On a recent trip to London, we decided to give the Paddington Bear Afternoon Tea Bus Tour a try!
Here’s what we thought.
When my husband and I took our daughter to London for the first time recently there were just two things really we wanted to do: watch the Frozen Musical and have Afternoon Tea on the Paddington tour bus.
Of course, we did squeeze in a few other things including a quick stop off at Buckingham Palace and Trafalgar Square as well as a visit to the Natural History Museum.
Unfortunately, there were also a few things that had to be axed from our itinerary thanks to train cancellations meaning we arrived in London quite a bit later than expected and left earlier too.
We will save the M&M shop, Science Museum and Lego shop for our next trip.
Anyway, back to the Paddington Afternoon Tea Bus.
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Paddington Bear Afternoon Tea Bus Tour London
The Paddington Afternoon Tea Bus Tour is a great way to see London, especially if you have young children who might struggle with a lot of walking.
The bus tour itself covers many of the main sights in London (although it’s worth noting it doesn’t pass Bucking Palace or Paddington Train Station).
Here are a few of the places you can expect to see on the Paddington bus tour:
- Hyde Park Corner
- Marble Arch
- The Ritz Hotel
- Picadilly Circus
- Regent Street
- Trafalgar Square
- Covent Garden
- St. Paul’s Cathedral
- The Shard
- The Tate Modern
- London Bridge
- The Tower of London
- HMS Belfast
- The London Eye
- Big Ben
- Parliament Square
- Downing Street
Our little girl was most excited about seeing Big Ben.
Paddington Bear Bus Tour London
The bus tour itself is a lot of fun.
It was easy to find the pickup location at 8 Northumberland Avenue (not knowing London well I was worried we wouldn’t be able to find it!) but the bus was ready and waiting and it left promptly at our booked time of 1.45pm.
There is commentary from Mrs Brown and Paddington Bear and a host on board who helps the children spot Paddington Bear around London and points out some of the sights as well.
Music plays in between the commentary which gives a really fun atmosphere.
You can see where you are via a screen on your table which updates as the bus travels through London.
There was also a Paddington-themed quiz around halfway which our daughter loved – she was so excited when she got a question right and the host did a fantastic job of making sure everyone was included.
The bus is very comfortable but being a vintage vehicle the ride can be a little bumpy in places!
There were also several fans on board which kept everyone cool in the summer heat – I was worried it might be a little hot for my husband who feels the heat but he was fine.
The Paddington Bear Afternoon Tea
I must admit that we were a little disappointed with the afternoon tea aspect of this experience, which is a shame as the tour itself was excellent.
While there is a good selection of food, we felt the sandwiches didn’t have many fillings suitable for children (or fussy adults for that matter – looking at my husband here!) and the bread was either not fresh or had been sitting out too long and was going hard.
The cucumber in the sandwiches was very soggy as if the sandwiches had been made a day or two before.
If there was an option for a simple ham, egg or cheese sandwich without mustard or cream cheese, just something a little plainer, we would have been much happier.
The sweet treats were mostly delicious although the paw print cookie was definitely on the stale side.
No one else in my party likes rice pudding so I *might* have eaten all three of these to myself!
The chocolate cupcake went down best with my little girl but none of us were keen on the macarons.
The best part of the afternoon tea was without a doubt the scones. These were fresh and delicious and I honestly could have eaten two or three more of them!
These were of course served with clotted cream and jam (and thankfully not marmalade!).
Drinks were fairly standard, with a choice of hot drinks, juices and water as well as prosecco for an additional charge.
These are unlimited but aren’t offered often enough so you might need to ask for refills.
I would say that overall the food is a bit hit-and-miss, there are almost certainly better afternoon teas in London, so if the food is what appeals to you about this bus tour, you might be better off looking elsewhere.
You do get to take your leftovers home with you though!
Paddington Afternoon Tea Bus Tour – Final Verdict
We had a great time on the Paddingtion Bus Tour and despite the below-average food, we felt the experience was worthwhile.
I think we probably would do the tour again – perhaps at Christmas to see the lights or one of the company’s other tours which include a Peppa Pig theme. We’d just maybe grab a bite to eat beforehand and treat this as dessert rather than a full meal.
It’s worth noting that there is no toilet on board the bus (this is made clear when booking and before you get on board) and that the experience is for children aged 5+ although there was one much younger little girl on our tour.
This experience isn’t cheap but – we paid £65 each for adults and £55 for a child on the top deck of the bus.
However, if you’re able to travel midweek, off-peak prices start from £45 which I think would feel like much better value for money.
If you have a child that loves Paddington Bear then I would recommend this experience, especially if they love the films.
You even get your very own padding reusable cup to keep!
