Big Bus Tours Shanghai
Big Bus Tours Shanghai
3.5
City Tours • Hop-On Hop-Off Tours • Walking Tours • Food Tours • Bus Tours
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9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Monday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Tuesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Wednesday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Thursday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Friday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Saturday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Sunday
9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
Full view
About
Now see Shanghai’s essence conveniently boarding an open-top, double-decker bus. It’s the most desirable and economic way to discover yourselves with the spirits of Shanghai. Our open-top, double-decker buses give you the best possible views of the Shanghai’s dramatic skyline. From the historic waterfront at The Bund to the peace and tranquility of the oldest temples, and from the modern skyscrapers of Pudong, to the tree-lined streets of the former French Concession – The Bus Tour allows you to discover it all. Hop on board Bus Tour’s sightseeing tour to enjoy the best that the city has to offer. Customers can hop on the bus tour valid for 24 hours any time provided the ticket is within the 24 hours time frame after redemption.
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Big Bus Tours Shanghai
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Detailed Reviews: Reviews order informed by descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as cleanliness, atmosphere, general tips and location information.
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magda v
2 contributions
Jun 2022
These buses are great to experience different parts of Shanghai. Airconditioned. On board are earphones with different languages that explains significant spots. You can climb of anywhere you want and take the next bus again on the same route. However just make sure you take the right bus when you get back on again, other wise you land up somewhere you did not particularly want to be.
Written September 26, 2022
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Janet2008
Axminster, UK594 contributions
Apr 2012 • Solo
I only had 48 hours in Shanghai and was keen to take the hop-on-hop-off bus tours that i have used in other cities to get a brief feel. This was excellent value and was an enjoyable way to spend a couple of hours - I used it as a tour and stayed on rather than hopping on and off and thoroughly enjoyed myself. The commentary is available in English although very 'fuzzy' but I have found that by using my own headphones (from ipod that is always with me) that the reception is better. Please make sure that you use Shanghai Bus Tour Y27 (through Chinaspringtour.com) rather than Big Bus Tours approx $44 as here is a HUGE price difference. I am not sure what difference the experience would be between the two but for a sightseeing tour around Shanghai the cheaper version was more than adequate. BE careful if you go to the tourist bureau as they will be selling the Big Bus tour - I just walked along the Bund and turned up the road in front of the Peace Hotel and a shiort walk up here, approx 5 minutes, the stop was very clear and I paid as I got on. Fantastic value for less than £3.00
Written September 2, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
arbaj
SeaTac, WA51 contributions
I heard mixed review about this so wasn’t sure if I wanted to use it or not. However, I have a mixed feeling now.
Good:
1) you can pretty much see all the main attractions and it will save you money than if you were to use taxi.
2) sometimes the wait could be very long and if your next attraction is let’s say no.5 and yu caught the bus at no. 1, you’ll have to go thru the entire route.
However I can’t complain, I was able to know which attraction to get off to connect the next bus to get to my desired attraction. The reason I’m saying this is because there are multiple Lines running and all the lines doesn’t go to all the places. You’ll have to see which attraction you are interested and must catch that line else you’ll be going round and round the same route.
Overall, I felt like I got bang for the bucks however sometimes it got really annoying due to long wait time.
Good:
1) you can pretty much see all the main attractions and it will save you money than if you were to use taxi.
2) sometimes the wait could be very long and if your next attraction is let’s say no.5 and yu caught the bus at no. 1, you’ll have to go thru the entire route.
However I can’t complain, I was able to know which attraction to get off to connect the next bus to get to my desired attraction. The reason I’m saying this is because there are multiple Lines running and all the lines doesn’t go to all the places. You’ll have to see which attraction you are interested and must catch that line else you’ll be going round and round the same route.
Overall, I felt like I got bang for the bucks however sometimes it got really annoying due to long wait time.
Written March 23, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
az72az
London, UK99 contributions
Dec 2019
We decided to do this bus tour because we thought that it would be a convenient way to travel around and see the sights of Shanghai. They have 3 different lines and the frequency of the bus in 2 of the lines were quite bad. We waited for about half an hour for a bus to arrive. And then the driver didnt stop at the stop that we wanted and we had to walk back one stop. The subway system in Shanghai is actually very very good and it is also very easy and cheap to use Didi (the Uber of China). Therefore my advise is to save your money and use the subway or Didi instead
Written January 28, 2020
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
urbanite88
New Zealand785 contributions
Nov 2017 • Solo
I go on these buses wherever possible as they give a good overview of the city.
Just to clarify there are two hoho bus companies operating in Shanghai. I went on the City Sightseeing bright RED bus, not The City of Shanghai Bus Tour Company which seems to be the only company on TA reviews. See my photos for the two options. So I’m posting a review about the City Sightseeing Bus Hop On Hop off, as there is no other place to post this. Both companies seem to stop at the same stops.
I think this thread is capturing the worst experiences of both companies when I didn’t really find the one I went on (City Sightseeing) too bad at all for the price! To get the most value on the City Sightseeing bus ADVANCED planning is essential ;-)
I went on the full circuit of three of the lines in one day. Lines 1,3&5. I think the best way to use these buses is to do the three circuits without getting off.
Study the map and chart I’ve posted to see where you could interchange routes. Mainly along the Bund. Where there are multiple coloured circles at a stop means you could get off and change circuit. Warning - you may have to wait up to half an hour if you get off until the right bus arrives.
There are some waits at stops up to 25 mins and sometimes you have to change to the bus in front at a stop so have your wits about you. This happened at the Shanghai Museum stop.
Take some entertainment. I took my iPhone and guidebook to read. I don’t think this is a viable hop-on-hop off if you are pressed for time and you are trying to line up multiple sites to see in one day using the bus as transportation. This is due to the haphazard nature of the arrivals and departures.
The commentary was ok, not as bad as some found. I found the volume button doesn’t go very low so for some it might seem loud.
Also, if the driver forgets to sync the commentary manually as you go by the sights maybe it’s out of sync with where you are passing by. That wasn’t the case, I found. I would recommend taking your own headphones that can be turned down if necessary LOL. Dress in layers, some of buses are covered in and some are open top and take a water bottle.
Anyway, I thought on the whole it was a great way to see the organised chaos that is Chinese society and inner city driving LOL. You might get a new appreciation of defensive driving after going on this tour :-/ The number of times I thought we were going to take out a jaywalking pedestrian or cyclist was many. However this is just every day life here, you hardly even hear a horn, except in extreme circumstances!
My advice would be to start at the Garden bridge stop near the Peace Hotel, do the red no 1 circuit, get off at the Bund Custom House stop, change to the no3, yellow route, do Pudong side, then get off again on the Bund at the historical weather station stop and do the no 2 purple circuit. This would take 4-5 hours.
Then you have a good overview of the town and can figure out where you want to return to for a better look. That’s my hoho tips for Shanghai :-)
NB
One thing to keep in mind, to do all routes you need the 40rmb blue ticket not the 30rmb yellow ticket. The yellow ticket only takes you on the 1&3 routes.
Trick for young players if the ticket seller doesn’t speak English. Not a biggy but would have been good to avoid buying the wrong ticket.
The tickets go for 24 hours (yellow) & 48 hours (blue)
Just to clarify there are two hoho bus companies operating in Shanghai. I went on the City Sightseeing bright RED bus, not The City of Shanghai Bus Tour Company which seems to be the only company on TA reviews. See my photos for the two options. So I’m posting a review about the City Sightseeing Bus Hop On Hop off, as there is no other place to post this. Both companies seem to stop at the same stops.
I think this thread is capturing the worst experiences of both companies when I didn’t really find the one I went on (City Sightseeing) too bad at all for the price! To get the most value on the City Sightseeing bus ADVANCED planning is essential ;-)
I went on the full circuit of three of the lines in one day. Lines 1,3&5. I think the best way to use these buses is to do the three circuits without getting off.
Study the map and chart I’ve posted to see where you could interchange routes. Mainly along the Bund. Where there are multiple coloured circles at a stop means you could get off and change circuit. Warning - you may have to wait up to half an hour if you get off until the right bus arrives.
There are some waits at stops up to 25 mins and sometimes you have to change to the bus in front at a stop so have your wits about you. This happened at the Shanghai Museum stop.
Take some entertainment. I took my iPhone and guidebook to read. I don’t think this is a viable hop-on-hop off if you are pressed for time and you are trying to line up multiple sites to see in one day using the bus as transportation. This is due to the haphazard nature of the arrivals and departures.
The commentary was ok, not as bad as some found. I found the volume button doesn’t go very low so for some it might seem loud.
Also, if the driver forgets to sync the commentary manually as you go by the sights maybe it’s out of sync with where you are passing by. That wasn’t the case, I found. I would recommend taking your own headphones that can be turned down if necessary LOL. Dress in layers, some of buses are covered in and some are open top and take a water bottle.
Anyway, I thought on the whole it was a great way to see the organised chaos that is Chinese society and inner city driving LOL. You might get a new appreciation of defensive driving after going on this tour :-/ The number of times I thought we were going to take out a jaywalking pedestrian or cyclist was many. However this is just every day life here, you hardly even hear a horn, except in extreme circumstances!
My advice would be to start at the Garden bridge stop near the Peace Hotel, do the red no 1 circuit, get off at the Bund Custom House stop, change to the no3, yellow route, do Pudong side, then get off again on the Bund at the historical weather station stop and do the no 2 purple circuit. This would take 4-5 hours.
Then you have a good overview of the town and can figure out where you want to return to for a better look. That’s my hoho tips for Shanghai :-)
NB
One thing to keep in mind, to do all routes you need the 40rmb blue ticket not the 30rmb yellow ticket. The yellow ticket only takes you on the 1&3 routes.
Trick for young players if the ticket seller doesn’t speak English. Not a biggy but would have been good to avoid buying the wrong ticket.
The tickets go for 24 hours (yellow) & 48 hours (blue)
Written November 16, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
AriaYass
New York City, NY97 contributions
Sep 2018 • Solo
I'm from NYC where I would not take the BIG RED bus as they seem to be a major tourist trap. But I traveled to shanghai last minute and wanted to get to see as much as possible in a small amount of time. I booked the 48hr ticket with the including 3 attractions, best money for it all so worth it! First off make sure you do not confuse the BIG RED BUS for Shanghais RED BUS TOUR, they pick up at the same locations but shanghais bus has chinese writing and no roof top. The BIG RED BUS has the maps, and audio in different languages and better for foreigners, as the shanghai one is more for chinese natives. The BIG RED BUS line has 3 routes, a red, blue and green and heres my suggestion to get the best out of all three in the two days with enough time to wander through each stop:
I began with the Red route which starts at Nanjing road, but I took the train to the second stop Peoples square where the bus pick up is right outside the station. They start at 9am and end as late as 9pm depending on their drop offs at night. Get a map and your tickets from the people at every post, dont lose your tickets as you need them to get to the River cruise, observatory and bund sight seeing tunnel. Note that at these 3 attractions you have to show your paper ticket issued by the red bus attendents, to the attraction ticket offices where they will print you your final ticket to go in. From Peoples square I went to THE BUND A and got off to into the first attraction the sight seeing tunnel. Its very cool and what i realized after boarding is that the tunnel actually leaves you across the river near the ORIENTAL PEARL, which is a stop on the Blue line. I suggest since you are there already go up the Pearl building and do all the floors, its super cheap and a great view. Ride the rollercoaster its really crazy cool! right outside is the bus pick up again and head to the next stop JIN MAO TOWER, the second attraction which is the building observatory. you get a great view of the 3 buildings alongside each other and the city line. Take the Bus line back down to the COOL DOCKS , you can either get off here and walk down to the next stop on the boardwalk to take the river cruise or just take the bus to the stop. if you have time I suggest walking it its not that far and you get to walk the Bund boardwalk and see the city alongside the water. Following this route by this time its day one and you are hitting sunset already, which is the best time to take the river cruise tour the last attraction. The view is absolutely beautiful at night, all the buildings have light works to them which bring out the architecture more. Note that there are many ticket offices for the cruises at night, I got so confused till I realized the one for the bus tour is Building 418. Get on the 6pm cruise so that by the time you are done you can get on the last bus back to whichever drop off you need to get to before they close around 8pm. On your second day Get on the red line again, Walk the Bund A to stop 7 and take the red bus to YU GARDEN. From there you can transfer from the Red Line to the green line and make a stop at JING AN TEMPLE. Obviously do the smaller stops in between but those are more of a sight seeing stops, again I suggest Nanjing Road at night. Great shopping area and again the lights remind me of time square. Also all the stops I mentioned are better to take with the bus drop off because they are farther apart and the smaller stops you can do on your own in walking distance without the tour bus, to save money and time of course.
Only thing to note and be aware, wait times at the bus stops can go anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour so start early use your full day wisely. Some stops like the river cruise might confuse you because there is no real direction to which ticket office, but again its Building 418 Huangpu Cruise. The staff was always helpful whenever I had a question and they know enough english to help guide you, but dont expect a tour guide to take you to every stop. Its mostly a self guided tour at your own pace which is probably better for most.
I began with the Red route which starts at Nanjing road, but I took the train to the second stop Peoples square where the bus pick up is right outside the station. They start at 9am and end as late as 9pm depending on their drop offs at night. Get a map and your tickets from the people at every post, dont lose your tickets as you need them to get to the River cruise, observatory and bund sight seeing tunnel. Note that at these 3 attractions you have to show your paper ticket issued by the red bus attendents, to the attraction ticket offices where they will print you your final ticket to go in. From Peoples square I went to THE BUND A and got off to into the first attraction the sight seeing tunnel. Its very cool and what i realized after boarding is that the tunnel actually leaves you across the river near the ORIENTAL PEARL, which is a stop on the Blue line. I suggest since you are there already go up the Pearl building and do all the floors, its super cheap and a great view. Ride the rollercoaster its really crazy cool! right outside is the bus pick up again and head to the next stop JIN MAO TOWER, the second attraction which is the building observatory. you get a great view of the 3 buildings alongside each other and the city line. Take the Bus line back down to the COOL DOCKS , you can either get off here and walk down to the next stop on the boardwalk to take the river cruise or just take the bus to the stop. if you have time I suggest walking it its not that far and you get to walk the Bund boardwalk and see the city alongside the water. Following this route by this time its day one and you are hitting sunset already, which is the best time to take the river cruise tour the last attraction. The view is absolutely beautiful at night, all the buildings have light works to them which bring out the architecture more. Note that there are many ticket offices for the cruises at night, I got so confused till I realized the one for the bus tour is Building 418. Get on the 6pm cruise so that by the time you are done you can get on the last bus back to whichever drop off you need to get to before they close around 8pm. On your second day Get on the red line again, Walk the Bund A to stop 7 and take the red bus to YU GARDEN. From there you can transfer from the Red Line to the green line and make a stop at JING AN TEMPLE. Obviously do the smaller stops in between but those are more of a sight seeing stops, again I suggest Nanjing Road at night. Great shopping area and again the lights remind me of time square. Also all the stops I mentioned are better to take with the bus drop off because they are farther apart and the smaller stops you can do on your own in walking distance without the tour bus, to save money and time of course.
Only thing to note and be aware, wait times at the bus stops can go anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour so start early use your full day wisely. Some stops like the river cruise might confuse you because there is no real direction to which ticket office, but again its Building 418 Huangpu Cruise. The staff was always helpful whenever I had a question and they know enough english to help guide you, but dont expect a tour guide to take you to every stop. Its mostly a self guided tour at your own pace which is probably better for most.
Written September 19, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
David W
Atlanta, GA301 contributions
Oct 2017 • Couples
While the 3 different routes give a good overview of the city, there were some issues. First, for english speaking riders, the taped explanations were not matching up with the sights that the buses passed. While they were supposed to run until 8:00, after 6:00 they started taking their own routes and missing important stops. One very good experience - along with a 2-day ticket comes a boat trip along the Bund. That was a great excursion
Written November 10, 2017
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Vigswam
Singapore, Singapore1,049 contributions
Kids wanted to go see the fishes at the Aquarium. So, took the train to Liujiazhui station at the Pudong area. And, there was a Hop-On-Hop-Off City Bus service center right next to the Pearl Tower. We decided to have a look and it was reasonably priced and covers most part of the city.
Now we should have taken this in the first place the day before. Anyway, we used this service to travel all around Shanghai and used it to get back to our hotel near Yu Yuan garden vicinity as well. There are a few routes to choose from and covers most places of interest.
There are packages available to also cover entry to other places of interest.
Now we should have taken this in the first place the day before. Anyway, we used this service to travel all around Shanghai and used it to get back to our hotel near Yu Yuan garden vicinity as well. There are a few routes to choose from and covers most places of interest.
There are packages available to also cover entry to other places of interest.
Written December 5, 2018
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dave
Immensee, Switzerland10 contributions
Mar 2019 • Couples
I bought these tickets for my parents and we went this morning to the buss but they didn't accept the ticket. They said they are not valid!!!!! We need to buy from them. What a rubbish! They try to sell us tickets for $10 and here they costs 4 times more!!!! Horrible experience and I don't recomment using these busses for anybody. They just try to rip you off.
Written March 3, 2019
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Dear customer，I'm sorry about what happened to you.
Please confirm that you purchased the ticket through our official channels, and recognize our “Bus Tour” logo, not “city sightseeing”.
If you have any questions, please contact our customer service: service@hollyshanghai.com
Written April 18, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.
AJMTrips
Newton Mearns, UK98 contributions
Jul 2012 • Family
The tour route on the Big Bus is ok, but as one previous reviewer correctly observed, the waits between busses, and the time sitting static at certain points on the route are far too long. We have used a lot of these tours in the past, and this has not happened, this tour was rather disappointing in comparison.
Having committed to the Big Bus ticket, we felt we had to try to get the most out of it, so came back on the second day to do the third route. Every time we were waiting for a bus, or sitting stationary on the bus at one of the changeover stops, we seemed to see several busses from the other company (City Sightseeing) dashing past. I think they must just have more busses, and a more frequent schedule. I should point out that we did not actually try the other company, but we were not very happy with Big Bus on this occasion.
Having committed to the Big Bus ticket, we felt we had to try to get the most out of it, so came back on the second day to do the third route. Every time we were waiting for a bus, or sitting stationary on the bus at one of the changeover stops, we seemed to see several busses from the other company (City Sightseeing) dashing past. I think they must just have more busses, and a more frequent schedule. I should point out that we did not actually try the other company, but we were not very happy with Big Bus on this occasion.
Written July 13, 2012
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Kenny Smith(lives in Chicago USA)
Chicago, IL1 contribution
Hello, does anyone know the name of the music that plays in the tour? Thanks (the guitar music)
Kenny Smith(lives in Chicago USA)
Chicago, IL1 contribution
Hi, does anyone knows the music of the shanghais Hop on hop off tour? It was kinda Cuban style, Can anyone tell me the name? Thanks :)
Hi there.
I would like to take a bullet train from Shanghai to Hangzhou in the earliest morning (one day trip). Which railway station is the best? I saw there are 3 different railway station departing from Shanghai? Thanks in advance.
Eduardo C
2 contributions
A que horas saem os ônibus !
Alvaro F
Sao Paulo, SP152 contributions
Olá Eduardo ,saem as 9:00 horas senão me engano . O que demora é o espaço entre um ônibus e outro quando você desce para ver alguma atração . Pergunte antes de descer quando passa o próximo ônibus, desejo sorte caso o motorista entenda sua pergunta é você a resposta dele . Mas vale ao ensino ,bom passeio !
Mirta C
Buenos Aires, Argentina98 contributions
Hola! Estoy planeando ir a Shanghai. Podrían decirme dónde y con cuanta anticipación sacar el ticket de Big Bus? si debo sacarlo antes de llegar a china? Esta circulando? Porque la página no funciona.
Gracias por toda la info que puedan brindarme.
Ana Maritza M
Medellin, Colombia125 contributions
No hay que comprarlo con anticipación, circulan 3 rutas y hay paraderos por toda la ciudad, en el bus compras el ticket y dependiendo de cuál puedes bajarte en las estaciones de trasferencia y tomar otra ruta. Lo puedes hacer en 2 días y así hacer el recorrido por las 3 rutas para la ciudad completa, es un servicio excelente!!
Marianne H
Vaughan, Canada3 contributions
is it better to buy tickets in advance of your trip? How late at night do the buses run?
Tony C
Vero Beach, FL6,704 contributions
We got our tickets at one of the stops near our hotel. Well worth experience especially if you are looking for a overview of the city. I suggest doing bus tour the first or second day of your visit, so you can select the attractions you want to spend more time with during your city visit.
Desi_Sianipar
Bekasi, Indonesia21 contributions
where i can buy the "spring tour bus shanghai" 40RMB? can i buy it online? thanks
anastasiosp2017
Jebel Ali, United Arab Emirates58 contributions
Good morning,
check travelchinaguide and select cityguides, shanghai , transportation and sightseeing-bus web address . You will find all information you need
Best regards
Tasos
I am going to Shanghai this week, I already booked this trip. I want to know where can I get the Bus? where are the 22 stops that they said???
carmina d
Quezon City, Philippines56 contributions
Late reply but you can check there site... Pick the stop nearest your hotel.. they have their staff at most of the stops to assist you..
malenamera
Buenos Aires, Argentina2 contributions
somos 2 personas mayores estaremos en Shanghái del 18 al 20 de setiembre en el hotel Howard Johnson Plaza en el Bund , cuál de la compañías de Hop on Hop off tiene mejor calidad de servicio según sus calificaciones , traducción al español,, tarifas en U$D y horarios. Gracias
Big Bus Tours Shanghai - All You Need to Know BEFORE You Go (with Photos)
Big Bus Tours Shanghai Information
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