Vancouver Hop-On Hop-Off Buses

Vancouver has a wealth of attractions to visit and one of the most effective ways to link the city's iconic sights is to use the sightseeing bus. This option is popular not only because it saves you time and money along the way, but also because you'll be able to rest between each of the activities and get to know other sides of the destination, as you'll be able to if you opt for the night-time experiences.

The city's tour bus advantage is that you'll find different transfer services, so you can choose hop on-hop off tours, guided tours, night itineraries and combined excursions, making this experience one of the best things to do in Vancouver.

Due to the size of the city, the large city centre and the relatively constant flow of tourists throughout the year, Vancouver offers a number of different tour bus services, which differ in terms of length of tour, whether they are open or closed and the hours of operation, which tend to change during the winter months in Vancouver. Here are the main characteristics of each alternative.

Tourist bus with guided tour, the classic option

• It offers a closed tour of the city's main attractions.
• It lasts approximately 3 and a half hours.
• It does not include free time at the stops.
• This is a good alternative for a quick tour of Vancouver city centre.
• It is a daytime service.

Hop on-hop off sightseeing bus, the more independent option.

• It offers a permanent tour with free stops at 11 stations.
• You can opt for one or two-day passes.
• It is one of the most economical alternatives.
• The service runs every half hour in summer and every hour in winter.
• It is a daytime service.

Sightseeing bus with tickets for the Capilano Bridge, the combined option

• Offers a closed route from the city centre to the Capilano Bridge.
• Includes tickets to visit the bridge, which is one of Vancouver's main attractions.
• Includes visits to the city's most popular neighbourhoods, such as Chinatown and Granville Island.
• Includes round-trip transfers with hotel pick-up and drop-off.
• This is a daytime service.

Night Sightseeing Bus, the option to see the city from a different perspective

• It offers a panoramic tour of English Bay.
• It does not include stops in the city's main neighbourhoods.
• It will allow you to discover an alternative profile of Vancouver.
• Includes the assistance of an expert local guide.
• It is a night tour.

The guided bus tour of Vancouver is the traditional option and also one of the most comfortable. These fixed tours, which last approximately 3.5 hours, will take you around the city's main attractions while an expert local guide gives you all the information you need about the sites you visit.

During the tour, you'll see Granville Island, Chinatown and Gastown, the city's oldest district and one of Canada's industrial cradles. You can also visit Stanley Park and stop at Prospect Point lookout point for sweeping panoramic views of the skyline, especially if you plan to visit Vancouver in the summer when the skies are clear.

As an extra service, these tours usually include hotel pick-up and drop-off as well as a shopping stop on Vancouver's iconic Robson Street, Vancouver's main shopping thoroughfare, where you'll find an interesting variety of shops, both national and international.

Finally, these excursions will end at the Vancouver Lookout Observatory, where, at extra cost, you can climb to the top to discover the city's skyscrapers, the surrounding mountains and even the immensity of the Pacific Ocean from 170 metres above sea level.

Interesting details

• Price: Approximately 55 euros per person.
• Duration: About 3.5 hours.
• Advantages of these alternatives: You will enjoy a relaxed and organised tour, which will allow you to get a glimpse of the main sites of the city, especially if you are planning a short stay.
• Disadvantages of these alternatives: You won't have much free time to explore the attractions on your own, and in most places these buses don't have stops, but instead take a scenic route.

This alternative, so popular around the world with the most restless travellers, will allow you to tour the city at your own pace, with 1 or 2 day tickets allowing you to hop on and off the bus at each of the 11 stops on the itinerary.

You will also have an audio guide in different languages to provide you with information about the sites you visit.

Along the way, you'll connect Granville Island with Stanley Park, where you can take a break before continuing on to Robson Street for a shopping spree or enjoying the FlyOver shows at Canada Place. Each of these places will allow you to get a taste of the spirit of the city and enjoy its cultural and culinary delights, as Vancouver is also known for its multiculturalism.

During the summer the bus runs every 30 minutes and if you plan to visit Vancouver during the winter you'll find an option every 1 hour. In all cases the bus ticket provides reduced fares for children under 12, so using the hop on-hop off bus tour is one of the best things to do with kids in the city.

List of Vancouver hop on-hop off bus stops

• Canada Place
• Pinnacle Hotel Harbourfront
• Stanley Park / Vancouver Aquarium
• Robson Street
• Sutton Place Hotel
• Granville Island
• Entertainment District
• Library Square
• Sports District / Sandman Hotel
• Chinatown
• Gastown

Details of interest

• Price: Approximately 43 euros per person, in the cheapest alternative of a free day hop on-hop off tour.
• Duration: You can hire services of one or two days of free tour.
• Advantages of these alternatives: You can manage at your own pace, spending as much time as you wish at each of the stops from the moment you activate your ticket.
• Disadvantages of these alternatives: They do not include the assistance of an expert local guide, but do include audio guides in different languages.

If you want to combine a sightseeing tour of Vancouver with a visit to one of the city's top attractions, you can't miss these bus tours which include tickets to see the Capilano Suspension Bridge.

This structure, which is considered a marvel of modern engineering and spans 130 metres over the Capilano River at a height of 70 metres, will really catch your attention.

During these tours, which last approximately 6 hours, you will not only be able to visit the suspension bridge and walk along the nature trails along the cliffs, but also visit other important points of the city such as Stanley Park and Granville Island. These tours also include a visit to traditional neighbourhoods such as Gastown and Chinatown.

These tours usually include hotel pick-up and drop-off as well as special stops during the holidays, especially during Christmas in Vancouver, when the city's buildings, monuments and parks are transformed with festive decorations.

Interesting details

• Price: Approximately 97 euros per person.
• Duration: About 6 hours.
• Advantages of these alternatives: You can combine a sightseeing bus tour with a visit to one of the city's main attractions.
• Disadvantages of these alternatives: While the tour includes visits to several sites in the city, the main focus is on the Capilano Suspension Bridge, so these tours do not offer stops at other sites.

If you want to really get to know all the facets of Vancouver, then a visit to the city by night is a must. On these night bus tours you can explore iconic landmarks, quaint neighbourhoods and discover the local culture after dark.

These tours take you through Stanley Park, the historic Gastown district and English Bay, where you can stop to take in the panoramic nighttime views and the bronze sculptures that guard the bay. From here you can take some of the best photos of your trip, with the city's illuminated skyline and the mountains in the background framing the image.

You can also choose to end the tour in Gastown, where you can join gastronomic tours, walk along the cobblestone streets and enjoy the restaurants and bars, or at Canada Place, a multi-purpose venue where you can attend live shows and participate in entertainment activities, such as FlyOver.

The possibility of having a comfortable and relaxed tour and choosing where to end the trip make the city's tourist bus one of the best alternatives to discover Vancouver during the night.

Interesting details

• Price: Approximately 63 euros per person.
• Duration: About 2 hours.
• Advantages of these alternatives: You'll get to know one of the city's most beautiful skyline in a comfortable and relaxed way.
• Disadvantages: Because this is a scenic bus it does not include stops outside of Gastown and Canada Place and you will only have a few minutes to see the city's night skyline from English Bay.

The answer will depend on which option you choose, but in general these tour buses, although they do have their own particularities, link the main points of the city. Those that don't include hotel pick-up and drop-off start at Canada Place and form an imaginary circle to end at Gastown, the city's historic district.

If you opt for the hop-on-hop-off sightseeing bus, you can alter the route, as you can get on and off the bus as many times as you like during the duration of the ticket, which is one or two days, depending on the option you choose. You can then restart the tour from Stanley Park, Granville Island or Chinatown, which are the most popular places to have lunch, rest or hang out.

The only one of the buses that is a notable departure from the main tourist circuit is the one that offers, in addition to the itinerary, a visit to the Capilano Suspension Bridge. This attraction is located on the outskirts of the city, nestled among the natural wonders of the region, so if you want to visit it, you'll have to go outside the city centre.

Vancouver is a relatively large city and has many attractions scattered throughout the city. In some cases, whole neighbourhoods such as Gastown or Granville are tourist attractions in their own right, so these buses will not only allow you to see all of these sites more quickly, comfortably and safely, but will also allow you to organise your itinerary.

In addition, if you choose the Vancouver hop on-hop off sightseeing bus you can also save money, as public transport in the city is expensive and with these alternatives you' ll have 11 stops all over the city which will make every activity easier for you. It's also a good way to take shelter from the cold and rain that will be present during the winter in Vancouver.

Keep in mind that optimising your time on urban sightseeing tours will allow you to focus more on the region's popular natural wonders, including whale-watching tours and trekking in alpine sites such as Grouse Mountain.

The Vancouver sightseeing bus tours are similar, mainly because they all take in Vancouver's main attractions and connect the city's most famous sights, such as the historic Gastown district, Canada Place, Stanley Park and Granville Island.

Whichever option you choose, you'll be able to get a glimpse of Vancouver's highlights and, in some cases, you'll also be able to visit other iconic sites, such as the Capilano Suspension Bridge and English Bay, an ideal place to watch the sunset and the city's skyline, especially if you plan to visit in autumn or during the summer months, when the skies are clear and clear for wide-open views.

Most of Vancouver's sightseeing buses offer daytime tours. In the case of the hop on-hop off bus you can use their services between 8am and 7pm each day, with 30 minute intervals during the summer and one hour intervals during the winter.

The only case that changes the daytime timetable is the night tourist bus, which offers a 2-hour tour after sun set. Other options, such as the tourist bus which also includes tickets to visit the Capilano suspension bridge, start their tours early in the morning, as they are half-day excursions. This could be ideal if you are planning a short stay in the city.

Keep in mind that the city offers a lot of shows and entertainment during the evening, so if you use the buses during the day you can enjoy the shows on the billboard, which are very popular throughout the region. You can also combine these day buses with full day tours from Vancouver.

The answer will depend on the type of tour you choose, as closed-route sightseeing buses, whether day or night, generally include a return transfer with hotel pick-up and drop-off and a set itinerary with fixed stops. These alternatives are often useful if you plan to see the main sights of the city in a trip that allows you to delegate the organisation.

If, on the other hand, you prefer to do the tour at your own pace, you can opt for the hop-on-hop-off alternative, in which you can combine the stops along 11 posts that surround the city and are strategically located near the attractions. Depending on the option you choose, which can be a full-day or two-day ticket, you can organise your itinerary accordingly.

Please note that hop on-hop off tickets start running from the moment they are activated and are counted in days, so it's advisable to start using them on the morning of the first day to avoid losing time on the service, especially if you're planning on visiting Vancouver in winter when buses run every 60 minutes.