We’ve all seen them. Those bright coloured, open top buses with loud talking coming from them and people sitting atop them snapping away with their camera! I’ve seen them a lot at the Sydney Opera House. And I always thought ‘how embarrassing’ and ‘you won’t catch me on one of those’. But you know what, after travelling the world I was convinced to go on one, and I now swear by them. Yep, going on a hop on hop off sightseeing bus is usually the first thing I do when I arrive in a new city. Why? Read on and find out.
So here is why I love Hop On Hop Off Bus Tours and why you should embrace them in your travels too!
In this post I’m listing the pros and cons of hop on hop off sighting tours. It will provide you with a better insight into why I love hop on hop off bus tours.
Table of Contents
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. 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 around Australia.
Who are HOHOs for?
Hop on Hop off sightseeing tours are for everyone. So if you are visiting Australia from overseas and short on time or live in Australia and are on holiday, a hop on hop off bus tour is a great way to get to know a city. Anyone can purchase a ticket so even if you are a solo traveller, in a couple, with a group of friends, travelling Australia with kids everyone can get a lot out of going on such a sightseeing bus trip.
Pros and Cons of Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tours
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 in Australia.
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 round 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 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 in Australia have a hop on hop off bus. 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 Driving in Traffic and Parking
When going on the hop on hop off bus you don’t need to worry about driving in traffic. And some Australian cities have horrific traffic at certain times during the day. For instance, in Sydney or Melbourne, I wouldn’t want to be driving around trying to see the sights. And parking, don’t get me started on parking. So take these frustrations out of the equation and go on a HOHO as you won’t need to deal with driving and parking.
6. Time Saver
Most bus routes only take a couple of hours to complete if done in the one go making this option much faster than when renting a car. 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
Tickets to ride the hop on hop off 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. A budget conscious traveller, this is definitely on of the biggest pros of going on 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. For instance, the Sydney Explorer Pass not only includes entrance fees to attractions, but also a ticket on the hop-on hop-off Sydney 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 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.
10. Avoid Getting Lost / Wasting Time
Getting lost can be a fun part of travel, however, if you don’t have the time getting lost 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. But as you will read, there are half the amount of cons compared to the pros of discovering a city on a hop on hop off bus.
- The bus may not visit all the tourist destinations you want to visit.
- You will have to time your trip around bus arrival and departure times at each stop.
- It might be busy and you might struggle to get a seat and need to wait for the next bus.
- The weather may not be the best to sit up top.
- 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.
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 Australian 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.
Queensland
Brisbane to Mt Tamborine
Gold Coast Cruise
NSW
Sydney
Sydney Harbour Cruise
Blue Mountains
Victoria
Are You Ready to Start Loving Hop On Hop Off City Sightseeing Bus Tours Now?
When you are planning your next visit to an Australian city, consider the advantages of a hop-on hop-off 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.
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