Best of · HOP-ON HOP-OFF BUS TOURS IN ITALY
This is the shortlist you would send a friend: 15 hop-on hop-off bus tours in Italy worth the money, each with its price, its traveller verdict and the one thing to check before you commit.
See Rome from an open-top double-decker bus with a 1-loop, 1-day, 24-hour, 48-hour, or 72-hour pass. The route links Termini, Santa Maria Maggiore, the Colosseum, Vatican City, Piazza Navona, and the Spanish Steps. Audio is available in eight languages, with Wi-Fi and a sightseeing app included.
“Fantastic. Got us everywhere we wanted to go. Gave great advice”
Ride Rome’s open-top Big Bus past the Colosseum, Roman Forum, Vatican, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps. Choose a 3-hour loop or 24-, 48-, or 72-hour ticket, with multilingual audio, Wi-Fi, live bus tracking, and self-guided walking tours.
“Location on Google Maps requires attention as it’s crazy trying to find the location of the Bus Terminal. Outrageously wrong. “Update your location on Google”, is urgently required !!!!!”
Ride Florence’s two open-top routes, using Line A for the city center and Line B for Piazzale Michelangelo and hilltop Fiesole. You’ll get multilingual audio commentary, Wi-Fi, and a live bus-tracking app. Choose 24, 48, or 72 hours, then hop off for museums, views, gardens, and cafés.
“This is great way to see the city and use as transport around. The only improvement would be to add a shop name to show exactly where the bus stop is located because we were on the wrong side of the road and couldn't see it!”
Use one ticket on four Milan bus lines for 1 to 3 days. You’ll pass the Duomo, La Scala, Castello Sforzesco, Navigli, Brera, San Siro, and CityLife, with multilingual audio, child commentary, Wi-Fi, and a mobile walking tour.
“I had the best time using the Hop-On Hop-Off service. Highly recommend if you want to see the city’s most famous landmarks. So easy to jump on and off. The staffs are so friendly and helpful. Check to see if any of the stops is near your accommodation so you get a free to and from home too. Dont have to jump on right at the main stops like the Duomo. Thank you”
See Rome from an open-top bus with an eight-language audio guide, free Wi-Fi, and flexible hop-on hop-off access. The route links Termini, Santa Maria Maggiore, the Colosseum area, Circus Maximus, Piazza Venezia, Vatican City, Piazza di Spagna, and Piazza Barberini. Jubilee and night options may be available.
“Not really worth it, Everything is within walking distance. Today's bus stopped for a long time at each pick up spot, we sat waiting on the bus longer than what we were driven so we got our halfway and walked and had a better day.”
Use a 24-hour Naples bus pass on two routes covering the historic center, port, waterfront, and Posillipo hills. Ride with multilingual audio, hop off for pizza or sights, then continue at your own pace. The full loops take about 45 and 70 minutes.
“good value, we saw a lot of the city where just walking around we wouldn't have been able to.”
Use Rome’s pink hop-on hop-off buses to get your bearings and see major sights from Termini to the Vatican, Colosseum area, Spanish Steps, and Trevi Fountain. Choose a ticket that allows reboarding, listen in one of 12 languages, and expect traffic delays or longer walks to some monuments.
“best way to visit Rome in a short time ! worth every penny”
Use a one-day boat pass from Stresa to visit Isola Madre, Isola dei Pescatori, and Isola Bella at your own pace. Expect quick crossings, free time on each island, multilingual crew, and recorded commentary. Palace and garden tickets, food, and a small cash landing fee cost extra.
“This is a helpful service which allows you to visit all three islands in a flexible way.”
Use a 3-, 24-, 48-, or 72-hour Big Bus ticket to circle Rome’s major sights, including the Colosseum, Vatican, Pantheon area, Trevi Fountain, and Spanish Steps. Audio commentary, Wi-Fi, a VOX walking tour, and live bus tracking are included, but several stops require a walk.
“Well worth it & saw the city from a different angle & loads of incredible information. Well worth it and easy to use”
Start at Politeama Square and explore Palermo by open-top bus, passing the Massimo Theatre, Quattro Canti, Vucciria Market, the Cathedral, Zisa Castle, and more. Your ticket covers two city routes for one day, with optional buses to Monreale and Mondello Beach.
“Giacomo and Sophie we’re fabulous host. This class couldn’t be better if it was happening in your Sicilian mama’s kitchen. The atmosphere was fabulous. The food was excellent. Giacomo took the time to explain everything about the products use to create the pastors and cannoli. This was definitely a highlight of our vacation in Palermo.”
Use a 24 or 48-hour ticket on Verona’s red and blue sightseeing routes. Ride past the Arena, Castelvecchio, San Zeno, Teatro Romano, Juliet’s House, and the hilltop viewpoint while multilingual audio commentary fills in the city’s Roman and medieval story.
“really easy and nice service. it was really informative and great”
Use a 1-, 2-, or 3-day mobile pass to ride Florence’s Line A and Line B buses, with stops near Santa Croce, Porta Romana, Piazzale Michelangelo, and Fiesole. English audio commentary, free Wi-Fi, and live bus tracking help you plan, though service can be limited and stops may be hard to find.
“I believe our tour was supposed to last approximately 2 1/2 hours and it was only a hour. Not until we get on the bus we were informed only doing the blue line not both red AND blue. . Maybe the company can inform people regarding changes by text a few hours before boarding so we could have planned our day better Very disappointed we did NOT see more of Florence and it was definitely too late to find other options to tour areas we did not see Hopefully we get at least half of our money reimbursed since half our tour was basically cancelled without giving a notification and…”
Explore Milan by hop-on hop-off bus on two city routes, with stops at the Duomo, La Scala, Brera, Cenacolo, Sant’Ambrogio, Navigli, and City Life. You get multilingual audio, WiFi, USB sockets, a paper map, and the freedom to get off whenever a neighborhood catches your eye.
“Good activity. Large route which covers a lot of points of interest. Kids enjoyed the novelty of an open top bus. I would say that this particular company doesn’t seem to have as many buses as the other company and therefore longer waiting times. But overall a good enjoyable activity”
Use a 24 or 48-hour ticket on Genoa’s red Historical Route and blue Coastline Route. Ride past Strada Nuova, Piazza De Ferrari, Boccadasse, the Aquarium, and Spianata Castelletto, then hop off to explore. An eight-language audio guide and walking-tour app are included.
“I love the hop on hop off busses. I have used them in many countries. I only wish you would make it easier to find the stops or at least put a map in the ticket information section. We have caught 2 busses, 1 in Paris, 1 in Genoa in the past week and found it extremely difficult to find the nearest stops to our accommodation.”
See Milan from an open-top double-decker bus on four connected routes covering the Duomo, Last Supper, Navigli, San Siro, Brera, and more. Choose a 24-, 48-, or 72-hour ticket, use the real-time bus app, and listen to onboard commentary in 10 languages.
“Covers a large area and a great overview. Terrific view and support from staff. We did not have a commentary of the area.”
A loop, an open deck, a night run or a whole day on the coach.
