Big Bus Tours

Big Bus Tours

Big Bus Tours
4
City ToursHop-On Hop-Off ToursNight ToursSightseeing ToursBus Tours
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Monday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Tuesday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Wednesday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Thursday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Friday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Saturday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
Sunday
9:30 AM - 4:30 PM
About
Big Bus is the most popular Hop-On Hop-Off tour in the city of Philadelphia. We offer 27 stops throughout Center City and Fairmount Park. Enjoy a fully narrated tour by a live guide who will entertain you with the stories & fun facts that make Philadelphia historically and culturally significant. The tour has frequent departures from the S.W.Corner of 6th and Market Streets. Daytime hop on/hop off tours run year round. For something to do in the evening, enjoy the lights of the city on our Philly By Night Tour which departs at 8:00 pm from 12th & Filbert, nightly May through October.
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

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Most Recent: Reviews ordered by most recent publish date in descending order.

Detailed Reviews: Reviews ordered by recency and descriptiveness of user-identified themes such as wait time, length of visit, general tips, and location information.

Popular mentions

4.0
4.0 of 5 bubbles1,774 reviews
Excellent
1,009
Very good
408
Average
161
Poor
94
Terrible
102

Andrew T
324 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Solo
This was about $36 per person. Took you to many different stops. Not a ton to say about this above and beyond. If you want to just see the sights from the upper deck it’s a good way to see the city for relatively cheap. They only we’re going 30 minutes instead of the tent 10 to 15 they advertised which was a little annoying.

Overall: 8.0/10
Written September 30, 2023
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.

NDBlonde
Florida52 contributions
3.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2023 • Couples
We take these Hop-On Hop-Off trolley tours whenever we vacation for the first time in a large city. They are generally very informative, providing facts that are often unknown.
The trolly tour in Philadelphia was frustrating to say the least! As usually, I bought tickets in advance thru Trip Advisor, then arrived at the first location ready for the adventure. It was advertised as the Big Bus, yet we were told to get on the Red bus that was waiting to leave. As it was a comfortable day weather wise, we sat on top. Our guide introduced himself and asked if we could hear and when all said yes, off we went. That was the last time we heard his voice. The engine or was SO loud, my husband and I couldn’t even hear each other even when raising our voices. We motioned to the guide that we couldn’t hear, so he indicated that he would turn his mic up…didn’t help. The first 3 stops were what we really wanted to hear about, but we could only see our guides lips moving and him pointing in multiple directions. By stop 4, we’d had enough! The couple next to us said this happened the day before as well, and they only came on this one again to get to a place they didn’t want to walk to. So we got off and fortunately there was one of their stands where we told them how awful it was. He seems surprised, but then said “next time you should sit closer to the front or down below”. Then we were told to wait for the Big Bus since their sound was better then the Red buses. We had 20 mins to wait, so we grabbed a takeout so we wouldn’t miss the Big Bus. When it came, there were only 4 seats available and again they were up top. We decided to take 2 and were pleasantly surprised that we could actually hear! However, this guide spoke so fast, that it was difficult to understand all of it and she was often talking about the next stop while we were trying to take pics of what we were still passing. Too much information, so we were not inspired to return to investigate anything further. This is the first tour where the trolly/ bus only stopped if someone indicated they wanted to get off. All others stop for a few minutes whether someone wants off or not or even if no one is waiting to come on board. Very strange and stressful 2 hours.
Written September 21, 2023
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.
Hi, NDBlonde! We're sad to hear that your tour in Philadelphia did not go as smoothly as possible due to the engine loudness, as well as the difficulty with understanding the second guide. Our buses go through regular maintenance, and our staff undergoes regular training sessions, to ensure that our customers have a full and seamless Big Bus experience. We'd be happy to see you again onboard for a future tour in Philly or elsewhere!
Written December 12, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

Pathfinder793287
San Jose, CA5 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Nov 2022
We were lucky that we travelled on a warm day. It's a nice way to get an overview and make note if stops you want to return to later. Take note that the bus doesn't provide a view of the site; you have to get off the bus and walk a little. But be sure you get on one that crosses the Golden Gate Bridge. It's dramatic! Good value for the price.
Written November 10, 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.

Katy
Moray, UK888 contributions
2.0 of 5 bubbles
I was very disappointed with this as the windows downstairs where I had to sit as I’m in a wheelchair were covered by a film and you couldn’t see properly or take photos I feel I was robbed on this outing . Wouldn’t recommend if you can’t get to top of bus and lot of times people had to sit down stairs as no room upstairs couldn’t see anything! Avoid
Written July 13, 2023
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.
Hi Katybubbles, Thank you for sharing your thoughts with us! We sincerely apologize for the lack of available seats on the top deck, which prevented you from fully enjoying the tour. During busy seasons, our buses can fill up quickly, and we can't always guarantee seat availability. We truly hope you'll consider giving us another opportunity in the future so you can have the complete experience next time.
Written December 10, 2024
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

thepages4
Sydney, Australia7 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Oct 2023 • Couples
Had a fabulous guide Hilary who was a wealth of knowledge about the city. We really only came to Philly on the way to NYC to see the Rocky steps/statue but came away with so much more.
Loved it and money well spent.
Written November 10, 2023
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.

Patricia A
Chicago, IL533 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Jul 2016 • Family
Conveniently located on Market Street at the northeast corner--- the big bus tour is fantastic! We were able to catch a "hotel bus" of theirs that hits all the main hotels to get a ride to where the bus tour started, which was extremely convenient! They had food trucks right where the bus tour starts, so it was great that we were able to get a Philly cheese steak before we hopped on the bus. We had the family with us, so we planned on staying on the bus the entire time, to sightsee. There are 21 stops along the way, and you can hop on and hop off all day long! The information from the tour guide was really spectacular, and it was soooo helpful that he was a lifelong resident of Philadelphia and he was able to tell us all the changes that occurred to the city in the last 30 years. Very, very, very cool!
I would highly recommend the big bus tours, the bus is clean, they drive in a very safe way, it's great for kids, it's great for the elderly, I got fantastic photos and they accommodate the handicapped.
Here's a tip!!! Be sure to speak to the concierge of your hotel building and ask them if your hotel is one of/or near the stops for the "big bus tour" bus. This will save you some money, and get you right to where you need to go! Please press "yes" if you found this review helpful, as I wonder if anyone actually reads these.....
Written July 14, 2016
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.

MelCoutr
Long Island, NY102 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Apr 2017 • Family
We'd been on this bus tour in New York, and Washington, DC and London and decided to continue with the company for Philadelphia. It's worth every penny. You couldn't possible see all these sights in a day if you did it alone. We now want to try and visit every country that Big Bus Tours operates in!

The only issue I found was that the mobile app didn't seem to include Philly so they definitely need to update the app.
Written May 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.
Hello Mel C Thank you for choosing Philadelphia Trolley Works & Big Bus,. I am pleased you enjoyed your tour experience, and that you used our tour to enhance your visit to the historic city of Philadelphia. Our tour includes 27 stops with many, many sites and attractions along the way. Using our hop on /hop off features allows you to maximize what you can see if your time is limited. Happy Travels!
Written February 7, 2019
This response is the subjective opinion of the management representative and not of Tripadvisor LLC.

pixiekansas
208 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Jun 2016 • Family
My daughter and I had a Monday and most of the day Tuesday available to tour Philadelphia, so we decided to try the hop on hop off two day pass. We purchased this directly from our hotel clerk who then called a shuttle to come get us to take us to stop #1. Day 1 the shuttle came quickly and we got going in a timely manner. If you just have one day to tour, I am not sure I would recommend this. As some people have stated, the buses do not always come around exactly at 20-25 minutes apart. You can feel like you are doing more waiting than sightseeing. If you have two full days, I think this would be a good way to get around and see some Philadelphia sites. It stops at 27 different places around the city. It takes probably an hour or hour and a half to get all the way around if you do not get off. It was very hot the two days we were in Philly. Bring a hat or sunscreen. The downstairs of the bus is air conditioned, but there aren't that many seats downstairs (depending on what bus you get) and the view from upstairs is so much better but you will bake like a potato up there. You will have one driver and one tour guide who tells stories about the history of Philly through a microphone. The tour guide is upstairs, but comes down to help people get on and off and to check tickets of oncoming riders. Please have your ticket ready to show as it really slows the bus up when people have to struggle to dig their tickets out of their pockets! The guides seem to know a lot about Philly and some of them are very funny and personable, some not so much, but it is the luck of the draw. I felt really bad, because each tour guide will request tips and with the $70 we spent for two two day passes, we just could not tip every time we got off the bus as we were hopping on and off quite a lot. There were a LOT of people riding these buses. Once at the Rocky Steps, I thought we might have to wait for another bus. The bus arrived and there were plenty of people on it and a throng of people waiting to get on. We did get seats, but it was up under a clear plastic cover/dome thing that covers the first few rows of seats at the top front of the bus. OMG it was sweltering under there. I thought I was going to croak. Bring a bottle of water along with your sunscreen and hat. Day two we waited 45 minutes at our hotel for the shuttle and I think that was pretty long. I felt like we gave away an hour of our day. I don't know if the answer to this is to just walk to one of the stops if you are within a decent distance or to have your hotel call the shuttle earlier...??
Overall it was a pretty good experience, even just going all the way around once to hear the history of Philly and have the relevant landmarks pointed out.
Written June 23, 2016
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.

Helena
18 contributions
5.0 of 5 bubbles
Aug 2015 • Couples
We purchased a three day the Big Bus tour and the city pass. It is a great experience. We highly recommend it. The bus tour is great, the staff are very friendly and knowledgeable. The city pass provides a great value. Not only we enjoyed the four places included in the City Pass, it also saved a quite bit money for us.
The Big bus company also provided courtesy shutter bus to pick customers up from hotel. We stayed at Microtel Inn& Suites which is close to airport. We are very impressed by the Big Bus Company to go this far to pick us up. We are particularly very satisfied by the bus driver Tiffany. She picked us up from the hotel. She impressed us by her friendless, willingness to help and great knowledge about the city. Due to an accident happened on High way, it took much longer time to get to the down town. When we arrived at the stop #1, It was already 10:40am. We were quite worried that we would not be able to catch 11:00am ferry to Aquarium. Tiffany offered to help. She drove us to the ferry, so we got on 11:00am ferry just in time. We are truly impressed by her excellent customer service and her passion to help people.
We would also like to thank Mark, a gentleman we purchased a three day busy tour from. He is very friendly, and willing to help. Both Tiffany and Mark went extra miles to help us. They showed excellence of the Big Bus tour company. They gave us sweet memory of Philadelphia. Thank you!
Written August 20, 2015
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.

miss_shatori
Texas16 contributions
4.0 of 5 bubbles
Sep 2014 • Couples
We planned to just walk everywhere we wanted to go. This tour just landed in our lap as we were walking down the street and we just went with it...oh how I wished we had known sooner! A 2 day pass is $32 and well worth the money! This hop on and hop off bus is a brilliant way to do all the things you want to do and learn so much in the process. Maggie is TOPS! Give her a raise! We rode through the entire tour just to see where they stop and then decided where to hop on and off. The buses run every 15 min to all the stops listed so getting on and off is a breeze. I will say that on Saturday, seating gets limited at the top and sometimes we weren't able to sit together. And one of the buses was running an hour behind on Saturday which took most of our time on our last day of sightseeing in Philly, all in all, a great option. We would do it again!
Written October 4, 2014
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.

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