Barcelona Bus Tour Review: Barcelona City Tour Open-Top "Hop On Hop Off Sightseeing Tourist Bus"
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Barcelona City Tour Bus or "Hop on and hop off sightseeing tourist buses", as they are colloquially known, are a popular way to view Barcelona city.
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| The Barcelona City Tour bus arriving |
For this review I tried out Barcelona City Tour bus which can't be missed because it is bright red however there are other operators of similar services in the city.
The bus tours can be utilised in two different and distinct ways. You may wish to use the Barcelona City Tour bus as a useful means of getting around the city. You can hop on and off at whatever destinations you wish. The bus will take you to all of the must-see tourist hot spots, so you won't miss out anything important. Alternatively, you may choose to experience the full tour in one go, gaining an overview of what the city has to offer and taking note of particular places of interest to return to.
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| La Sagrada Família from the top deck |
Barcelona City Tour bus tour makes both options possible and convenient. There are some hitches in the service - bus stops are not always clear, at times the commentary can be difficult to hear and waiting times between buses vary. However, overall, I enjoyed the tour of the city on this service. It provides an easy way to see the city, at a height that allows travellers to take in their surroundings easily and covers a comprehensive route of Barcelona - without any planning involved.
Where to Purchase Tickets
You can securely purchase your tickets for the Barcelona City Tour tourist bus in advance of your trip by using the link given below. All you need to do is print out the voucher you will be sent via email. When you arrive simply bring the print out voucher with you on the day with some ID like a passport and you can then board the bus with this. There is no need to worry about carrying around the right change.
It is important that you bring the printed voucher. You will not be permitted to enter if you show the driver your mobile device with the purchase.
Book your tickets online
It is possible to buy tickets for children (between 4 and 12 years) and adults. All of those travelling under the age of 4 can travel for free. Tickets are purchased for either a one or two-day period.
Ticket Prices
Adults:
1 Day: €33.00
2 Day: €44.00
Children:
1 Day: €18.00
2 Day: €23.00
Alternatively you can purchase tickets on the day when you enter the bus. But if you choose this option make sure you have the right change because the bus driver could refuse entry if he does not have the right change. To circumvent this possiblity bring along small denomination bills and change.
If you are in Barcelona for more than one day it is worth considering purchasing the ticket for a two-day period as this will only cost a few euros more. The minimal extra cost may justify using the bus simply as your mode of transport for a second day in Barcelona.
The hop on hop off 1 day tickets are included FREE with the Barcelona City Pass. Click here to learn more.
Barcelona City Tour Bus Running Times
The Barcelona City Tour Buses run all year round (first buses in the morning leave from Ronda Universitat, Plaça de Catalunya, Montjuïc and Colon).
| Month | Day | Time |
|---|---|---|
| 01 January | Sunday | Closed |
| January - December | Monday - Sunday | 09:00 - 19:00 |
| 25 December | Monday | Closed |
The Barcelona City Tour company state that buses run every five to twenty minutes. This may be subject to change (please see below for more details). There are no timetables at the stops. Therefore, it is simply a case of arriving at the bus stop and waiting for the next bus to arrive.
Who are the Barcelona Tour Bus Tours Suitable For?
New visitors to the city
If you are new to the city the hop-on-hop off tourist bus provides an easy way for you to get an overview to the main attractions in the city. The routes are already worked out for you which means you can just sit back and relax. If you see a sight of interest simply hop off the bus and visit the attraction. Then go back to the same stop and hop back on again to go to the next attraction on the route.
Many visitors use the tourist bus to first orientate themselves on the main attractions and then go back on their own to the sights which they would like to explore in more depth.
Audio commentary
Audio commentary in the bus gives you an enjoyable way to learn about the attractions without having to use a guide book. The commentary is currently available in 12 languages. We cover in more depth the audio commentary below.
Families with Children
As mentioned above, there are special ticket prices for children. People with prams will find themselves in a similar position to wheelchair users - the stairs to the open deck area of the bus are narrow and winding. However, there is one area in the downstairs section of the bus that is reserved for wheelchair users and those with prams.
Elderly
This may be a helpful way for elderly people to see Barcelona. It allows many of the city's major sights to be viewed from the comfort of a warm and seated bus. The staircase to the upper deck is steep and narrow, however the downstairs indoor option is always available. This may be a more convenient option than Barcelona's Metro system, where changes between lines often involves long walks and / or stairs.
Limited Mobility Travellers.
The bus provides a ramp at their back door and an area on the ground floor for wheelchair users. However, the top deck of the bus would be inaccessible to wheelchair users. Similar to a standard bus, it has a narrow, winding staircase to the open deck area.
Tour Commentary
On boarding the bus, you are provided with a small set of disposable headphones. These are the type that are inserted into the ear. Those who prefer a different style of headphone should consider bringing their own - a standard 3.5mm headphone jack is necessary.
Next to each pair of seats there is a small system into which two sets of headphones can be inserted. It is a wall-mounted unit with a small screen indicating the channel number, which can be changed by pressing the buttons with up and down arrows on them - this controls what language you will hear the commentary in. It has another set of buttons to adjust the volume. A small chart on the seat in front shows what channel number should be used depending on what language you require. The commentary is available in the following languages:
English, Spanish, Dutch, French, Italian, Russian, German, Japanese, Portuguese, Hindi, Chinese and Catalan.
Those who do not wish to have commentary during their journey can choose not to wear the headphones - there is no commentary on loud speakers.
Commentary is provided by way of a lady's recorded voice. The information is sporadic and interspersed with classical music. On one of the buses that I boarded there were numerous occasions when the commentary was out of synch with the area that the bus was travelling through - this normally occurred when the bus was stuck in traffic and had not yet reached the destination being discussed. This was usually rectified within approximately five minutes. The bus staff interrupt the recorded commentary when each new stop is reached. The information provided is detailed and factual - with lots of dates and names. This may suit true fact finders and history fans, however, I would have favoured the odd anecdote or a touch of humour. However, all of this said, the lady providing the commentary did have a lovely voice.
The commentary is not particularly child-friendly. Details provided are fact and date-heavy and are unlikely to hold the attention of children.
In general, I found the commentary, even at top volume, quite crackly and hard to hear. This was the case on two different buses. This may not suit those who are hard of hearing.
Printed Literature
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| The map & headphones |
On first entering the bus, you are provided with a paper map to accompany your journey. This is a basic map only. It is useful to show the bus's route and allows travellers to figure out what there is of interest in the vicinity of each bus stop. It is a large, paper map, which makes it quite hard to use on the top deck when it's windy.
What is the service like?
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| Barcelona City Tour bus stop at Plaça de Catalunya |
In general, Barcelona Tours provide a good service. The bus route is comprehensive and covers most of the important tourist attraction areas of Barcelona. The staff consists of the driver and a host. The host collects the internet voucher tickets or payment if you purchase your ticket on the bus. The host also provides the leaflet and headphones and answers your questions. The hosts are multilingual and very friendly - they definitely speak Spanish and English. It is, perhaps, a shame that they do not provide more of the commentary - adding their own personal touch to the tour experience.
The bus stops are not particularly easy to find. However, this is only really a problem when first boarding the bus. After this, you will always know to wait for the bus at the same point where you alighted. Please see our Guide to Barcelona Tours Routes and Attractions for advice on how to find the stops.
Guide to Barcelona Bus tours routes and attractions
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| The Barcelona City Tour bus leaving |
The buses stop for random amounts of time at each stop. On my journey, most stops involved a mere few seconds pause. However, at other stops, there were waits of between 5 and 20 minutes. This was not a problem, apart from at the stop where we were informed that we would have a 5 minute wait that turned into 20 minutes.
On the top deck of the bus, there is only one bell, next to the stairs, to inform the driver that you wish to alight. This could prove to be a problem at the stops where the bus hardly pauses. It is necessary to remain alert to ensure that the bus does not continue to its next destination before you get off.
How can I buy tickets for the hop on hop off tourist bus?
You can book your hop on hop off tickets online before your trip by clicking on the link below. Once you've made your booking simply print out your booking voucher and hand it to the driver on the day as you get on the bus.
The hop on hop off tourist bus enables you to see Barcelona's main attractions without having to plan your itinerary and without the trouble of buying individual transport tickets. You will receive audio commentary on the history of the attractions whilst you are travelling from one attraction to the next which makes your experience more interesting. You normally only have to wait about 10 minutes for the next bus to arrive. The stops are strategically place next to each of the attractions making it time efficient for you to visit each attraction.
What You Get:
| See Barcelona's main attractions - no planning required. | |
| Hop on and hop off the bus at any of the attractions. | |
| Free printed guide with discount coupons for entrance to many attractions. | |
| Audio commentary on all attractions in 13 languages. | |
| Free Wi-Fi on the bus use your mobile devices with free internet. | |
| A new bus arrives every 8 to 15 minutes saving you time. |
Your hop on hop off tourist bus tickets included with the Barcelona City Pass
24-hour tickets for the Barcelona City Tour hop on hop off bus are included FREE with the Barcelona City Pass. If you're also interested in visiting the Sagrada Familia and the Park Guëll you might prefer booking the Barcelona City Pass instead as it includes:- 24-hour tickets for the Barcelona hop on hop off double decker bus,
- skip-the-line tickets for the Park Guëll Monumental area,
- skip-the-line tickets for the Sagrada Familia,
- audioguides to visit the Park Guëll, that you would not get if you purchase your Park Guëll tickets without the Barcelona City Pass,
- audioguides to visit the Sagrada Familia,
- a 10% discount coupon to use on your next booking of tickets or tours in Barcelona.
In a Nutshell:
The Hop on hop off Barcelona City Tour Bus tour provides a convenient and comprehensive way to view Barcelona's most important tourist attractions. Whether used as a conventional tour to gain an overview of the city, or more as a hop-on, hop-off mode of transport, you will find this service useful. An enjoyable introduction to a city where there is so much to see.