golden tours google reviews

Golden Tours

Review Highlights

“ I took the private tour to Stonehenge , Bath and Lacock and it was everything I had hoped for! ” in 84 reviews

“ On the next day, we went southwest from London on their Leeds Castle , Canterbury, Greenwich & Dover with River Cruise. ” in 9 reviews

“ Thanks again to Graham for the specific tips and highlight pointers to get the most out of a short visit. ” in 7 reviews

Location & Hours

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Visitor Centre Waterloo Elizabeth House

Unit 31 York Rd

London SE1 7NJ

United Kingdom

Serving London Area

Amenities and More

About the business.

Business owner information

Golden Tours is London's leading Sightseeing company and part of the GRAY LINE Worldwide Association. . Our tours are escorted by professional guides and include travel by luxury air conditioned coach and include all entrance fees. We appreciate that your leisure time is important to you and have therefore designed our tours to ensure that you have the maximum amount of time at each venue to fully appreciate it and enjoy the experience. In addition we offer you the best deals on things to do and see in and around London such as attractions, theatre, restaurants, art galleries, events and much more. …

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Overall rating

334 reviews

Wonderful experience traveling around London. Andrew and William were very helpful and entertaining. Would definitely recommend.

We chose golden tours after a disappointing trek with another hop on hop off bus company. The other companies audio recordings were very sparse on Information we needed to know about London. There was a lot of music and very little talk. After 45 minutes, I grew kind of disgusted and started looking for other tours that had spoken narration by a local. we lucked up on golden Tours with Emma as our narrator and she went beyond our wildest expectations. She was funny, charming, incredibly knowledgeable and open to questions. She showed us sites that I think most people would not know about and was never negative or offish. I would highly recommend anybody wanting to see a good tour of London, not just to seek out golden tour, but to make sure that she is on board.

Review #2 of 2024! On a trip to London I wanted to visit the Wizardly World of Harry Potter where they filmed the movies and I was planning on going on my own and using public transportation but I decided not to and went with Golden Tours instead. It was easy to book online and everything was well explained, after booking I received confirmation email and instructions on where to find my bus. I was considering other tours with them but because my stay was so short I decided the Harry Potter one was for me. On the day of my tour it was a little confusing trying to find the right bus to get on. They have several charter busses going to different locations all housed under the bus terminal and a lot of them dont have proper signs describing where they are going. I arrived early and saw a guy who looked like he worked there and asked me what tour I was on, I mentioned the Harry Potter one and he directed me to the proper bus. There was a line to get into the bus and when it was my turn i showed the bus driver my confirmation, he checked my name off the list and gave me a wrist band and my entry ticket and went over what to do when we get there and where i can catch the bus coming back to town. I made my way up towards the second level since the first level was already crowded. We made 2 stops along the way to pick up other passengers in other parts of the city. The bus started to get a little crowded but it was not really noisy. We got moving soon after and once we got going they made some more announcements and then started playing one of the Harry Potter films. Yay! I got excited since I read a lot of the reviews here left by others that mentioned this was played on the bus. Unfortunately the movie had a glitch and it was not able to play after maybe 30 minutes into it. The rest of the ride to the studios was quiet and since it was raining it was hard to see out the window to enjoy the scenic route. It was cold out and raining that day so we were provided rain ponchos so that was nice. Once we arrived at the studios we were once again given directions on when and where to catch the bus back but what I was not given clear communication on was what time to get on the bus back. Now on the website it says 2 hours but as a big BIG h.p fan i knew I would take longer than that. On their website it had that they were running buses at certain times and that their last pick up from the studio was around 6pm I believe. So with this in mind I figure it would be ok if I grabbed a later bus then the one set for in 2 hours. My assumption was correct haha, I took my time touring the studios while still keeping in mind to not take too long. It probably took me 3 or 4 hours to complete my tour of the studios. I was dropped off at 10am and I chose that specific time because I read it gets crowded later in the day and this is true. I went at a good time to the studios because it was not as crowded, I think the rain also had something to do with it. When I finish with my tour of the studios I went back out to the bus station to catch my bus and I only had to wait a short 10 minutes at the most for a bus to show up. There were other tour companies there too but they all had signs with their name. I got on the bus and double checked with the driver that he was in fact with Golden Tours and that he was heading back to London, he did in fact confirm this and waived me to get on the bus. He did not check my name or asked for my confirmation so that was good. I was fearing he was gonna turn me away for not coming at my designated time. Once we got closer London he made an announcement saying he would make 2 stops in the city and that anyone could get off at any one of them regardless of where they originally boarded the bus. The first stop was Baker street where the famous Sherlock Museum was in and the other stop was Victoria bus station (i think). I decided to get off this part of the city and explore it, it was still raining and cloudy but decided to make the most of it. Overall my experience with Golden tours was positive and they took care of all the work of driving to get me to the studios. Very professional and I would take another tour with them if I am back in England.

Re: Viator Booking for a 1/2 day excursion to Stonehendge While Stonehendge is completely worth the adventure, do not fool yourself about what this booking is... It is simply a ride to Stonehenge and they go to the ticket window and buy your ticket for you. It is what it is, and nothing more. It is not a tour; there is no guide; and they didn't even bother to tell us on the bus that an audio guide was available with our ticket. Just handed us a map, a wristband, and said be back here in two hours. If that's all you are looking for, this is the way to go. The bus itself is also as basic as a coach bus can be. Some seats are broken and there was no WiFi as indicated. Also they drop you off in a completely different location more central to London and further away from where you were picked up at Buckingham. That is not mentioned anywhere in the booking. Read more about Stonehenge Half- Day Tour from London with Admission - https://www.viator.com/tours/London/Unescorted-Stonehenge-Tour-from-London/d737-5461P20?m=65553&nid=VR.9bb6ec3c-fb86-4d88-8a70-d3305ce3bfc2.VT_EMAIL_TRV?mcid=56757

I have used other tour sites and have never had any issues. People are present and easy to find when you arrive for your tour. This was my second day using Golden Tours, sadly today we missed our tour because we couldn't find the bus site. We asked help from other Golden tour guides and both gave us wrong directions. Yesterday, different tour with Golden and just as hard to find where to go, nothing was clearly labeled. Golden tours was not accommodating in helping us book a new tour. I do not recommend.

The worst customer service!! We booked a tour to Stonehenge for a party of six. When we got to the station the attendant said the bus left. We got there before the designated time so complete foul on their part. Spoke in the offices and showed them the instructions and he just kept saying that we went to the wrong stop. I showed him the instructions on the voucher that clearly stated the time to be at the station and he just referred me to customer service.

I took the London: Oxford, Stratford, Cotswolds, and Warwick Day Trip with Golden Tours. I booked it through Getyourguide and there were no issues. This was a 10 hour tour. Our tour guide was Dolly. We met our tour guide at Bus Stop 1, Bulleid Way. It was a little hard to find, but thankfully there were many Golden Tours agents around to ask for directions. On our way to our destinations, Dolly informed us of the history and always made sure we knew what time to make it back to the bus and where it was. The driver was great too. We started our tour with a visit to Warwick Castle. We received an introduction from a woman dressed up as a princess, "medieval host." Dolly also told us things to look for like the spectacular State Rooms and paintings. We then went through the scenic Cotswolds. Next, we stopped at Stratford-upon-Avon, the home of William Shakespeare. We visited the house that he was born in and explored the town. This is where we also got lunch. Lastly, we explored the historic university town of Oxford. Dolly took us around to a few places like the Bodleian Library and University Church of St Mary the Virgin. Unfortunately because classes were in session, we could not go inside the campus. Also, the University Church of St Mary the Virgin tower queue was closed, so we could not go up the tower. This was a good tour and we saw a lot. We got back to London about 30 minutes earlier than expected which is always nice. My favorite was probably visiting Stratford-upon-Avon.

The London at Night bus tour was great! Dominic was a fantastic host for us. I was amazed at how many historical events I didn't realize I was near the sites of. This is the first day kind of event- helps you set course for your trip through the city.

Clock Tower with Big Ben (the bell)

We booked our WB Harry Potter Studio Tour through Golden Tours because tickets were sold out for the date we wanted on the official Harry Potter studio tour site. Golden Tours was recommended. The process was smooth. When the bus showed up, we checked in and were off to the studio. Leaving was also smooth - the bus once again picked us up and dropped us back off at Victoria Station. During the bus ride, you could charge your phone with the USB port. They also played Harry Potter 1 and Harry Potter 3. The only part I disliked was, the audio and image quality of the movies was terrible. They provided earphones so you could plug it into the tablet in front of you. I could barely ever hear what the dialogue was in the movie, which is kind of unfortunate.

I highly recommend the Simply Stonehenge Half Day early morning tour through Golden Tours! It is exactly as advertised. This was one of the highlights of my trip! The coach was clean and comfy with great a/c. It left promptly at 8:30am from the Victoria station. We arrived at Stonehenge in a little under 2 hours and had 2 hours to explore. Our shuttle driver told us he had never seen so many visitors, but that did not impact visiting the stones. I recommend taking the shuttle bus to/from the stones. There was about a 15 minute wait for the shuttle bus. It was about a 10 minute wait for the return shuttle. Download the audio tour in advance too. I felt I had just the right amount of time to explore the stones, Neolithic houses, exhibition, gift shop, and the cafe (to-go, not sit). The ride back was easy and we returned to London right at 2:30. I wouldn't have been able to see Stonehenge without this tour!

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Golden Tours - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (2024)

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Reviews 2.9.

1,071 total

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The Afternoon Tea Bus

The Afternoon Tea bus was a joke, £53 each paid for 3 seats together only to be told we couldn’t be put together. Sandwiches stale, by the waitresses own admission they are made and left standing. Driver lost his way and we ended back at Victoria Station before we had even started the tour.Not to mention the red lights he jumped. Good awful, only good thing was the thermal cup we were given. Waste of money.

Date of experience : 10 February 2024

Golden Tours Blue Line! Amazing

Fantastic day out in London and amazing tour guide “Joe” made the 2 hours really enjoyable, with witty and very interesting history lesson throughout. Highly recommend.

Date of experience : 13 February 2024

Chaotic pre-boarding at Bulleid Way for…

Chaotic pre-boarding at Bulleid Way for Christmas Lights Tour. Several tours departing similar times: no organised queuing. Left 15 mins late, for no apparent reason. Ended 15 mins early so lasted 60 min, not the 90 advertised. Seated lower deck (same price as upper). Couldn't hear music: views of lights very restricted. Overall, very disappointing and for £29 each, a rip off.

Date of experience : 20 December 2023

Golden tour excellent customer service

Dedication of the tour representatives. Mr. David Reid noticed that I missed the last orange line bus tour on December 27th 2023. I really got panicked. He took the time to page a bus driver nearby and he personally drove me to the station near my hotel. I never forget his kindness. He did not have to do this. I highly recommend Golden tour bus for their commitment to their customers!

Date of experience : 27 December 2023

These guys are overbooking everything

These guys are overbooking everything, then not letting you on the expensive things you've booked over them, only to then yell at you and send you away. I have booked events with them twice and had the same experience with them both times. Total scam company. This has been confirmed by the companies partnering with them also - They were very frustrated with them and ensured us they had dissolved any contracts they had had with them. Scam company. Steer clear at all cost. They only take your money and you get nothing. Tourist trap. Avoid anything their brand name is on if you want to have a nice time in London. These guys are borderline criminal, honestly.

Date of experience : 29 December 2023

We did the Hop On-Hop Off tour

We did the Hop On-Hop Off tour, which has several intersecting routes that intersect, and appears to cover the historical sites quite well. Our expectation was that it was a bus that stopped close to the sites, but it actually had a tour guide, George, who we found to be very charming with a quick wit and an incredible knowledge of every notable landmark, as well as the significance of the architecture within London. Honestly, for being so young, I have no idea how he knows so much about London. I'm not sure if there is a tour guide on every bus, but if you are lucky enough to have George as your guide, you may find yourself on the same bus for hours!

Date of experience : 13 December 2023

Afternoon Tea Bus with Panoramic Tour of London

Absolutely Awful! Value for money - Hell No! Paid for premium seats! What a sham! First the bus was 30 minutes late! No updates given about the delay and no apology when the bus eventually arrived. The tea served was lacking beyond lack. Cheese and pickle finger sandwich without the cheese. Salty egg and cress with more mayo then egg and one sprig of cress. The cakes - oh my word! They looked like they were reclaimed from lost and found. Further more…I’m glad I requested strong coffee because the coffee I received was just about detectable in the hot water. Then it rained and rained!!! Paramagnetic view… Nope - just steamy foggy windows. The two good things: a glass of Prosecco and a reusable coffee cup. Not worth the premium seating price at all. Would I recommend this adventure …. That’s a BIG NO! Better off getting a M&S picnic hamper and sitting on a 453 bus! Shame though… I had high hopes. 😔

Great experience with live Guide (George)

We booked the 2 Hours Tour with live Moderation through London. George was our Guide. He was so friendly, he answered all questions, he interacted with the visitors, gave good advice for nice restaurants/ pubs. T h a n k y o u G E O R G E ! 😘 from The 🇩🇪 Girls 😘

Date of experience : 23 November 2023

Christmas lights tour

Christmas lights tour: a total waste of money and complete con. It started 30 minutes late, did a circle of the block to pick a late crew member up, stopped on route to drop a group off and sat at 4 bus stops for about 8 minutes each time for no reason. Because of all that it only covered 1/4 of the route and we didn't see a single Christmas light as we never made it far enough away from the bus station. There wee 3 of us and I was told we would be on a table for 4 so may have someone sat with us, but we were actually spilt up in different areas of the bus not even sat together. I have emailed GOLDEN TOURS and they didn't bother responding, simply refunded part of the £102 I paid so now I have to go through the bank to claim the remaining money I wasted with them

Date of experience : 25 November 2023

Couldn't see more and learn more about…

Couldn't see more and learn more about the country in just one day (the Windsor, Stonehenge, Oxford tour). Both guide and driver very friendly. Ei Li (spelled like this?), the guide, really invests herself in making the tour very pleasant and informative. Her knowledge about the country and the places we visited.

Date of experience : 11 November 2023

Lies and offensive remarks on Stonehenge/Bath Tour

I booked 2 tickets on a Stonehenge/Bath tour for myself (an immigrant to London) and a friend (who was visiting from abroad). Notable disappointments: 1. We paid extra for Stonehenge entrance. Upon arrival, everyone on the bus was given Stonehenge entrance passes so it seemed a waste to have paid extra. When I asked the guide about this she deflected the question. 2. The tour guide was rude, saying in the first 30 minutes of the tour that the U.K. was overpopulated due to immigrants. At the end of the tour she was flustered by the bus not being at its expected pick-up location and at one point told a guest “don’t talk to me right now.” 3. The tour guide said many things that were not true, such as how there had been a hurricane at Stonehenge the previous week (the U.K. can’t get hurricanes) and how the Cotswolds had the only arable land in the U.K. As a result, I felt I couldn’t trust any of the information provided.

Date of experience : 28 December 2023

Ordered tickets and transportation from…

Ordered tickets and transportation from City of London to WB studio, making of Harry Potter. The driver Asis was on time, guided us during the tour. He also secured that our entrance was perfectly. That’s excellent service. Our best recommendation and will use the services again

Date of experience : 19 October 2023

Overpriced transport company for Harry Potter Studio

These folks have nothing to do with the HP tour itself; they just bulk-buy entry tickets, bundle them with their mediocre bus service, and resell them at a higher price. What I would have done without Golden: The official entry ticket is ~55 GBP. You can also easily make your own way there. The return train from Euston to Watford Junction is around 25 GBP, and from the station, there is an official free bus to the Studio, which takes under 10 mins. Total price: ~80 GBP + no limit to how long you can stay + the train is x2 faster and more comfortable than the buses Golden Tours use. What I had to do using Golden: Unfortunately, entry tickets are sometimes sold out on the Warner Bros website and are only available to buy from Golden Tours (who obviously bulk-bought them for themselves only to resell at a higher price). I needed this specific date, so I had to purchase their bundle, as they weren't available on the WB website, and I paid 100 GBP per person. Experience with Golden: - Fixed times for departure and return by bus, with only 4 hours at the Studio. - The bus is a standard double decker, clean, but has hard uncomfortable seats, ZERO storage space for backpacks/bags, was cold inside and had HP ads on its exterior, which made windows darker and hard to look through. - The 4-hour Studio limit is impractical during busy times. It took us 5 hrs to complete the tour, because there were queues to do/look at things inside the tour. We missed our return bus and opted for a more comfortable train journey instead. Overall, it's better to buy directly from the WB website and arrange your own transport. Contrary to what Golden implies, it’s a simple journey: one train ride and a short free shuttle."

Date of experience : 07 January 2024

Terrible I went on a Christmas carol singing with mince pie and mulled wine. Unfortunately my son and I did not enjoy the tour. The music was not traditional carol songs. I had to complain for them to change it and even then it was hit and mix. The only thing I enjoyed was the mulled wine. Absolutely ridiculous for the price I paid. Avoid this tour.

Date of experience : 16 December 2023

Emma is Amazing!!!!

We jumped on the blue line after blowing in from Bath. Emma gave us a 2 hour commentary on every thing insider. She was off shift after our tour and was nice enough to direct us to the Eye and surrounds, we located the graffiti bridge and appreciated THE CUT. we were staying a short distance away but would never have had the deep experience without her advise.

Date of experience : 18 August 2023

2 hour open top bus tour.

Booked the 2 hour open top bus tour the guide was called William, who was fantastic and all three of us loved the tour. It was fun and interesting. I would recommend it to anyone wanting to see the sights of London.

Date of experience : 02 December 2023

On our visit to London we chose to go…

On our visit to London we chose to go on Golden Tours. However we were very disappointed with the availability of the buses. The route around Trafalgar Square anf Buckingham Palace closed very early. We were moved from bus to bus as each one finished their route. The only thing that saved our holiday was one driver Nazareth de Sousa who rescued us several times really going out of his way literally to help us get to where we needed to be. He used his break time to help us and on one occasion contacted control and waited with us until another bus arrived even though he should have signed off. A hero in our eyes.

Date of experience : 18 July 2023

Chaotic and expensive

Booked online for a family group of 5. All stops we tried to get on were closed, leading to a lot of time walking about trying to find a stop. Closures were not reflected in the app, which should be easy to update. All the busdrivers were very unfriendly. Tours also stopped very early (although to be fair we could have checked the timetable more closely). Tour itself was ok, not brilliant and commentary often cut off before it finished to announce the next stop. All in all this has put us off doing any more bus tours anywhere.

Date of experience : 18 October 2023

The company is very messed up

The company is very messed up, they do not provide a well guided tour, cheat the people by dropping of many kilometres away from the confirmed drop off point in the voucher. Drivers very openly ask for financial tips which is very rude. We took London panaromic with London eye and stone henge tour with them. They did not even gave us the cruise which was part of the tour package, instead they booked a boat uber for us from one point to other

Date of experience : 25 September 2023

Great Christmas Lights tour led by…

Great Christmas Lights tour led by Willian and Glenn.Amazing interesting facts about history of London along the way.I would definitely repeat this adventure🤩

Date of experience : 03 December 2023

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Special Hop on Hop off bus tour. - Golden Tours

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Special Hop on Hop off bus tour.

We boarded the bus at Victoria Station and chose to ride the Blue line, which included some of the more popular sites in the area around Elizabeth Tower, Tower Bridge, the London Eye, etc. The driver’s name was David. Shortly after our tour started, our tour guide Joe boarded and proceeded to entertain the riders with his vast knowledge, enthusiasm, charm and humour. I’d have to say, Joe was the best tour guide we’ve ever encountered on any tour we have participated. And David’s driving was as smooth as silk. They made the tour fantastic. We wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this tour and especially these two gentlemen.

Excellent way to see both ancient and still modern contemporary universities. Our guide Grace was wonderful

Our guide Pablo and driver Md Salah did a great job. Pablo was funny and informative. Comprehensive and comfortable tour. Highly recommended. Remember they don't take you to Dover Castle or the beach. You get to see the chalk cliffs from a distance. Otherwise it was good

Mark S was very good in explaining and was entertaining. Bus was clean and nice overall a good experience

We went on the Open Top London Bus Tour with Live Guide. Our guide was William and what an amazing guide he was. He was completely engaging, his knowledge was outstanding. We especially enjoyed all the little facts and stories along the way. It was obvious that he loves the history of London by the way he portrayed it across to his audience. A lovely young man and a brilliant guide.

Had a wonderful experience and definitely must visit places. Pauly our tour guide was great and Kiran our coach driver too was good.