Sydney Explorer Hop On Hop Off Bus

The buses run infrequently. In some cases we had to wait over 30 minutes for a bus to arrive. They start running at 8:30 in the morning at their point of origin only; which for us meant waiting till 9:40 AM for it to arrive at our stop; and it also meant that our tickets lasted for about 5 minutes the next day as we’d bought them at around 9:45 AM the previous day. As another reviewer pointed out, some of the stops are really poorly marked, if at all. If you do decide to use this service be sure to bring your own headphones. The headphones provided by the company have terrible sound and is almost impossible to hear the prerecorded tour guide. Also, the headphones (any kind) don’t work at all in some of the seats. My advice is to do a free walking tour instead. Check out
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This was a poor experience for me. The tour part is all recorded so people aren’t listening. They talk over it so you can’t hear and there is no tour guide to ask questions. When I do actually hear anything it seems to be an ad encouraging me to buy tickets for local attractions from the driver. On top of that they seem to have trouble keeping their busses spaced out and their solution is to delay the buses as they get to close together. I was 15 minutes delayed at one very non-​scenic stop under a concrete overhang by the aquarium (which BTW you can by tickets for from the driver). The only thing to see was concrete and a construction site. The bus engine was thrumming painfully against the concrete and after about five minutes the air was fouled with bus fumes. There was a construction site nearby and many jackhammers operating. Then a few stops later they announced we’d be delayed another 5 – 10 minutes which apparently meant 25 minutes to at least they turned the bus engine off this time. I seriously could have walked this route faster and got more info from reading signs.

Perfect way to spend the day in sydney. We were in a time crunch with only one full day and one half day in sydney. We took a train to circular quay and hopped on the first bus at 8:30am for $ 40 for the day!
We had gorgeous weather, lots of availability on the top deck (a must) and a map to follow along with the recording. The recording was often a bit off on the timing but not significantly enough that it impacted our tour.
We had a very clean and new bus the first time. The second/​third buses were a bit more worn out.
Loved the ability to transfer from Sydney city bus to the bondi bus tours! This activity lasted our entire day. Loved it! I have the tan to prove it :)

The person who sold the tickets was misinformed and terribly slow. The first bus we hopped on to had mechanical problems. The person who herded us onto that bus was more like a circus barker… unpleasant. The driver was surly and anti-​helpful. The recorded tour is cheesy. In other cities, the tour is conducted by a real person who can actually answer questions.

I love using the hop on and off bus tours every chance I get and at any city or country I visit that offers this kind of service. Its usually a great way to see the sites in a stress-​free and affordable way without paying taxi fees. Unfortunately, this was not the case with this company.
The positives of this tour bus are that you will get around Sydney’s top sites and the buses are red and easy to spot. You can also use the ticket up to 24 hours and this benefits you very nicely if you purchase around 11am — 12 noon. This way you have a good couple of hours the next day to get to a few places on your list that you want to spend more time at.
The down sides are plenty. Some of the drivers are very rude and don’t want to help when asked. The bus stops are not marked well or there is no name at the destination or number of the destination in sight, its easy to get confused. This tour bus company in Sydney is the only one I’ve ever used that didn’t have a good sign display system. Also, theres no schedule posted at any of the stops so, its hard to know when the next bus will be there. Another problem was some buses didn’t have speakers upstairs, so its easy to miss your stop if your not paying attention, and worse, not benefit from the tour feature of having the driver/​announcer telling you what sites are near you and the history of the sites.
One issue we personally found upsetting was that some drivers pass the stops without really looking around to see if anyone is walking towards the stop. If they don’t see anyone at the stop (not marked) they pass the stop. This happened to me a few times. So your left waiting another 15 or 20 minutes or longer in some cases. I missed a connecting bus to Boni beach when the Sidney bus I was on run late, and the Bondi bus passed through. I had to painfully watch as the Bondi bus drove off and then I had to wait forever for the next bus to come — while annoying fly’s were landing all over me. They say its suppose to be a 30 minute wait between Bondi buses, but it was more like 45 minutes. In one case we took a taxi to get to our destination.
There is so much they need to fix with this company. This was the by far the worse hop on hop off service I’ve ever used.

Hop on and Hop off at any spot in the city plus take a trip to the beach area, two for the price of one. If you do not have a lot of time this is the perfect tour for you and in many different languages. I took it the last day of my weeks vacation in Sydney to see if I missed anything. I would say take it the first two days but the choice is yours. It is well worth it. You can find the same tour in many major cities like New York or Los Angeles. It is a great way to give you ideas what to see and do when you do have time to visit that special place.

Ok. I was super hesitant in purchasing this. I wasn’t sure if it would get me around the city in time to actually hit up a large number of attractions in a short amount of time. To my surprise, it was very useful in getting around.
Here are my recommendations:
1. Purchase your voucher online to save time. This way you can just show the voucher, board the bus, and not mess around with money when you get there.
2. Make sure you keep that map handy and when you are riding the bus, try to make a conscious effort to notice where the bus stops (i.e. landmarks). It helps a lot when you know what you’re looking for (a bus stop vs a street sign). Not all stops are clearly marked.
3. I purchased a iVenture card online separately and used it in combination with the Hop On Hop Off Bus. I planned it so I could get off the bus and straight to my attraction with minimal line waiting and a little bit of savings.
4. If you are student/​backpacker, there are discounted rates. It was helpful for me as I’m a student. Make sure you bring your student ID card.
Oh yeah, I only purchased a 1 day tour since I didn’t have much time in the city and I only explored the Sydney side. It was wonderful!

This is a review for the red double decker Sydney Explorer Hop On Hop Off buses. I’m really surprised that nobody has written a review on this tour bus service yet. Being a first time visitor to Sydney, Austrailia my fiancé and I opted to take this tour to save time looking for different ways to get to the top touristy destinations. We paid $ 60.00 per person for the two-​day Sydney and Bondi Beach Stops. (Personally, we did not enjoy the Bondi & Bays side as much as the Sydney city tour).
Unfortunately, we arrived during the wet rainy season of June, and enjoying the views from the top deck was not always a comfortable option. Downstairs viewing was often obstructed by fogged up windows and the nasty smell of mildew on some of the buses. However, when the sun came out and we were able to go up to the top deck, it made the tour much more enjoyable.
The positives of taking this tour bus are that you will get to Sydney’s top tourist destinations in a relatively fun and stress-​free manor. The down side is that the bus stops are not very well marked, for there are no placards with the name of the destination or number of the destination at each bus stop. Each bus has brocures with their bus routes (destinations that have corresponding numbers on a map) that are readily available; however, we personally found that the number and destination should be emphasized more at each bus stop. If you are not paying attention, one can easily miss their stop.
In addition to this, we did not appreciate the long stop at destination number 1 on the map (Circle Quay). The bus stops/​idles there for 20 — 25+ minutes while the owner attempts to sell tour packages to other destinations. Look, we already paid for your tour to see your beautiful city. We have a limited amount of time here to visit, and people have better things to do than to waste valuable time sitting at a stinking bus stop.
So, to sum things up. This tour bus service does satisfy a particular tourist niche, but there are better, cheaper, and more practical ways to get around Sydney. My fiancé and I hardly do any homework before travelling. That is our downfall. We have found that there is a pass that you can purchase called MyMulti Day Pass — CityRail. It allows you to take the ferry, train, light rail, and bus for one price. You can purchase it for lengths more than one day. MyMulti Day Passes are available from station ticket offices, TransitShops, Sydney Ferries ticket offices, and selected 7-​Eleven stores, newsagencies and convenience stores.
Unfortunately, we only have one more day left in Sydney. We are probably going to buy a one-​day pass. If I have the time and we do end up purchasing the Multi Pass, I will update my review. Enjoy your visit to Sydney!!!