10 Boston Bus Tours to Build a Day Around

1.Boston Hop-On Hop-Off Trolley Tour with 13 Stops

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 5,576 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $52Our pick

Ride Boston’s orange-and-green Old Town Trolley through 13 stops on two loops, from the Aquarium and North End to Beacon Hill, Copley Square, and the Prudential Center. Live conductors such as Rocky and Captain E. Hambone add local color, while heated, weather-protected trolleys run year-round.

“A wonderful way to get the lay of the land when in Boston then on the second trip around the city you know where you want to get off to explore. Also well narrated to give you lots of Boston as well as American History! Highly recommend!”

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2.1 or 2 Day HOP-ON & HOP-OFF Narrated Trolley Tour of Boston

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,849 reviews · 1 hour 20 minutes (approx.) · from $48

Ride a narrated Boston trolley past Quincy Market, the North End, Beacon Hill, Bunker Hill, and the Tea Party Museum. Choose a one or two consecutive day pass, then use nine GPS walking tours to explore on foot. Guides such as Hugo, Jesse, Joey, and Viola add local stories and humor.

“Great experience learning about the city. Drivers were knowledgeable and nice. Would definitely do again. It would have been nice to know ahead of time that you can only go around the stops once.”

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3.Hop-on Hop-off Old Town Trolley Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 2,121 reviews · 1 - 2 days · from $52

Ride Boston’s enclosed orange and green trolleys through 13 stops and more than 100 sights, from Faneuil Hall and the North End to Beacon Hill and Back Bay. Live conductors such as Crafty, Beanie, and Cogs mix history with humor. Hop off to explore, then reboard as often as you like.

“Hop on Hop off tour was a great way for us to see and get through Boston. The bus drivers that we had were all very informative!! I loved having this mode of transportation to get through Boston and to see and learn about all of the important sites in Boston!”

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4.Hop-On, Hop-Off 20+ Stops Trolley Ticket

★★★★★★★★★★4.2 · 607 reviews · from $50

Ride Boston’s hop-on hop-off trolley for one or two days, with live English commentary and more than 20 listed stops near the Freedom Trail, North End, Beacon Hill, the USS Constitution, and Boston Harbor. Guides such as Hugo, Paul, and Coach add humor and local detail.

“I'm not sure why this trolley is so much harder to find, I had started to book the History Trolley tour when this one came up in my recommendations. It was about 20 dollars less for my family and I am SO incredibly glad we booked this one over the History Trolley. If you are looking for a more Covid friendly option, this tour was by and large the way to go. We passed other trolleys several times and every time they were crammed to max capacity. This trolley has seats that only fit two people and at least during the summer that means half the occupants are sitting next…”

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5.Hop-On Hop-Off Double-Decker Bus Sightseeing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.8 · 272 reviews · 1 day · from $47

Spend a day seeing Boston by open-top double-decker bus, with eight stops near the Aquarium, Faneuil Hall, Boston Common, Beacon Hill, Copley Square, and the State House. English commentary, GPS audio, Wi-Fi, and wheelchair access are included. Guides such as Chris, Eli, and Onecie have earned especially strong praise.

“A great over overview of the city and just what we needed for our short stay. Our guide, Chris, kept the trip fun and interesting.”

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6.Boston Shore Excursion: Boston Hop-On Hop-Off Trolley Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 193 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $52

See Boston by orange and green trolley across three loops covering Faneuil Hall, the North End, USS Constitution, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, the Seaport, and the cruise terminal. Live guides such as Timbo, Benny, Rocky, and Crafty add local stories, while unlimited rides let you build your own day.

“So many trollys with the same names but were only available in certain locations and had to find the right ones. Not easy”

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7.Boston Hop-On Hop-Off All Day Sightseeing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 124 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $47

Ride a narrated, GPS-guided double-decker bus through central Boston, from the New England Aquarium and Quincy Market to Beacon Hill, Copley Square, and Newbury Street. You can stay aboard for the roughly 90-minute loop or hop off during the 9:30 AM to 5 PM operating window.

“This website charges you double the price of just going downtown and purchasing the ride directly from the tour buses. The website also shows sold out on a ton of things we wanted to do but they are not sold out when you talk to the actual company providing the tours, rides, etc. this website also provides ZERO information on where to meet your tour ride. Thumbs down 100%. If I could have gotten a refund while we were walking around lost I would absolutely have canceled and booked with someone else. Super disappointed in everything!”

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8.Hop-On Hop-Off All Day Boston Sightseeing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.4 · 27 reviews · 1 day · from $47

Use one ticket for a full day on Boston Sightseeing’s red double-decker buses. Hop off near Faneuil Hall, Boston Common, Beacon Hill, Copley Square, and the State House, then reboard every 30 minutes. A live guide, GPS tour, map, and audio commentary help you get oriented.

“wir haben gefühlt nur im Stau gestanden. Ausserdem liegt alles nah zusammen, dass man es gut zu Fuß machen kann”

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9.Boston Sightseeing Single Ride Pass With Double Decker Tour Bus

★★★★★★★★★★3.0 · 14 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $41Best value

Ride a double-decker bus through Boston for about 90 minutes, passing Faneuil Hall, Boston Common, Beacon Hill, Back Bay, and the State House. You get a city map, guide, and one sightseeing ride, but not hop-on hop-off service, attraction admission, or a night tour.

“The bus ride gave us a great overview of Boston in a short period of time. We were not impressed with the pre-recorded narrative however. An in-person host would have added to the experience.”

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10.Boston Sightseeing: Single Ride Pass With Double-Decker Bus

★★★★★★★★★★4.1 · 8 reviews · 1h 20m · from $41

Ride Boston’s open-top double-decker bus for 80 minutes with English commentary, WiFi, a map, and GPS guidance. The single-ride route passes the Aquarium, Old State House, Boston Common, Cheers, the Public Library, Trinity Church, Back Bay, and the State House.

“I have been on several tours in Boston with other companies but this was so poor. First of all the bus was late picking us up Then the tour guide didn’t give us good details of the history of Boston . We drove past many important sites and buildings which she didn’t mention anything. She didn’t really talk much and so I felt like I didn’t get my money’s worth. I brought a guest from England who didn’t feel like she got much out of the tour Please give more details and lessons to the narrators so guests can learn more about our history. Thanks”

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