Most of us have a bucket list full of travel destinations that we can’t wait to visit. But when the reality of venturing into a new destination sets in — between language barriers and confusing cuisine — it can be a little overwhelming. Or a lot.

When you step off the plane, train or bus into a big city or small town that you’ve only experienced through photos, it’s natural to think or even yell “Where do I start?” For starters, public transit can be confusing and taxis are expensive.

There’s no need to panic. That’s where a “hop on hop off bus tour” comes into play.

The name says it all. These bus tours take you to the most popular sightseeing stops in the city you’re visiting. You hop off the bus at the sights you want to see and explore at your leisure. The bus that dropped you off will keep going, but another one will be by shortly and you can hop on once you’re done at the stop. It’s a great way to see a city in a flexible way.

Most cities that have a booming tourism trade have some version of a hop on hop off bus tour. Many of them are similar… A big bus, flexibility to hop on and hop off when you’d like, all for a good deal. Even more exciting are the cities that take hop on hop off bus tours to the next level by offering a more unique experience. 

Day or Night - San Francisco, California

San Francisco offers a traditional hop on hop off bus tour during standard business hours. You can take your pick from 32 different stops around San Francisco and Sausalito to craft your ideal experience. Some of your options include the world-famous waterfront Fisherman’s Wharf, the iconic Golden Gate Bridge, and Lombard Street, also known as the most crooked street in the world. (1) You have the flexibility to purchase a bus pass for just one day or choose a pass that’s good for up to three days if you’ve got plenty of time to explore.

Many bus tours conclude once 5 pm hits, but the hop on hop off bus tour circuit in San Francisco isn't one of them. If you’d like to see the city after dark, you can book the double decker bus tour that runs for two hours each night. This tour highlights the best of San Francisco after dark, including the Financial District, Chinatown, and the Bay Bridge Lights. The evening tour is a bit more structured than the day-time tour, but it still includes two short walking stops that serve as great photo opportunities. (2)

Barrel Run - Chicago, Illinois

See It All Chicago is a top-rated tour that has you covered if you’re interested in the seeing the Windy City’s highlight reel. You can see the world’s tallest office building, the Sears Tower. They’ll take you by Grant Park and Millennium Park, the latter featuring the iconic bean-shaped Cloud Gate. You’ll see The Wrigley Building along the Chicago River, and of course Lincoln Park. (3) Anything you might find on a Chicago postcard you’ll find on this tour.

If you’re the type of traveler who is looking for a more unique hop on hop off bus tour, Chicago is also home to The Barrel Run. This tour takes place on a bus that’s designed to look like a wine barrel. You’ll explore the city in a one-of-a-kind vehicle that’s a photo opportunity in itself, and you’ll see another side of Chicago: the best of the city’s breweries and distilleries. The Barrel Run offers public and private tours with your choice of visiting three breweries or three distilleries. Your tour will dive into the city’s history with gangsters and will call back to the prohibition era. And of course, you’ll get to sample the goods along the way! (4)

Bus & Boat - Amsterdam, Netherlands

City Sightseeing is a company that has its famous red tour buses in nearly 100 locations spanning the globe, offering top-notch tours of the world’s popular tourist destinations. While all of their tours provide an easy way to explore a city, the Amsterdam tour is something extra special. Winding through Amsterdam is a network of canals that make seeing the city by boat a must. When you buy a boat and bus combo pass through City Sightseeing, you get unlimited access to both. That means you can travel by canal to one destination, switch to road and grab a bus to your next stop, and then switch back to boat travel when it suits you. This hop on hop off tour allows you to access all the main attractions in Amsterdam, and the combination of canal cruising and bus touring is a super convenient experience that shouldn’t be missed. (5) 

Natural Wonders - Reykjavik, Iceland

If busy city life isn’t for you, there’s still an opportunity to use hop on hop off bus tours to see the world. A bus tour in the capital of Iceland is focused on the city’s natural wonders. Known as the Golden Circle, the tour makes three equally incredible stops. First is a stop at Þingvellir National Park, which is home to Iceland’s largest lake and is fit for a picturesque picnic lunch. Next is a break at Geyser Hot Springs, where the ground trembles and hot water bursts forth toward the sky every few minutes. And finally, you make your way to the “queen of Icelandic waterfalls.” (6) Gullfoss Waterfall is more than 100 feet tall and is a spectacle that’s well worth the trip. At each stop you can grab a bite (be sure to pack something), hike or sit back and relax until you’re ready to hop on the next bus!

Whether you’re traveling to a U.S. city or jet-setting abroad, consider a hop on hop off bus tour to easily zip from place to place. And if you’re lucky enough to visit one of these cities, the unique hop on hop off bus tours are non-negotiable!

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