Two years ago, I wrote an article about hop-on and hop-off buses and whether they are worth it. I went through four scenarios where three were a positive experience, but they were over 15 years ago. Generally speaking, if you do your research correctly, I think they can be, in some instances, in some circumstances, a good choice.
Are Hop-On Hop-Off Buses Worth It?
However, recently, I have begun to question that. In big cities, they should be called “hop-on and see it.” Because travelling takes so long to get through the city with the traffic. It’s doubtful I’ll be able to get off and visit any sites other than perhaps one.
You’d need a two-day pass to make it worthwhile, and I honestly think you can do better through public transit. Sitting in an open-top bus gives you a great view if the weather is good, but a public bus in many cities can be almost as great. They often go to places that the tour buses don't.
The other issue was that some hop-on hop-offs don’t go into the older areas. For example, the hop on hop off bus avoids Chinatown in San Francisco, the French Quarter in New Orleans, and old Montreal in Montreal.
They also have hop-on-hop-off buses in smaller places, and towns or the main sites to visit will be more likely in the core area. This really isn’t worthwhile as you can walk to the places relatively easily or take an Uber.
If there’s only one of your solo travelling, I think sometimes hopping on and off can be a good choice. This is especially true, even for couples. If you have minimal time, I wanna get an overview of the place.
When our two boys were smaller, we sometimes did a hop-on-hop office like we couldn’t manage walking so much. Unfortunately, I find the age break for child fares is pretty low.
The hop on hop off tours that I did and enjoyed for 15 years ago when congestion was a lot but nothing like it is right now.
You’re better off sitting down with a map and planning it to understand the distances being covered. Then, walk, take an Uber, or public transit.
