We’ve all seen them. Those bright coloured, open top buses with loud talking coming from them with people sitting atop them snapping away with their camera! I always thought ‘how embarrassing’ and ‘you won’t catch me on one of those’. But you know what, after going on one, I now swear by them. Going on a hop on hop off city sightseeing tour is the first thing I usually do when I arrive in a new city. So here is why I love Hop On Hop Off Bus Tours and why you should embrace them in your travels too!

It was a cold, wet and grey March day when I arrived in London on my UK working holiday. After checking into my hotel I was off to check out all the best London sites on my bucket list. But it was so darn cold walking in London. It was one of those days when the cold seeps through your shoes and makes your feet cold! Obviously I was wearing the wrong shoes! And then I saw it, the London Hop On Hop Off Bus. But I swallowed my pride and on I jumped, and to my great surprise I enjoyed it. Being driven from site to site, being told some history about the sites, well, I just loved it! And now, any city I go to that has a hop on hop off bus, I go on it.

In this post I’m listing the pros and cons of hop on hop off sightseeing buses as you will get a better insight into why I love hop on hop off bus tours. Whether you have 1 day in a new city or 7 days to spend in a new city or are moving to a new city on a working holiday visa, like I did or a digital nomad visa, let me help you embrace hop on hop off bus tours. There are many advantages of bus tours of a town or city. Get ready to hop on and off with me!

 

What is a Hop On Hop Off City Sightseeing Bus Tour?

 

Hop On Hop Off Bus – HoHo, or Jump On Jump Off Bus – JoJo are bus tours that have been around for a while. If you are wondering what is the concept of a hop on hop off bus, it is easy. They are basically buses that have their roof taken off so you can sit in the open air seats on the top level and get a birds eye view of your surroundings. The tours, if done in one go can last a couple of hours, but your ticket allows you to hop on and off at designated spots, usually within a 24 hour period.

These buses are found in major cities. Cities like Sydney, Paris, London, Rome, Barcelona, Toronto and New York City to name a few.  And they are a flexible sightseeing tourist bus that takes you to all the highlights of that city.

 

Pros and Cons of Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tours

 

If you are wondering, what are the benefits of hop on hop off bus tours, well, there seems to be pros and cons to everything when you travel, and in life. Here are what I think are the pros and cons of riding aboard hop on hop off bus tours.

 

The Pros of Hop On Hop Off Bus Trips – Reasons Why I love them!

 

1. Take Me to All the Sights

 

That’s right. The biggest pro of a hop on hop off bus tour is it takes you to all the top sights of a particular town or city. All the major tourist spots are on the list of visits of the Hop On Hop Off bus. The buses have set routes so I can either sit back and enjoy the whole trip, or get off at one of the stops to explore.

 

TIP! For your first trip in a new city I suggest you go around the entire route first. While sitting back, relaxing  take a mental note of things you would like to come back to. Then on the next trip round, you can begin hopping on and off at the sites you want to see before hopping back on again to the next stop.

 

2. Short Time Visits

 

If you have limited time in a city, hop on hop off bus tours help you make the most of your time. Doing a complete circuit usually takes a couple of hours. So if you only have a day, or less in a city, these are great. However, even if staying longer, going on a hop on hop off bus tour will show you the places you can go back to if you have the time. 

 

3. Available in Most Major Cities

 

Yep. Most big cities have a hop on hop off bus. From Sydney to London to New York and Singapore to name a few. Yep, many cities have a hop-on hop-off bus tour. Plus, some even have a hop-on hop-off river cruise such as the Sydney Harbour Hop on Hop off cruise! Check out my map following.

 

4. More than Just transport

 

You can discover the city you are in by local transport however, you will need to firstly do your research so you know how to buy a ticket, what lines to travel on and which train stations or bus stops to get off at. When going on a hop on hop off bus you don’t have to worry about these things as the bus takes you to all the famous sights. I don’t have to do any planning or thinking – it’s done for me! I just have to sit back and relax and enjoy the sights.

 

5. Don’t Have to Worry About Learning How to Drive in a Foreign Place

 

When going on hop on hop off bus tours you don’t need to learn how to drive in a foreign place. Also, I don’t need to learn specific rules, worry about getting fuel, finding a parking spot or research a route to follow if I have rented a car. And I don’t get lost while trying to find a place, particularly when travelling solo and I don’t have a navigator.

 

6. Time Saver

 

Most jump on jump off bus routes only take a couple of hours to complete if done in the one go making this option much faster when renting a car or using public transport to see the sights. Even though using public transport is a great way to get to know a city, it can be time consuming. As mentioned previously, when you rent a car you need to consider road rules, getting fuel, find parking and research where you will be driving to. Taking the hop on hop off bus is a time saver as it has done everything for me.

 

7. Affordability

 

Hop On Hop Off bus tours are affordable. Tickets to ride the hop on hop off sightseeing buses are available for 24 hours. In some cases it can be 48 or even 72 hours. During this time I can hop on and hop off as many times as I like within that time. This definitely is very affordable as my transport costs are covered for the whole time. As a budget conscious traveller, this is definitely one of the biggest pros of going one a hop on and off bus tour.

 

8. Discounts to Attractions

 

There are often deals associated with your hop-on hop-off ticket or the ticket may be part of a deal. Having discounts on attractions will help you save money so you can enjoy other things on your holiday, like a meal. For instance, the Dublin Pass allowing entrance fees to some 40+ attractions, but also a ticket on the hop-on hop-off Dublin sightseeing bus. If you want to get the most out of your city tour, research which tour operators are offering deals to the attractions.

 

9. Fun Facts!

 

Along with the bus ride comes a commentary. Sometimes a recorded commentary while other times a person providing facts and figures, historical backgrounds, things that happened at a particular place and quirky trivia about the places you are visiting. You can learn lots of fun facts going on a hop-on hop-off tour bus. Facts you may only learn by doing a lot of research. Sometimes I learn more by seeing a place rather than reading about it. This is one of the biggest pros to riding onboard HOHO bus tours.

 

10. Avoid Getting Lost / Wasting Time

 

Getting lost can be a fun part of travel (sometimes), however, if you don’t have the time to get lost it can be a waste of time. This is why I love the hop-on hop-off bus because it doesn’t waste my time. I often get my bearings of the city by going on the bus. It has proved useful on many occasions.

 

The Cons of Hop On Hop Off Bus Trips

 

There are some cons to riding aboard a hop on hop off bus tour.

1. The bus may not visit all the tourist destinations you want to visit.
2. You will have to time your trip around bus arrival and departure times at each stop.
3. It might be busy and you might struggle to get a seat and need to wait for the next bus.
4. The weather may not be the best to sit up top.
5. You will be seen with lots of other tourists on the bus. Unsavoury types may see you get on and get off the bus and may think of you as a tourist to rob – so be security conscious. There are ways how to not look like a tourist as you travel.

 

TIP! Dress for the weather. Wear sunscreen, a hat and sunglasses when it is warm and sunny. Take an umbrella or rain coat and a warm jacket for colder weather. It can also get a little windy up top – so hold onto your hats!

 

Some of the Best Hop On Hop Off City Sightseeing Bus Tours

 

Here are some of the best hop on hop off city sightseeing bus tours. Click on the city to purchase your ticket to ride! Know of a city not on the list? Drop me a line so I can add it.

 

Scandinavia

Copenhagen
Stockholm
Oslo

Europe

Paris
Rome
Amsterdam
Madrid
Lisbon
Brussels
Vienna
Athens
Berlin

New Zealand

Auckland

 

Are You Ready to Start Loving Hop On Hop Off City Sightseeing Bus Tours Now?

 

When you are planning your next visit to a city, consider the advantages of a hop-on hop-off sightseeing bus tour of the city. They can be a great way to discover a city. So do you love hop on hop off big bus tours as much as I do? I’d love to hear in the comments following.