time he’d be a full-time phone operator based in London, fielding drug orders in Portsmouth and dispatching runners to carry them out. It was, he says, a modest promotion that promised better pay, though a percentage would go to servicing his debt. This was the point, the prosecution claimed at his 2019 trial, when Wabelua shifted from drug dealer to human trafficker.

A few weeks in, he was asked to work a short stint down in the Portsmouth stash house. The night he arrived, things immediately felt off. A woman he vaguely recognised had turned up at the door, asking for a friend. This was unusual, as unplanned visits were strictly prohibited. A couple of hours later, Wabelua opened the front door and glimpsed a blade. Two drug users burst in, demanding he give up the drugs and money. During a fight he was stabbed in the abdomen, before his attackers fled.

As adrenaline gave way to panic, Wabelua tried to contact his boss. On finally getting through, he was told not to phone an ambulance, instead holding out for the boss to arrive from London, an hour-and-a-half drive away. “I phoned a friend and told him to tell my mum I was sorry. I thought I was going to die.” He remembers passing out and waking up in the flat, being attended to by a medically trained associate of his boss, who had treated and dressed his wounds.

Back in London, he returned to manning the phone line. When calls came in and orders were placed, he would be the one telling the 16-year-old runner in Portsmouth what the amount was, where to take it, how much to charge. To Wabelua, he and the runner had much in common, despite the four-year age gap. They had grown up in the same tightly knit area and frequented the same social circuit. Both, he says, had gone into the drug trade through necessity. But the law would not see it that way. Wabuela’s life was again starting to spiral out of control. In the background, the police were beginning to amass evidence on the complex drugs conspiracy he was a part of. Then, in September 2014, came the dawn raid at his home in Tottenham.

Behind Wabelua’s unprecedented sentence – a domestic drug dealer prosecuted for human trafficking – lay a significant change in the law, and rising concern about the kind of drug operations he was involved in, known as county lines.

In the early 2010s, international pressure to tackle modern slavery had been building, with major stories appearing on the BBC and in the New York Times. In 2011, the Walk Free Foundation, a human rights organisation, began publishing a Global Slavery Index, which aimed to document the scale of modern slavery. Its 2016 report – launched in London with a speech from Russell Crowe, as well as video messages of support from Tony Blair, Richard Branson and Bono – said that almost 46 million people worldwide were trapped in unpaid work. “This isn’t Aids or malaria,” the organisation’s co-founder told the assembled press. “It is a man-made problem that can be solved, and it’s time to take real action to free the world from slavery once and for all.”

In the UK, as both home secretary, and later prime minister, Theresa May’s focus returned repeatedly to the evils of modern slavery. The Modern Slavery Act, passed in 2015, is a key part of May’s political legacy. The law was an attempt to tackle the gangs smuggling people into the country to work for low pay in terrible conditions. The headline to a 2013 Sunday Times op-ed had laid out May’s vision in unequivocal terms: “Modern slave drivers, I’ll end your evil trade”.

The groundbreaking legislation offered the prospect of life sentences for convicted traffickers, and protection for victims across the country. (Estimates today put the number of victims at more than 120,000 .) But despite the genuine and compassionate concern of the many charities and NGOs working in the sector, some experts believe that politicians have co-opted the cause to further their own anti-immigration cause.

“Modern slavery is a great phrase for getting attention,” said Emily Kenway, author of The Truth About Modern Slavery and a former adviser to the UK’s first anti-slavery commissioner. “Theresa May picked it up as a cause at the same time she was tightening up the hostile environment .” Kenway suggests there was another agenda. As soon as trafficking was established as a priority for the Home Office, draconian immigration legislation could be presented as a fair response.

During the mid-2010s, while legislation was being prepared to tackle trafficking, another criminal trend began to appear in the British press: county lines . The “line” typically refers to the phone line used to conduct business and organise drug deals, though it also suggests the drugs physically moving across different police and local authority boundaries. In a 2015 intelligence report , the National Crime Agency warned of the growing recruitment of children and teenagers by dealers who sent them from inner cities to seaside towns or rural villages to move crack and heroin for little pay because they were “easily controlled and less likely to be detected”.

Though often treated as a method devised by a new breed of ruthless criminals, the origins of county lines could be traced back to at least the mid-1990s. What was new was the scale of operations. In 2017, the Home Office signalled its intention to tackle the problem head on, unveiling its dedicated County Lines programme two years later. By December 2023, there had been more than 15,000 arrests, close to 5,200 county lines “identified and closed” across the country and about 8,000 people referred to safeguarding agencies, according to government figures.

For some police forces, county lines represented a modern form of human trafficking – with victims being moved inside the UK’s borders, instead of across them. They reasoned that not only would trafficking charges add another layer of punishment for the criminals involved, but they might also safeguard vulnerable young people. The 2015 legislation offers a tool for both prosecution and defence: a means of punishing the perpetrators and rescuing the victims. But separating the two is not always so straightforward. Ossie Osman is a barrister at 25 Bedford Chambers and has served as the defence in numerous county lines cases involving modern slavery. If the Modern Slavery Act was originally devised as an earnest attempt to stop “the exploitation of individuals for a criminal purpose”, he told me, it has not always been that simple.

“The distinction between victims and perpetrators – between slaves and their masters – has proven impossible to act upon with any consistency,” said Prof Insa Koch, of the University of St Gallen in Switzerland. Koch has written and researched extensively on the intersection between the new modern slavery legislation and county lines in the UK since 2018. “In some instances,” she said, “you have one government body finding that a young person has been trafficked, while another insists that they are a perpetrator who should face the full force of the law.”

Not much of this debate had reached Wabelua during his drug dealing years. Human trafficking , if he ever thought of it at all, meant people being smuggled across borders in vans or airless shipping containers. On being charged in 2016, the information didn’t compute. “I think I actually said: ‘But I’m British.’”

The case against Wabelua and his co-defendants rested on the question of whether the teenagers had been trafficked. When it went to court in 2018, the trial collapsed after the defence claimed the prosecution had failed to prove that the alleged victims had in fact been recruited. The judge dismissed the trafficking charge, in part because she was not convinced the teenagers had been coerced. This was successfully challenged at the court of appeal. Vulnerable adolescents could – and very often were – “prone to making poor choices”, the prosecution claimed, and may well need “protection from themselves”. The case came back to court in early 2019.

The 16-year-old told police that he had started dealing to make money and was adamant that no one had forced him into it. Following his arrest, he was convicted of drug offences and served with a community order, before being reclassified as a trafficked child. Following Wabuela’s conviction, the teenager’s lawyers launched an attempt to have his conviction overturned.

Though the law permits limited amnesty to trafficking victims, this has not been applied consistently. From 2019 onwards, there have been a steady stream of county lines cases across England and Wales involving children and young adults simultaneously treated as victims and charged as perpetrators, despite the Crown Prosecution Service’s internal policy acknowledging the “strong public interest” in stopping a prosecution where the defendant is a victim of exploitation.

As a subsequent court of appeal judgment put it, the fact that the 16-year-old had been “so assertive with a police officer [and could] rationalise his reasons for being involved in drug dealing” did not exonerate his handler. “Brashness, self-confidence and a wish to make what appears to be easy money are commonly found in adolescents as well as adults,” the judgment ran . In this instance, the law is clear. The fact that Wabelua had organised the 16-year-old runner’s train travel from London to Portsmouth, for the purpose of selling drugs, was enough to serve as the basis for the trafficking charge.

Shocking details were relayed during Wabelua’s 2019 trial. The jury heard how a young man with learning difficulties had been stripped and threatened with a gun. Teenagers, the court heard, were housed in the dilapidated flats of drug users and had to ask for permission to use the bathroom, or to buy food. Both of Wabelua’s co-defendants pleaded guilty to multiple counts of human trafficking. Wabelua was eventually found guilty of the single count involving the 16-year-old runner, though there was no suggestion that he had threatened or used violence against the boy.

After we had spoken about the trial, Wabelua reflected that race and class impact heavily on young people’s chances of being swept into the criminal justice system. When he had been charged as a teenager, he recalled, “it [had been]: ‘Look, a black guy, a drug dealer.’ That was it.” He had not been considered a vulnerable teen. If Wabelua’s stint in Hastings had taken place a few years later, there’s a chance he might have been treated as a victim of exploitation, rather than a criminal, perhaps avoiding some of the vicious cycle he had become trapped in.

Wabelua told me that for a long time, it felt as if the story of his life was a collection of different phases that ran into one another without shape or reason. Dreamlike memories of early childhood in the DRC followed by the move to south-east London and the gradual disintegration of his adolescence. The long, stagnant years in prison punctuated by sporadic bursts of freedom. The wasted time spent in the drugs game and everything that came with it. Today, things are clearer, his focus fixed firmly on the future. Though he used to think “Why me?”, that isn’t how he sees things any more. “I’m not saying what I did was right. I know it was wrong … I should have known better, but that life was all I’d known.”

When Wabelua was released from prison in the summer of 2022, he was briefly placed in an east London halfway house. At 28, he knew things had to be different this time. He was fixated with keeping his head down, and build a new life from scratch. One nothing like the old.

He was determined to abide by the rules, diligently checking in with his probation officer and applying for a series of delivery driving jobs. Rejection piled upon rejection until Wabelua found his current role, which has proved stable enough. In early 2024, he messaged to say that he had finally qualified for his HGV licence, after months of work. Today, he credits his passion for fitness with getting him through the worst times. “Train the body, train the mind” runs the tagline for Glo Fitness UK , his personal training brand. It isn’t where he wants it to be yet, despite a steadily growing client base and YouTube channel.

In the months before his 2022 release, Wabelua had begun to write notes on a new plan that was both simple and ambitious. If fitness had changed his life, couldn’t it do so for others? Particularly, the same sort of at-risk teenager he had been so many years before. During one of our last meetings, he produced the worn blue notepad he’d set his thoughts down on in prison. It contained the rough draft of a tailored youth mentoring programme, reaching out to the next generation at risk of slipping out of vision. “I want them to understand things like emotional control. How to take responsibility for your actions and understand what your choices might lead to.” The sort of practical education he wished he’d had.

Late last year, the probation service approved Wabelua to provide a trial lesson in a pupil referral unit and give a talk to students about his experiences of the criminal justice system. The feedback had been overwhelmingly positive. “The organisers told me they’d never seen the students pay attention to something for so long,” he told me with a smile. “I’ve got a whole programme I want to deliver. Getting professionals and ex-offenders in to try and reach these kids who might have been given up on. Just like I was when I was their age.”

• UK criminal justice
• The long read
• Human trafficking
• County lines
• Drugs policy

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A bus once used by Sir Paul McCartney during the 1972 Wings Over Europe tour is going under the hammer at auction.

The eye-catching double-decker bus was used by Sir Paul and Linda McCartney, as well as the rest of Wings, to travel more than 7,500 miles across nine countries and 25 cities during the summer of 1972 – with its psychedelic colour scheme ensuring nobody missed it wherever it went.

Completely and faithfully restored to its original heyday condition, the bus features wooden bunk beds, bright yellow colours and a bespoke cover for the upper deck which features “1972 Wings Tour Bus” graphics.

The top deck itself has been engineered as a performance space – now referred to as The McCartney Stage.

Sold by Car and Classic via online auction, the bus could fetch up to £200,000 by the time the hammer falls. The auction is set to run from April 22-29.

The bus is accompanied by artefacts and memorabilia donated by founding Wings member Danny Seiwell, while an official licence permits the use of artwork, logos and the names of both Paul and Linda McCartney.

Dale Vinten, Car & Classic head of editorial, said: “Just as [John] Lennon’s Rolls-Royce and the notable cars of other Beatles members carry the weight of history, tour buses tell a different story, and bear witness to the behind-the-scenes magic that fuels the onstage brilliance.

“This essence is perfectly encapsulated in the Wings tour bus, still adorned in its psychedelic colours, and restored to how it would’ve been when the McCartneys and the rest of the band toured Europe over the summer of 72.”

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