All You Need to Know About Barcelona Hop On Hop Off Bus Tours

Barcelona is the heart of Spain - the vivacious and buzzing city is everything a tourist dreams of. The people, the language, the food, the culture — everything and everyone in Barcelona is full of passion and excitement. As a tourist you will be enthralled by the unique and quirky architecture of Gaudí’s creations from Sagrada Familia to Park Guell. Ideal for solo travelers, families and friends, Barcelona has something to offer for everyone. The best way to explore this lovely city is through Barcelona Hop on Hop Off Bus Tours. The amazing double decker buses conveniently zip through the city’s main attractions, allowing you to hop on and hop off as you wish.

In this guide, we will delve into detail and compare Barcelona Bus Turístic and City Tours Barcelona.

Barcelona Hop On Hop Off Tour Providers

There are two major providers of Hop On Hop Off tours in Barcelona -
1. City Tour Barcelona
2. Barcelona Bus Turístic.

One of the most popular sightseeing services in Barcelona, City Tour Barcelona is a joint venture of Moventis and Julià Travel, two well-known companies in the travel and tourism industry.

The Barcelona Bus Turístic is the only sightseeing service in Barcelona is endorsed by Barcelona Turisme (the body that promotes tourism in Barcelona), and has over three decades of experience under its belt.

We will look at the services offered by both companies, and compare City Tour Barcelona and Barcelona Bus Turístic to help you find a service that suits your travel needs.

Comparing Barcelona Hop on Hop off Tours:

City Tour Barcelona and Barcelona Bus Turístic

1. Pass Options and Validity

Both the City Tour Barcelona and the Barcelona Turístic Bus tours are available in two ticket formats – 1 day and 2 days. The 1 day pass costs €29 and the 2 days pass costs slightly costlier at €39. The passes are valid for the calendar days and not number of hours. The validity of the card starts on the redemption of the online pass at the various redemption centres in the city.

2. Timings and Frequency

The City Tour Barcelona Hop on Hop off Bus Tour runs from 9 AM to 7 PM daily in the winter and 9 AM to 8 PM in the summer. The frequency varies anywhere between 5-25 minutes depending on the tourist season.

The Barcelona Turístic Hop On Hop Off Bus tours start between 9 AM to 9:30 AM daily at most stops. Final departures are at 7 PM during winter and 8 PM during summer. You can obtain the timetable at each stop. The frequency of the buses varies between 5-25 minutes depending on how full the buses run.

These bus tours do not run on Christmas (25th December) and New Year (1st January).

3. Routes and Stops

The City Tour Barcelona: Hop on Hop Off Bus Tour has two major routes – EAST and WEST which run along the length of the city.
Duration: Tour takes an approximate 2 hours to complete.
Departure from: The bus departs and ends at Plaça de Catalunya.
Stops: There are 30 stops altogether on both the routes.

The Barcelona Turistic: Hop On Hop Off Bus Tour runs has three major routes – RED, BLUE and GREEN. The Red and Blue routes run through the year but the Green Route runs only from 23rd March to 4th November.
Duration: Tour takes an approximate 2 hours to complete.
Departure from: The blue and red routes depart from Plaça de Catalunya and the green route departs from the Olympic Marina.
Stops: There are a total of 45 stops in all the routes combined.

City Tour Barcelona Routes

Get the full map here

Barcelona BusTurístic Routes

Get the full map here

Barcelona Hop on Hop off Tickets

Barcelona Hop On Hop Off Discount Code

Advantages of Choosing a Barcelona Hop on Hop off Bus Tour

1. Hop on and off as you please

Barcelona hop on hop off buses are ideally suited for travelers who love to cover a lot of attractions within a short period of time. It is also suitable for those who wish to scan the city at a glance before discovering the attractions they love at their own pace. The hop on hop off service is convenient and allows you to pick and choose between locations. You can simply choose to pass stops you don’t fancy!

2. Enjoy scenic views

The double decker buses with huge windows are perfect for looking out at the city and its attractions. Barcelona has some unusual architecture, and is a great blend of the old and new. The upper deck of the bus especially offers fantastic views suitable for photography and videography. Bloggers, vloggers, and photographers can find amazing views of the city from the bus.

3. No need to pay for transportation!

The best feature of a HOHO bus tour is the free transport! You don’t have to go through the hassle of finding yourself a ride or pay exorbitant prices depending on the traffic and in the city. You don’t even need to carry around currency. With hop on hop off bus tours, you can simply travel with one ticket and save up on your travel costs.

4. Interesting audio guides

Barcelona Hop On Hop Off Bus Tours have free audio guides in 18 languages: English, American, Catalan, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Chinese, Portuguese, Brazilian, Russian, Dutch, Norwegian, Swedish, Arabic, Hebrew, and Turkish. These offer a rich multi-lingual experience and allow for more learning on the go. The Barcelona Turístic Bus even has an official tour guide who will offer incredible local information about each of the attractions.

5. Free guide map and discount voucher book

Hop On Hop Off Tours have other benefits too. They come with a guide map, with which you can easily plan your entire sightseeing trip based on the routes. This way you will save time by optimising your sightseeing schedule. You will also get a discount voucher book with fantastic discounts across restaurants, nightlife, and entertainment venues in the city.

6. Free WiFi

The lifeline of today’s world is the internet, and when you are traveling abroad, you don’t want to be paying additional charges for it! The Barcelona Hop On Hop Off tour buses have free WiFi; this way you can update your social media accounts on the go as you experience the city!

Barcelona Hop On Hop Off Bus Reviews

See what people are saying about Barcelona Bus Turistic on TripAdvisor.

Barcelona Hop On Hop Off Tour Tips

• Plan ahead for the route you wish to take and the sightseeing stops you want to stop at. If you have already purchased other attraction tickets, ensure you combine them with the bus stops, otherwise you will waste time getting to the places.
• Ensure all the attractions on your chosen route are open for the day, as certain attractions are closed on specific days.
• If you wish to occupy the upper deck, ensure you carry headgear and sunscreen as it can get windy or sunny depending on the weather.
• The bus tours stop only near or at the entrances of the attractions. You will still have to do a fair amount of walking to the actual attractions.
• Ensure you carry good walking shoes, as you will be doing a lot of walking.

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