If you landed on my page you may want to find out our experience with the Brigit’s bakery Paddington Afternoon tea bus tour in London.
Brigit’s bakery London is known for their afternoon tea with a French twist also known as L’afternoon tea.
Brigit’s Bakery is based in Covent Garden and has different afternoon tea tour bus experiences.
Since it’s the Easter holiday I was looking for something fun to do with my 5 year old.
My little one said she wanted to go sightseeing all over central London so considering her age and how much she would be able to walk the hop on and off bus felt like a good idea to achieve this.
But, then I remembered that I had come across a bus tour service which offered an afternoon tea experience.
Brigit’s bakery bus tour themes
Brigit’s bakery offers a variety of different bus tours, the theme changes regularly depending on the month. You can visit the Brigit’s bakery bus tours calendar to get the latest tours available.
For the month of April 2023 they are offering the following afternoon tea bus tours:
- The Easter afternoon Tea bus tour – this one runs from the 9-17th of April.
- The King Charles III Coronation bus tour – this is an exclusive theme running from the 24th of April to the 31st of May.
- The Classic afternoon tea Bus London – this is their most popular bus tour experience which tends to run throughout the year.
- The SlingsBy Gin afternoon tea bus tour is for an over 18 audience. This tends to run only on Friday and Saturday afternoon.
For our little ones they also have 2 bus tour options which are very popular and available throughout the year.
The Peppa Pig Afternoon Tea bus tour – which is a Peppa pig inspired London bus tour afternoon tea for all our Peppa pig lovers. This is for kids 2 years old and over.
The Paddington Bear Afternnon Tea bus tour – which is Paddington bear inspired afternoon tea London bus tour. This is for kids 5 years old and over.
My little one opted for the Paddington bear afternoon tea bus tour experience. I mean who doesn’t love Paddington bear.
Bus tour departure points
The departure points include three main locations depending on which theme you choose and include:
- Victoria coach station – 164 Buckingham Palace Road, SW1W 9TP
- Trafalgar Square – 8 Northumberland Avenue, WC2N 5BY
- Somerset house – Victoria Embankment (A3211), by Somerset House
All the buses leave and return from the same point. Be mindful to use the bathroom before you go on the tour as they unfortunately don’t have bathrooms to use onboard.
Bus tour routes
The bus tour routes depend entirely on which themed afternoon tea experience you choose.
The standard bus route –
The standard bus route departs from Victoria Coach Station and Trafalgar Square.
The London bus tour will cover: Whitehall, Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace, Hyde Park Corner, Harrods, V&A, National History Museum, Science Museum, Royal Albert Hall, Albert Memorial, Kensington Palace, Notting Hill, Hyde Park, Marble Arch, Mayfair, Green Park, The Ritz, St James Palace, Trafalgar Square, Nelson’s Column, Horse Guard Parade and No.10 Downing Street.
The Peppa pig bus route –
The Peppa Pig bus tour departs from Somerset House.
The tour covers the most famous London landmarks. And that includes Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, Nelson’s Column, Tower Bridge, St Paul’s Cathedral, Borough Market, Green Park, Piccadilly Circus and more.
The Paddington bus route –
The Paddington bus tour departs from Trafalgar Square.
This Paddington-approved tour includes Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, Nelson’s Column, Downing Street, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Borough Market, Green Park and Piccadilly Circus.
The bus tour seating plan
The booking system will allow you to book which of the tables you want.
You have a party of two table or a maximum of four.
I found the top deck impossible to book unless you book well in advance.
How to book your bus tour
There are 3 ways to book:
- The Online booking from: bus.b-bakery.com
- Via email: bus@b-bakery.com
- By phone: 020 3026 1188 (Open 9am-5pm Monday-Friday
Dietary options and allergens
Brigit’s bakery offer the following Afternoon Tea menus which include:
- Traditional afternoon tea ( this one is different depending on which theme you choose)
- Vegan afternoon tea
- Vegetarian afternoon tea
- Gluten free afternoon tea
- Halal afternoon tea
You can choose any of the above when you make your booking as well as adding special requirements.
They are unable to cater for nut-free, peanut-free, combination of dairy & gluten-free, combination of vegan & gluten-free and Coeliacs.
Vegan and gluten free teas are £3 extra. These must be specified upon reservation. All allergies must be emailed and confirmed by management at info@b-bakery.com.
The Brigit’s bakery Paddington bear Afternoon tea bus tour
The Paddington bear afternoon tea bus tour is a Paddington bear inspired bus tour and afternoon tea.
This is designed for kids over 5 years old. This is not a hop on and hop off service so you will be viewing the landmarks from the bus.
When is the Paddington Afternoon tea bus tour available?
The Paddington Afternoon Tea Bus Tour is available weekly but only from Wednesday to Sunday.
It operates at only two time slots : 13:45 and 17:30.
The 13:45 slot was impossible to book so I had to opt for the 17:30 slot.
Make sure you book in advance if you want the earlier slots. I booked only over a week before.
Also everybody should be at the departure point 20 minutes before the tour as the bus will not wait nor pick you up from other locations.
Where is the pick up point for the Paddington bus tour?
The Paddington bear afternoon tea bus tour departs from Trafalgar Square. It is a 2 minute walk from Charing Cross Train station and 4 minutes from the Embankment underground.
The bus will be parked at the bus stop outside the Grand Hotel and opposite the Sherlock Holmes Pub.
How long is the Paddington bear bus tour?
On average the bus tour takes around one hour and forty five minutes depending on the traffic.
I would say that for kids this is more than enough.
How much is the Brigit’s bakery Paddington afternoon tea bus tour?
The prices range from: £45 for adults and £35.
Which locations will the Central London Paddington afternoon tea bus tour cover?
This Paddington-approved tour includes: Big Ben, The Houses of Parliament, Westminster Abbey, Hyde Park, Nelson’s Column, Downing Street, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Borough Market, Green Park, Piccadilly Circus, London Bridge, Tower bridge , the Shard, London eye, Big Ben and Marble Arch.
Each table comes with a special built-in screen with a Paddington-guided animation of the tour of London.
This is a great way to keep little ones engaged. Paddington and Mrs Bird will be telling your little ones about some of the City’s most famous landmarks.
The Paddington Regular Afternoon Tea Menu
This Brigit’s bakery bus tour has Paddington bear inspired food designs which are a mix of savoury and sweet options.
They provide one of each of these for each passenger.
The Freshly Prepared Savoury Treats
The savoury menu includes:
- Turkey Ham & Cheddar Finger Sandwich (on granary bread)
- Cream Cheese & Cucumber Finger Sandwich (on spinach bread)
- Mini Margarita Pizza
- Smoked Salmon & Cucumber Pretzel
- Best Marmalade Finger Sandwich Ever! (on white bread)
The sweet menu includes:
- Shortbread Cookies
- Vanilla Rice Pudding
- Chocolate Cupcake
- Lemon Meringue Tart
- Chocolate Macaron
- Freshly baked, Plain Scone with Clotted Cream & Jam
The Drink options for the Paddington Afternoon Tea
The drink options include:
- Water
- Apple juice and orange juice
- Coffee & Hot Chocolate
Americano | Cappuccino | Latte Macchiato | Hot Chocolate - Tea Selection
English Breakfast | Earl Grey | Earl Grey Decaf | Rooibush Jardin Rouge | Peppermint | Lemon & Ginger | Berry & Elderflower | Darjeeling | Jasmine Tea | Green Tea - They also have a variety of alcohol options of sparkling wine and Champagne which you have to book in advance (make sure you bring your ID).
The Paddington Menu may vary day to day.
You can also choose the following tailored menus:
- Paddington Vegan Afternoon Tea Menu
- Paddington Vegetarian Afternoon Tea Menu
- Paddington Halal Afternoon Tea Menu
- Paddington Gluten Free Afternoon Tea Menu
- Paddington Gluten Free & Veggie/Halal Afternoon Tea Menu
Our Brigit’s bakery Paddington bear Afternoon tea bus tour experience
Booking the experience was pretty simple as we booked it online. We couldn’t get the VIP experience unfortunately and we could only get the 17.30 bus tour as the morning time slot is unavailable.
I got an e-mail a week prior to remind me to book any alcoholic beverage which I didn’t opt for.
I got a phone call the day before the bus tour as I mentioned my little one was a picky eater.
They are very easy going and my little one ate her packed lunch from home.
We made our way to Embankment and it’s a 3 minute walk from the bus tour pick up location.
We reserve table 2 on the lower deck which is a two seater table.
We each had our own tier of food and own drink cups in Paddington bear London theme.
The staff were busy but very friendly and professional.
It came inclusive with this pawtastic chocolate cupcake.
It was such a lovely easy going sightseeing experience and the tablet gave the kids information of the sights which helped them stay focused and engaged through the 90 minute London sightseeing tour.
You get to keep your very own Paddington bear London cup which is lovely.
The views of the many London sightseeing spots were absolutely gorgeous and priceless.
The menu overall was slightly underwhelming, they tasted dry, a bit stale like they had been out all day.
We chose hot chocolate and I expected a velvety hot chocolate but it was very basic.
The scones were mediocre but the service, staff, sightseeing definitely made up for it.
My little one and our little Paddington enjoyed the tour it’s a great day out for the kids in central London. It was perfect for my little one she loved it.
Watch a snippet of our experience on the Brigit’s bakery Paddington bear afternoon tea bus tour.
FAQ for the Bus tour
Will you be able to get off the bus?
No, the bus is only permitted to pick up/drop off passengers at the departure location at Trafalgar Square.
Is there a toilet on-board?
There are no on-board toilets so make sure you use the toilet before you board the tour bus.
Do they allow babies on board?
Babies and kids under 5 years old are not permitted on this bus tour unfortunately. For kids over 2 years old make sure you book the Peppa Pig afternoon tea bus tour instead.
However, for kids under 2 years old you will have to wait until they are over 2 years old or actually hire out the whole bus for a party.
Are there changing facilities on board?
No, unfortunately there’s no baby changing facilities on this tour.
Is there somewhere to park our buggy?
There is nowhere to park your buggy and strollers so come prepared.
Are there seatbelts for the children?
There are no seatbelts on this bus and everyone must remain seated for the whole tour including the kids.
Would you advise having two children per adult maximum?
They advise having a one adult per child ratio.
Is there a first aider on board?
All staff are first aid trained.
Can you bring our own food for children who are fussy eaters or have multiple food allergies?
You can bring your own food for fussy eaters, I would let them know in advance at the booking stage.
The final verdict
I would say that the experience is definitely worth it if you have a little one.
The Paddington theme went down a treat and the interactive video they have throughout kept her engaged with the tour.
The staff was definitely a 10 out of 10, as well as the overall atmosphere.
The view was spectacular and since my little one loves sightseeing it was the perfect way to see some of the sights she wanted to see without too much walking.
The only letdown was the food and drink unfortunately. It may have been left out too long.
Other than this it’s a brilliant day out with kids in central London.
I hope you enjoyed this post. Do you want to go on the Paddington bear afternoon tea bus tour? Comment below and let me know.
