Is there anything that screams “London” more than a red double decker bus? And is there a more stereotypically British meal than afternoon tea? I don’t think so.
So I hope you’re ready for the union of these iconic British elements, into the afternoon tea bus tour! Because what is better than sampling lovely cakes and sipping tea, than doing so while driving around London in a sightseeing bus? (Hint; nothing is).
If you want to have a bit of a unique experience, and see London from a different perspective, the B Bakery afternoon tea bus tour is what you need. Read on to find out everything you need to know about doing your own afternoon tea bus tour!
In this guide:
What is Afternoon Tea?
For those that aren’t acquainted with the glorious British tradition of afternoon tea, I figured I should give you a bit of an introduction about it.
Afternoon tea is a meal first introduced in the 1840s, first as a mini meal between lunch and dinner so that one wouldn’t arrive at dinner too famished. It used to be a social event for high society ladies.
Today it is still considered somewhat a fancy meal and will mostly be consumed on special occasions (unless you have a very traditional English grandma that will make you sandwiches, cakes and tea for when you get home from school).
As the name implies it is usually consumed in the afternoon, however you can have afternoon tea as early as 12pm. It is usually composed of three parts; savoury sandwiches, sweet pastries and scones.
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Our afternoon tea bus tour route
We did our afternoon tea bus tour with B Bakery, a lovely cafe in Covent Garden, also considered one of the most Instagrammable cafes in London, which offers also the bus tour service.
Our afternoon tea bus tour started at Victoria Coach Station and covered all the main landmarks in London.
There is an automated guide voice that gives a short history of all the main attractions, but the staff will also chime in and talk about smaller landmarks that aren’t mentioned in the tape, which makes it a much more personal and interesting experience.
Setting off from Victoria Station we first drove around South Kensington, seeing main landmarks such as Hyde Park Corner, Harrods, the Victoria & Albert Museum, the National History Museum and the Royal Albert Hall.
From there we drove on along the side of Hyde Park until we reached Notting Hill, where we then turned right and continued our tour around Hyde Park.
At the North Eastern corner of Hyde Park we drove past Marble Arch, and then back south to Hyde Park Corner (if you’ve never been to London, make sure to add Hyde Park to your itinerary! It’s one of the best parks in London for outdoors walks).
Once we there we turned left and drove through central London, seeing Piccadilly Circus, the National Gallery in Trafalgar Square, Big Ben and the Houses of Parliament, Buckingham Palace and we then ended our tour back at Victoria Coach Station.
The tour lasts approximately 1.5 hours, but this really depends on the traffic (and the traffic in London can be pretty awful, but hey that means you get to enjoy a longer afternoon tea bus tour)!
See prices and availability for your afternoon tea bus tour here!
B Bakery offers a number of different types of menus and can also cater for most dietary requirements.
When you make your booking you can also pick what deck and seat you want on the bus. The top deck has the best views, as well as the best photo opportunities.
Whether you want to eat Vegetarian, Vegan, Halal or Gluten-Free, just make sure to say so when you book and the chefs of B Bakery will make sure your dietary needs are met.
As per tradition afternoon tea is served in a tiered plate stand, with savoury sandwiches on the bottom plate and sweets in the top one.
Savoury treats
The bottom platewas filled with different types of delicious freshly prepared savoury sandwiches.
Some were afternoon tea classics such as the Cucumber & Mint Finger Sandwich, theWatercress & Egg Pretzel and the Ham & Cheese Sandwich With Mayo & Mustard.
The others were more original and I hadn’t seen them served before at afternoon teas, and included things like a Chestnut mushroom quiche, small BLT Burgers and Smoked Salmon Blinis (these were like small pancakes with cream cheese, cucumber and smoked salmon).
These last three were my personal favourites as they were a bit different from what I was normally used to, and especially tasty.
Sweet treats
The top tray of our da fuck is that dish called was covered in an assortment of mini homemade cakes and tarts. My personal favourite were the Chocolate Mini Cupcake and the Lemon Meringue Tart.
When we were about three quarters of the tour in and had gotten through most of our food we were served warm scones with jam and cream to end the afternoon tea.
These are typical unsalted English cakes, to which you then add jam and cream to add flavour. They are traditionally always served with afternoon tea.
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Drinks
As you may imagine, the traditional drink to have at afternoon tea, is in fact tea.
B Bakery offers a number of different teas from Betjaman & Barton, including traditional flavours like English Breakfast and Earl Grey, but also more alternative flavours such as Darjeeling and Rooibos Jardin Rouge.
If like me you’re not much of a tea drinker, don’t worry as they have other coffee and hot chocolate options. There is also the option of having a champagne afternoon tea if you want to spice up your afternoon.
How to book your afternoon tea bus tour
You can book your afternoon tea bus tour experience online. Just select your chosen date and you’re good to go! It’s one of the most popular London food tours, so you definitely want to book it online beforehand.
Click here to book your afternoon tea bus tour experience!
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Final thoughts on the best afternoon tea tour in London
Have you been on an afternoon tea bus tour before? How did you find it? Let me know in the comments below!
I really enjoyed our B Bakery afternoon tea bus tour as it gave a creative spin to a traditional experience. All the food was delicious, and I got to enjoy it while driving around my favourite city, it’s a win-win for me!
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Syndicated content. This post was originally published on Greta’s Travels – B Bakery Bus Tour: The Best Afternoon Tea Bus Tour In London
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