City Sightseeing On The Big Red Bus
They seem to be everywhere you go. Those big, usually double decker, red buses that are often described as Hop-On Hop-Offs. Typically they’re open air on the top deck and usually include headphones and taped commentary on the routes sights.
You’ll find them in well over a hundred cities around the world and they can be the perfect way to get an overview of a place, especially if you’re short of time.
We’re not generally fans of guided tours. On our own we’d much rather spend an hour in a local open air market or spend time hiking on a trail. But we will also admit that these tours do have their place. Often we travel with friends and they’re great company but we have an understanding about spending days following our own interests while they do their thing. They’re big tour fans and there are times when we go with them, especially if we’re short on time and it’s a Hop-On Hop-Off bus.
If we have more time we will opt for local mass transit though. This approach does require some homework on what attractions you’ll want to visit and how to make use of metros, buses, ferries, etcetera. After doing research you’ll probably find you’ve saved a lot of money and seen more. Often many city mass transit systems will offer visitors inexpensive multi-day passes.
One advantages to using hop-on hop-off buses is they provide a great way to get a feel for a city. Especially with big, spread out cities where you get introduced to the major highlights without jumping in and out of subways and buses and spending time figuring out directions to attractions.
One of the things we have realized is all those big red bus tours are not the same or even operated by the same companies. The three names that pop up over and over are City Sightseeing, Hop-On Hop-Off, and Grey Line and a great place to get the best information is directly on their websites:
Regardless of where you’re traveling, the best place to start doing research is directly with the company’s home site. First you’ll know you’re dealing directly with the official company and not some local, sound alike tour operator. Secondly, you’ll be sure about the locations where they are operating and you can also make reservations or buy tickets directly. This is very important as often you’ll find these companies bus tour tickets sold by a range of travel companies and often at significantly higher prices (we booked a South Africa wine tour through our tour company and discovered that we could have saved a third by booking with City Sightseeing directly in Cape Town.
In planning a visit to a new city we’d recommend considering the various routes and the time a circuit usually takes. Recently, in Cape Town because of the cities size, we found a typical route would take 1 to 2 hours to complete with getting off the bus.
Another important factor that you should consider is how conducive is the city you’re visiting to the hop-on hop-off buses. Local reviews are an excellent place to check. Tokyo, for example is not the best environment for surface street bus routes because of traffic congestion. Common complaints about hop-on hop-off buses is having to wait an hour or two for the next bus at a stop.
FYI the main companies that operate hop-on, hop-off bus tours in Tokyo are:
Tokyo Cruise & Sightseeing Bus: Operates several hop-on, hop-off bus routes in central Tokyo. Stops include Tokyo Station, Imperial Palace, Asakusa, and Odaiba. Offers both daytime and nighttime tours. Visit the website HERE
Hato Bus: One of the largest sightseeing bus operators in Tokyo. Offers multiple hop-on, hop-off routes covering major landmarks. Stops include Tokyo Tower, Sensoji Temple, and Meiji Shrine. Visit the website HERE
Tokyo City Bus: Operates a popular hop-on, hop-off bus route called the “Tokyo Sightseeing Bus”. Covers destinations like Asakusa, Sensoji Temple, and Tokyo Skytree. Visit the website HERE
Gray Line Tokyo: Part of the global Gray Line sightseeing bus network. Offers hop-on, hop-off bus tours with multilingual audio guides. Routes include stops at Tokyo Station, Tsukiji Market, and Ginza. Visit the website HERE
Regarding Tokyo the best option for getting around this city is to use the trains and metros but you’ll need to study up and probably use a Tokyo app for navigation.
Internationally the best option for hop-on hop-off bus tours are the three listed here:
Hop-On Hop-Off Buses have routes typically designed to cover the major tourist attractions in a city. This can be a great way to get an overview of the city and decide which places you want to explore further. They offer a flexible and convenient way to see the sights at your own pace. You can hop on and off the bus at designated stops, allowing you to explore the areas that interest you most.
Grey Line Sightseeing – Grey Line is one of the oldest tour operators and offers a variety of sightseeing options around the world, including hop-on hop-off tours, day trips, and private tours. The quality of these options can vary depending on the specific tour and location. Service seems to be dependent on individual locations but reviewers have often praised Grey Line for its convenient hop-on hop-off tours, knowledgeable guides, and comfortable buses.
City Sightseeing is a well-known and established company offering hop-on hop-off bus tours in over 100 cities worldwide. It’s a convenient and popular choice for sightseeing, especially for first-time visitors. City Sightseeing buses typically offer audio commentary in multiple languages, providing insights and information about the city’s landmarks and attractions.
The Intentional Travelers 