Christmas At The Red Bus Bistro

If you have little time and want to understand what you want to see most, definitely use this service. The entire trip the electronic guide tells you about the city and its attractions. You can ride for the whole day. Or you can get off at any stop, and then get back on and ride on. Definitely saves both time and money. The ticket is only £18, and children under 15 are free. There is staff at all stops who will answer any questions related to the service. Definitely recommend!

The tea bus tour has a really fun concept and is definitely a unique way to see the city. The upper deck offers the best views for photos and videos, especially if you can snag the cozy front corner seat. When we passed other tour buses, people were clearly jealous of our beautiful food setup! I appreciated having my own table, and the staff were very accommodating — the driver even offered to let me move seats when nearby passengers made racist remarks, which I thought was handled very graciously. Charlotte, one of the servers, was especially kind, attentive, and even helped quickly remove a wasp when I asked (I’m terrified of them!). It’s also a woman-owned business, and I got to meet the owner herself, who clearly cares about guest experience and staff recognition. While the experience was special, there are several areas that need improvement. The food looks gorgeous, but the quality is inconsistent. My Fanta was expired by a month, one gooseberry was rancid (which made the whipped cream seem off), and the tea was barely steeped — it mostly tasted like hot water. There are only plastic coffee cups, no teapots, and the lids are so tight it’s hard to cool down the tea, which is served boiling hot. The scones were a nice warm touch, though! The tour itself doesn’t include live commentary — there’s only loud background music, so you’re mostly guessing at what you’re passing. The route also loops a bit, so you’ll see some of the same buildings more than once. There was a 15-minute stop after a 30 minute transit for a bathroom and leg stretch break, which was helpful, though the photo stop location felt a bit random. Another downside was that a group of very loud (American - they were boisterous about being such) tourists were screaming song lyrics over the music. It really ruined the atmosphere for those of us who wanted to chat quietly or just enjoy the ride. I’d love to see a policy around respecting other guests’ experiences, as everyone else — including people from the UK and France around me- were all visibly frustrated with them. (I mention nationalities as I am Canadian and it helps to note cultural customs and mutual respectful expectations based on where you are and where you’re from.) Overall, it’s a memorable and well-priced experience with some truly wonderful staff and a fantastic concept. But with better food quality control, a bit more structure to the tour, and some guidelines for guest behavior, it could be exceptional. For now, I’d give it 3 stars.