Hop on Hop off Bus Tours

Hop on Hop off Bus Tours are absolutely awesome. I took my first ever tour in Glasgow and I want to take them all over the world now. But you may be asking yourself, “What’s so great about them?” To answer your question, a lot! Let’s break down the many reasons why they are so awesome.

The bus not only gives you transportation to all of the top locations in your chosen city. It also provides either a live tour guide or a recording telling you about all the amazing sites and history you are driving by. The recordings are in multiple languages so you can select what works best for you. The live, in person, tour guides give you the same information as the recorded tour but they throw in a lot of extra information. The live guide in Glasgow was absolutely hilarious. They kept throwing in these great one liners. If we hit traffic they would take questions from the passengers sitting near them or give recommendations on upcoming stop activities.

The bus drives a pre-determined route with scheduled stops at specific locations so you can “hop on or hop off” as you please. I suggest getting on the first bus of the day and doing a full circuit to get the lay of the land. Then decide which stops you would like to visit on your next loop. There may be request only stops on your route so double check your brochure for those stops.

Before getting on the bus you do need to purchase a ticket. Tickets are sold at several different locations. You can purchase from the bus driver, at the local tourist office and at some hotels. Before you purchase your ticket check with your accommodation to see if they have discount coupons. We purchased our tickets from the local tourist office. Depending on the city you can purchase multiple day tickets.

A quick note about the local tourist office. They are there to answer your questions about what to see and do in the city. They are extremely helpful in planning what you want to see or shouldn’t miss while you are in the city.

Brochure from our Glasgow Tour

When you board the bus you will be given a map / brochure with the route and the bus stops. This is important to keep a hold of. It not only gives you valuable stop information, it provides a time table for the bus. It’s also important to note the time of year plays a big part in how late the buses are out. During the summer months when it is light later in the day, the buses run longer into the evening, in fall and winter they stop running earlier. You’ll find that information in the brochure. As mentioned earlier there may be “request only” stops so double check the brochure. There will be a button or a cord to pull to request the stop.

Us on the top of an open air bus

Now where to sit once you are on the bus. These are double decker buses so the prime seats are on the top. Depending on the time of year your bus may have open air seating on the top level that will have a few covered seats. If the weather is less than favorable they may only have the enclosed second level buses on the route. Believe me you don’t want to get rained on while touring. You’ll probably still have fun but you’ll be wet and uncomfortable, potentially cold. We have ridden on both types of buses. You don’t lose anything from a fully enclosed top, but gain a level of comfort on those unfavorable weather days. Sometimes all the top level seats are full. You’ll then have to sit on the main level. You still see the same sites with these seats, but with a different vantage point.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions. We found on many buses there was a driver’s assistant. They were there to sell tickets, help with boarding and disembarkation, help with the headphones/earbuds and answer questions. On buses without the assistants the driver did all of those things. We never had an unpleasant driver. They truly enjoy what they do.

We found that many businesses at the stops offered discounts to the tour bus passengers. The brochure listed several and we found a few just while having conversations at attractions.

If you are in a city that has a hop on hop off bus tour I highly recommend taking it. You don’t have to worry about getting yourself around to the places you want to see. Someone else does all the driving and the planning. You learn about the area and see places you otherwise may have missed.

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