Remember back in December when my sister surprised me with a trip on The London Ghost Bus Tour for my birthday? I had such an amazing time and when the company behind the tours offered me tickets for their sister tour, Professor Quantum's Magnificent Time Tour, I was ecstatic. I loved the ghost bus tour so much and thought the whole idea was very different and original, so I knew the time tour was going to be just as amazing.
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| Image taken from Timetour.co.uk |
The tour follows the same theme as the ghost bus one - it's conducted on the same bus and you learn about London's history from a bonkers conductor whilst traveling around the city. However, that's where the similarities end and despite being a very similar idea, the tour manages to really hold it's own and distance itself from it's sister tour. Professor Quantum's Magnificent Time Tour was a lot more lighthearted and concentrated on being educational and humorous rather then scary, and the tour conductor threw in little tidbits of all different types of history about the city - fun facts, history about it's buildings and the countries royals and much more.
I wasn't quite sure how it would work out being on the same bus which was decked out quite old and somewhat spooky, but perhaps because the tour was held in the day, the atmosphere and decor felt much more suitable for 'old times' - as opposed to a haunted bus which it felt like during the ghost tour held at night. I really enjoyed myself on this tour and it was perfect for a rainy day in London. It was also kind of relaxing in that you could sit back and experience the tour without having to think too much about it. It was lighthearted and you could have a listen to the history and follow the story, or just enjoy the views.
The tour was conducted by the bonkers but hilarious Professor Quantum who made us laugh so much! We also had the chance to have a chat with William Shakespeare during the tour and some other crazy characters. I thought this tour was a lot more family friendly - although both tours are suitable for most ages, this tour was something that younger children would really enjoy as well, proving that it had a bit of something for everyone. The tour had a few twists as well, and tried to involve us too which drew us in a lot and made it really fun.
I really loved how they mixed it up a bit by using old historic clips and contacting characters throughout history too - this was a really interesting touch. Overall the tour was really funny and taught me loads about London's history - and it was interesting facts that I didn't previously know, not just general boring history that no one wants to know! As before, the conductor stayed in character really well too and kept the tour going even when the bus had stopped at the many, many red traffic lights in the city. Of course it's so easy to not know what to say when traffic is particularly bad and there might not be anything to look at, but she kept the story going, chatting away and making us laugh.
I absolutely loved this tour and would love to see what tour the company thinks of doing next. I still insist that the whole idea behind it is very quirky and original - bus tours around London are so common but Professor Quantum's Magnificent Time Tour and The London Ghost Bus Tour really go above that and make the whole experience stand out with great story lines, awesome actors and much more.
Me and my sister had a lovely time - it was nice to be able to treat her for once as she's always surprising me with quirky things to do around London - and it was also a welcome treat away from the pouring rain. We went on Sunday which coincided with Chinese New Year which was nice, especially as it was the year of the snake which is my Chinese zodiac! London was filled with celebrations and after the tour we braved the cold and had a walk through the beautiful Chinatown, before grabbing some Chinese food. It was a great day!
Professor Quantum's Magnificent Time Tour runs at 2:45 on weekends all year round, with additional tours running during the holidays. The tour is roughly one hour and fifteen minutes long and leaves from Northumberland Avenue, just by Trafalgar Square. A standard adult ticket is £20.
