Hop On-Hop Off with City Sightseeing

By Drew Rigefsky // 9 September 2010 // Comments: 1 // Related Categories: bondi, sydney, Things to do, tour, Traveller blog

What is the first thing that comes to mind when you think of tour buses?

The reactions may vary wildly, but they could bring up reactions of horror and disgust.  For those people who think that way, tour buses are the quintessential vehicle for unaware tourists who get off the bus and marvel at everything they see.  As a tour guide rambles on in a myriad of languages about each attraction, camera flashes go off at a rapid pace, and eventually one or two people get lost.

For those whose reactions sound eerily similar to what was described above, one great alternative is the "hop on-hop off" bus, and in Sydney, no such bus is as good as the fleet owned and operated by City Sightseeing.  Their buses, the only ones to have an open-air top deck, circulate around the city center every twenty minutes, allowing anyone to experience the sights and sounds of the city as they please.  They also operate buses to Bondi as well, although those run far less frequently; if you are interested in that tour, talk to City Sightseeing staff at Central Station for times.

Each bus ride lasts about ninety minutes from start to finish, beginning and ending at Central Coach Station's Bay Two on Eddy Avenue; ask around if you can't find Bay Two, because it is rather difficult to find, but it is just after the railway bridge when you are walking from Elizabeth Street.  During each bus ride, an audio guide will give you information about the different sites you pass, but it is rather hit-and-miss, so if you really want to know about a particular place, the best thing to do is to simply get off the bus and take a look for yourself.  That is what makes these "hop on-hop off" buses so great; you're able to fully customize your own experience.

Tickets for the bus are a whopping $35.00 for a regular adult ticket; a student ticket costs $30.00, but that ticket requires a valid student ID.  These tickets may seem like a lot, but these tickets are good for a full 24 hours, and you can embark and disembark at the twenty-three drop-off points as many times as you like throughout that time frame.  Also keep in mind that you're seeing a lot of Sydney with this tour, with drop-off points near sites such as Darling Harbor, Circular Quay, Town Hall and George Street, the Harbor Bridge and the Opera House.  All-in-all, $35 isn't a bad price considering what you're getting for it.

Sitting on the open-air top deck was a fantastic way to experience the city.  With just a light coat on, I stayed on the bus for an entire ninety minutes just to enjoy the ride and all the sites around me before I decided to get off the bus.  That way, I could plan out which sites I wanted to see up close.  It was great to get off at the Maritime Museum, just for the walk over Pyrmont Bridge alone, and I met up with the bus again on the other side, at the Sydney Aquarium.  It was just as great to get out at Hyde Park and walk around for an hour, and having the ability to get back on the bus at the same place I got off.  Exploring Sydney by the City Sightseeing buses was such a fantastic experience, well worth the cost of the ticket.  No matter if you're staying in Sydney for a short time or if your sojurn in Sydney is an extended one, a trip on a City Sightseeing bus is one you won't soon forget!