There are few places that offer a better view of London than the London Eye. The view is especially beautiful when the sun goes down and the city lights go on. A great way to ensure you get this view is to plan a London hop on tour so your last stop late in the afternoon is the London Eye.

The Eye at Sunset, however, doesn’t need to be the last stop on your London sightseeing tour. In fact, it could be just the opposite. A sunset to evening ride on the Eye is a fantastic way to kick off a London night tour.

What, exactly, can you do in London at night? There are quite a few things, and we want to share some of those options with you.

Hop on a bus
London open top buses don’t stop circling the city when the sun goes down. In fact, there are a number of bus tours that focus only the splendour of London’s floodlit landmarks and the grandeur of the city at night. Among the highlights of a night bus tour are the vibrant areas of Parliament Square, Trafalgar Square, Piccadilly Circus, and the financial district. Of course, the tour also glides past some the city’s most majestic landmarks like the London Eye, St. Paul’s Cathedral, Buckingham Palace, and of course, the formidable Tower of London.

Throughout your tour, an expert guide will entertain and disturb you in equal measure, offering not only historical facts about the famous sites on your route, but also chilling tales about city and its landmarks. Hop on an open top at night, and discover how the city comes alive when the sun goes down.

Take a walk
A bus tour isn’t the only way to enjoy the wonders of nighttime London. There are several walking tours in the city that explore London at night. In fact, some of these tours can only be appreciated when darkness engulfs the city.

One of the most popular walking tours takes you back to Victorian London and the Autumn of Terror, when a string of grisly crimes created a media frenzy and had the public abuzz with both fear and excitement. Investigate a series of unsolved murders in Whitechapel and discover clues to the killer’s identity. Take a walk back to 1888, and see if you can uncover the true identity of Jack the Ripper.

If you find yourself in London when Halloween comes around, make sure you include the Halloween Ghost Walk tour led by author Richard Jones. Brave the dark and walk through some of the city’s graveyards, dark alleyways, abandoned buildings, and other creepy sites. As you walk, listen as Jones regales you with vivid ghost stories and recounts some of the most gruesome events in the city’s history. Enjoy, if you can, a walk through a city engulfed in darkness, and hope that all of your tour mates are still with you at the end of your walk.

With the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, and now the Olympics and Paralympics, 2012 is a fantastic year to be in London. Head on over, and take a guided tour around the different attractions the city has to offer.

Explore on your own
Day or night, a tour isn’t the only way to enjoy the city. There are simply so many things to do in London, and sometimes, it’s nice to simply set your own pace as you wander the city. The main point is that London doesn’t sleep when the sun goes down. In fact, you just might find some of your best London adventures in the dark of night.

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