Lights Bus, Optional Afternoon Tea

Christmas Lights Tour of London with optional Afternoon Tea. Rated 4.4 across 38 reviews. Runs 1 hour 30 minutes. From $34.

Overview

Evan Evans Tours runs this 90-minute panoramic ride through central London on a classic double-decker, timed for the season when the Christmas lights are up on Regent Street and Oxford Street. Both famous streets are pass-bys rather than stops. A guide gives live commentary along the way, and travellers who add the tea option take it beforehand, with recent reviews describing an afternoon tea at Westminster Abbey ahead of the evening coach tour.

The set menu leans festive. Finger sandwiches include smoked turkey with cranberry jam, smoked salmon with tarragon crème fraîche, Croxton Manor Cheddar with apricot and ginger chutney and duck egg with cress, and every one of them contains gluten and wheat. A Stilton, pear and walnut tart, scones with nutmeg and cranberries served with clotted cream and jam, mulled wine macaroons, baby stollen bites, gingerbread stars and a mini chocolate yule log fill out the tray. Adults aged 18 and over get a glass of Prosecco or mulled wine with the tea option.

The tour begins at the operator's office on Vauxhall Bridge Road and ends at Victoria Coach Station, and no hotel pickup or drop-off is provided, so the meeting point needs a little planning. A maximum of 51 travellers share the bus, babies and children under 5 are not permitted, and wheelchair users travel on the lower deck, with the operator asking to be contacted before booking to confirm a space. It suits anyone who would rather see the lights from a seat than on foot.

What's Included

Included

Christmas Afternoon Tea menu (if selecting an option including Afternoon Tea)
90-minute panoramic sightseeing tour of London's Christmas Lights
Glass of Prosecco or Mulled Wine for adults 18+ (if selecting an option including Afternoon Tea)

Not Included

Hotel pickup and drop-off
Afternoon Tea/Food & Drinks (if selecting the panoramic tour only option)

Itinerary

Meet at Vauxhall Bridge RoadCheck in at the Evan Evans Tours office, 258 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 1BS. Hotel pickup and drop-off are not part of this tour.
Board the double-deckerTake a seat on the classic double-decker. Live commentary from the guide runs for the full route, with the whole experience lasting 1 hour 30 minutes.
Pass Regent StreetThe bus rolls past Regent Street and its Christmas lights without stopping. Views are panoramic from the deck.
Pass Oxford StreetThe route continues past the Oxford Street display, again as a pass-by rather than a stop.
Afternoon tea before the tour (optional)With the tea option, the set menu is served ahead of the drive, which recent reviews place at Westminster Abbey. Adults aged 18 and over also receive a glass of Prosecco or mulled wine. The panoramic-only option does not include any food or drink.
Finish at Victoria Coach StationThe tour ends at 164 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9TP, a different location from the start point.

What To Expect From The Tour

A handful of practical details decide how this tour goes, from the seat you pick to what arrives on the tea tray. These are the points worth knowing before booking.

Seating and photos. Seat choice shapes the tour.
Guide and commentary. Live commentary from the guide runs for the whole route. Reviewers frequently praise the guides as knowledgeable and entertaining, and several note that the narration covers far more than just the lights, including cultural and historical detail.
Food on the tray. The tea option serves a fixed menu of finger sandwiches, a savoury tart, scones with clotted cream and jam, and small sweet bites. Reviews split on the food, with several travellers calling it delicious and others reporting dry sandwiches or thin portions. Note that every sandwich contains gluten and wheat, so the menu does not suit anyone avoiding either.
Drinks included. Adults aged 18 and over on the tea option receive a glass of Prosecco or mulled wine as part of the menu. Travellers on the panoramic-only option get no food or drink at all, so anything beyond the ride itself needs to be arranged separately.
What to wear. The ride takes place after dark during the Christmas season, and reviews describe the coach tour as an evening one.
Group size and access. Wheelchair users travel on the fully accessible lower deck, though the operator asks to be contacted before booking to confirm space. Babies and children under 5 are not permitted.

Common issues. The meeting point causes real confusion: two reviewers could not work out where to gather, and people nearby could not tell them either, so build in time to find the office at 258 Vauxhall Bridge Road. Photography comes down to the seat, with one traveller reporting that clear shots were hard to get from anywhere but the front seats. Food opinion splits, too, with one reviewer finding the sandwiches dry by the time they were eaten. Bear in mind there is no hotel transfer, under 5s cannot join, and a full refund requires cancelling at least 24 hours before the start time.

What To Decide Before You Go

Where does the tour start and finish?

Check-in is at the Evan Evans Tours office, 258 Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW1V 1BS. The tour ends at Victoria Coach Station, 164 Buckingham Palace Road, London SW1W 9TP. Hotel pickup and drop-off are not included.

Is the afternoon tea included?

It depends on the option selected. The tea option includes the full Christmas afternoon tea menu plus a glass of Prosecco or mulled wine for adults aged 18 and over. The panoramic-only option covers the guided bus tour but excludes all food and drink.

How long does the tour last?

The whole experience runs 1 hour 30 minutes, which the operator describes as a 90-minute panoramic sightseeing tour of the Christmas lights.

Can babies and young children come along?

No. The listing states that babies and children under 5 are not permitted. Beyond that restriction, the operator says most travellers are able to take part.

Is the bus wheelchair accessible?

Yes, the buses are fully wheelchair accessible on the lower deck. The operator asks travellers to make contact before booking so a space can be confirmed for the chosen date and time.

What is the cancellation policy?

A full refund is available when the booking is cancelled at least 24 hours before the start time. Cancellations made within 24 hours of the start are not refunded, and changes within that window are not accepted. All cut-off times follow the local time in London.