Thames River Rover Pass + Madame Tussauds

The Original London Sightseeing Tour A spectacular day out for all the family! THE TOURS The Original Tour (Yellow Route) Hop-on and off our tours at your leisure exploring London's sights in safety and comfort. Get the most out of your visit with a fun & informative English guided commentary provided by our professional tour hosts. The route takes in London's most famous sights; including Buckingham Palace, Big Ben & the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, The London Dungeon, Tower Bridge and The Tower of London. Commentary - English Live Guided Bus Times - The Original Tour (Yellow Route) departs every 20 minutes from Whitcomb Street between 08:30 to 18:00. Tour Duration: 2 hours 15 mins Last full Yellow tour: 16:30 Mon-Thurs, Fri-Sun 17:00 Departure Points - We recommend you join this tour from our Visitor Centre or Piccadilly Circus. The City Sightseeing Tour (Red Route) Our City Sightseeing route takes in all of London's landmark attractions and offers entertaining, multi-lingual commentaries. Children can also enjoy our superb Kids' Channel on the Red Route. The route takes in the capital's most famous sights including Buckingham Palace, Big Ben & the Houses of Parliament, Downing Street, Madame Tussauds, The London Dungeon, Tower Bridge and The Tower of London. Commentary - Digitally Recorded Multi-Lingual in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, German, Japanese, Portuguese & Kids' Channel. Bus Times: First red tour departs at 0830 from Grosvenor Gardens with departures every 10-15 minutes there­after. Mon–Thurs last tour 16:50 and Fri-Sun last tour from 17:20 Tour Duration: 2 hours 15 mins Departure Points - We recommend you join this tour from Victoria, Visitor Centre or Piccadilly Circus. The Museum Tour (Blue Route) In addition to our two popular main tour routes, customers of The Original Tour can enjoy the delights of London's top museum districts relayed to them through the superb digital commentary. Enjoy the many attractions, shops and museums along the Blue route which runs from the British Museum down to Kensington and Knightsbridge for Kensington Palace, Harrods, the V&A, Natural History and Science Museums, whilst listening to an informative and entertaining commentary. Commentary - Digitally Recorded Multi-Lingual in English, French, Spanish, Italian, Russian, German, Japanese, Portuguese & Kids' Channel. Bus Times - First Blue Tour from Woburn Place 08:30, from Kensington Palace Gardens 08:15 daily, every 15-20 minutes thereafter daily. Last Full Blue Tour 17:15 from Kensington Palace Gardens to Woburn Place daily. Last Full Blue Tour 17:30 from Woburn Place to Kensington Palace Gardens daily. Tour Duration: 2 hours 15 mins Departure Points - We recommend you join this tour from Piccadilly Circus. Purple Route - Capital Connector (T6)       The Purple Route is useful if you are staying in a hotel located in Bayswater, Notting Hill, Holland Park or Lancaster Gate or wish to go shopping at Westfield Shepherds Bush.       Operating in both eastbound and westbound directions, the Purple Route operates more frequently in an eastbound direction, enabling you to join our Yellow sightseeing route at Marble Arch.       Frequency: Every 20-30 minutes. EXPLORE LONDON FREE WALKING TOURS Get up close to London's incredible history. Included FREE with every bus tour ticket! Three fabulous walks put you at the heart of the world's most exciting city: Changing the Guard Walk: See Buckingham Palace, St James's Palace and the regiments that guard them in this exciting walk as you march alongside the guards at Buckingham Palace.* Departs daily 10:00am from The Original London Visitor Centre Rock ‘n’ Roll Walk: Take a 90 minute walk through the heart of London’s rocking heritage: The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, David Bowie and The Sex Pistols – it’s only rock ‘n’ Roll, but I like it! Departs daily 13:00 from The Original London Visitor Centre Jack the Ripper Walk: Walk in the footsteps of the world's most infamous serial killer as we reveal his murderous tale from the dark street of Whitechapel in 1888. Departs daily 16:00 from The Original Tour bus stop 11 at the Tower of London on Tower Hill * On non-guard change days (Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday) the walking tour will take you to see the Changing of the Horse Guard (at horse guards parade) and will then visit Buckingham Palace. The guard change does not take place if it is raining. ** All tours take approximately 90 minutes. Please note that the Jack the Ripper walk will finish at Aldgate East tube station and not at one of our bus stops. *** Walking tours are included FREE with an Original Tour ticket but can be purchased separately at $12 GBP each. MAIN DEPARTURE POINTS: The Original London Visitor Centre The newly opened London Visitor Centre is your one-stop-shop to the Capital and beyond. Visit us at our Trafalgar Square address for expert help from our excellent travel advisers. You can also purchase tickets for a range of exciting activities. Opening Hours: Monday-Saturday 08:30 to 18:00 Sunday & Bank Holidays 09:00 to 17:30 Address: 17-19 Cockspur Street, Trafalgar Square Nearest Tube: Charing Cross or Piccadilly Circus Start Point 1 - PICCADILLY CIRCUS Directions: Yellow Route From Whitcomb Street: The stop is by the McDonald's between Piccadilly Circus and Leicester Square. Red Route From Haymarket: The stop is outside the Theatre Royal. Green & Blue Routes From Rupert Street: The stop is outside 'Yo Sushi' restaurant on Rupert Street No.19. Timetable - Frequency approx. 10 mins Yellow Route: First Bus 08:30, Last Full Tour 18:00 Red Route: First Bus 09:15, Last Full Tour 16:20 Green Route: First Bus 09:52, Last Full Tour 14:10 Blue Route: First Bus 08:45, Last Full Tour 17:15 Start Point 2 - TRAFALGAR SQUARE Directions: Yellow & Red Routes From Trafalgar Square (North Side): The stop is located opposite The Original London Visitor Centre at Stop 'Z', by the Sainsbury Wing of the National Gallery. Green Route From Northumberland Avenue: The stop is opposite 'Garfunkel's' restaurant at Stop 'W'. Timetable - Frequency approx. 15 mins Yellow Route: First Bus 08:35, Last Full Tour 15:50 Red Route: First Bus 09:20, Last Full Tour 15:04 Green Route: First Bus 09:18, Last Full Tour 14:35 Start Point 3 - RUSSELL SQUARE & WOBURN PLACE Directions: Blue Routes From Woburn Place: The stop is located just off Russell Square on Woburn Place outside the Royal National Hotel. Timetable - Frequency approx. 15 mins Blue Route: First Bus 08:30, Last Full Tour 16:30 Start Point 4 - VICTORIA & GROSVENOR GARDENS Directions: Yellow Route From Buckingham Palace Road: The stop is located outside the Thistle Victoria Hotel on Buckingham Palace Road. Red Route From Grosvenor Gardens: The stop is located beside Grosvenor Gardens outside STA Travel. Timetable - Frequency approx. 10 mins Yellow Route: First Bus 09:05, Last Full Tour 16:15 Red Route: First Bus 08:30, Last Full Tour 17:20 Start Point 5 - MARBLE ARCH Directions: Yellow & Red Routes From Speakers' Corner: The stop is located at Speakers' Corner at Marble Arch on Park Lane. Take subway exit number '3', turn right at street level and go over pedestrian crossing. Our bus stop is the last on the right hand side   Kensington Palace unveils a palace of secret stories and public lives following a $16m major project to create a palace for everyone. Visitors to Kensington Palace arrive through newly landscaped gardens and entrance hall to journey through the magnificent Kings and Queen’s State Apartments as a courtier. Filled with stories of two royal courts; the House of Stuart and the House of Hanover 1698 -1714, your success will depend on who you know, how you behave and how you dress. The rewards are great, but there are pitfalls along the way! Victoria Revealed, an exciting new permanent exhibition set within the rooms Victoria grew up in as a child, explores her life and reign through her own words. Imagine how she felt at just 17 years old on her first day as Queen at Kensington Palace, discover her romantic side through letters and gifts exchanged with Prince Albert and take a peep at moments of family life with her children.  

Shearwater is a classic Newport-style schooner yacht, only recently recognized as a national landmark in 2009. The vessel was built by Rice Brother Corporation in East Boothbay, Maine, back in a time when yachting was a rare combination of elegance and adventure; Rice Bros. were well known for building luxury pleasure yachts and produced some 4,000 hulls over a period of 64 years. The keel was laid down on January 4, 1929 and a news clip from the Boothbay Register reflects alongside a photograph "Tyler Hodgon at the old Tide Mill is getting out timbers for the schooner to be built at Rice’s. Vessel to be built of native white oak." Traditionally built from hand-hewn native white oak, she was the last boat to be constructed at that yard - likely due to the ensuing Great Depression brought on by the Stock Market Crash that occurred later that autumn. East Boothbay was a small coastal town with shipbuilding being its only industry. About 40 workmen were employed for the construction of SHEARWATER. Her designer Theodore Donald Wells was born in Hudson Falls, N Y on October 22, 1875. He was a naval architect and marine engineer, a member of the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers and also the Institute of Naval Architects London. His education included post-graduate work at the University of Glasgow in Scotland. He began his career as a member of the firm Herreshoff and Wells, N. Y. City in 1902. Working with Herreshoff no doubt had an influence on his designs, which bear similarities to many of the famous Herreshoff designed yachts of that time. From 1903 to 1907 he worked for Wintringham and Wells and then began practicing his profession under his own name. Mr. Wells joined the Navy Department in March 1917 and became Superintending Constructor of the Baltimore District U. S. N. Notable yachts designed and constructed under his supervision are "Viking" a 272 foot steel motor yacht built for George F. Baker in 1929 by Newport News and "Karina" a three masted schooner built for Robert E. Tod in 1932 by Staten Island Shipbuilding. Mr. Tod was a well-known offshore yachtsman as was his former yacht ‘Thistle", which competed in the Emperors Cup ocean race. SHEARWATER was launched on May 4, 1929 and photographs in the Boothbay Register reflect her graceful and elegant lines. Her first Captain, Leon Esterbrook of Edgarton, MA, arrived to take charge of the fitting out. Her owner Charles E Dunlap was a member of the Seawanhaka Corinthian Yacht Club, Oyster Bay, NY and this became SHEARWATER’s first homeport after her completion in late September 1929. It was there in Oyster Bay that she first started to thrill those who sailed in luxury aboard her and those who were privileged to crew her on race day. Since her launching and documentation in Lloyd’s Register of American Yachts in 1929, she has had a colorful history and has been carefully maintained and restored to standards that few contemporary vessels are able to match and is truly a piece of American Maritime History. On November 7, 1942 SHEARWATER was requisitioned by the War Shipping Administration and became a member of The United States Coast Guard’s Coastal Picket Patrol during World War Two. She was painted gray and bore the numbers CG67004. Based at Little Creek, Virginia she patrolled the waters east of the Chesapeake Bay entrance and south towards Cape Hatteras. Her skipper during that period reflected on how they used their free time while out on submarine patrol to race against other yachts and in his own words "sailed in tandem with the schooner Lord Jim, racing in and out of port, up and down the east coast and winning." She was designed and built as a gaff rigged schooner but during this period was changed to a Marconi rig. She carries over 2,550 square feet while under full sail. A true veteran world cruiser, she first transited the Panama Canal in July 1946 and in the late 1970’s and early 1980’s completed a two and a half-year global circumnavigation. In December 1971 Mrs. John B. Thayer of Rosemont, wife of a former trustee and treasurer, donated SHEARWATER to the University of Pennsylvania’s Institute of Environmental Medicine. She was used by the university as a laboratory for research on physiological responses to the stresses of living and working underwater. Captained by James Shearson, she was fitted with compressors, generators, monitoring instruments and a small decompression chamber. She has participated in many Ancient Mariner and Classic yacht races in U S waters as well as racing in the Bay of Islands in New Zealand while on her circumnavigation in the early 1980’s. It is rumored she was once dismasted in the famous Newport to Bermuda race. She was last raced by the current owners in San Diego in May 1995 in the American Schooner Cup and finished second overall. She entered the yacht charter industry in 1966 whilst on the West Coast sailing to the Channel Islands and was again used to generate income to keep her shipshape while owned by the University of Pennsylvania. During the chartering industry’s infancy in the Caribbean, SHEARWATER was known as the " Queen of the Fleet". Today she continues this tradition offering the most unique sailing experience and has passed rigid Coast Guard inspections and can carry up to 49 passengers. We welcome you to join us for an excellent opportunity to experience the ambiance of a vintage sailing vessel while delighting in the splendors of The Manhattan sky-line, the Statue of Liberty or the beauty of the oceans beyond.