The HOHO [Hop-on Hop-off] bus tours offer tourist the convenience, flexibility and independence to create a unique itinerary for exploring a city. In addition, they can even get services of a well-informed guide. The sightseeing double decker bus has the top open, so that you get a complete view of the city.
The HOHO bus has several routes and stops, so tourists can choose where to hop off, explore the area and then hop on the next bus that frequently move within 15 to 25 minutes duration. You can explore Dubai in a single day or avail multiple day tour tickets and enjoy your time uncovering the Middle East Jewels.
In Dubai, there are two dominant companies offering sightseeing services on the open-air double decker Hop-on Hop-off buses.
- Big Bus
The two big transport companies has 20 years of experience Les Cars Rouges and Big Bus Co. Ltd. Merged to form the Big Bus. The operators offer an exclusive sightseeing experience to their tourists by introducing Dubai’s fascinating landmarks and awesome culture.
- City Sightseeing
City Sightseeing is a recognized global tour brand that got launched in 1999. It is branched in 6 continents and covering nearly 100 cities.
Kinds of HOHO tours
Both the operators offer three main kinds of HOHO tours.
- Day tours – 1-day or multiple day tours of 3 or 7 days. Thus you get flexibility and convenience to see Dubai.
- Night tours – Night tours does not allow to hop-on or off the bus but you can sit on the double-decker open-air bus. You can watch the vibrant Dubai city at night. Just see the glittering landmarks sitting atop the HOHO bus listening to the interesting stories told by a live tour guide.
- Dubai + Abu Dhabi tour – You get a chance to sightsee major tourist spots in both Emirate cities.
Click here for Dubai bus tours comparison on the basis of routes, frequency, pricing and extras.
Detailed information on both operators offered features
Routes
Big Bus offers only 3 routes but covers the whole Dubai city. City Sightseeing covers 8 routes and you can see different city side on every route.
- Red route – 11 popular attractions
- Blue route – 10 awesome sites
- Green route – 5 unmissable spots
- Historic route – 14 stops
- Palm crescent – 5 locations
- Modern route – 7 attractive spots
- Marina route – 10 places
- Cruise terminal route – 3 stops
- City of lights – sunset
- City of light – midnight
- Global village and miracle garden route
Frequency
For both HOHO bus types, tourist will need to wait for not more than ½ an hour.
- Big Bus – Blue and Red routes have frequency of twenty minutes, whereas Green route has 15 minutes rate of recurrence.
- City Sightseeing – The frequency of every route is not more than 25 minutes.
Ticket prices
Prices of both City Sightseeing and Big Bus Tours are nearly same but experience will be different.
Big Bus
Packages offered –
Classic – 1-day
- HOHO tour
- Night tour
- 4 walking tour complimentary
- 7 museums free entre
- Dhow cruise
- Adults – $63.69 + Children – $40.67
Premium – 2-day
- HOHO tour
- Night excursions
- 2 walking tour free
- Half-day Sharjah tour
- Marina and Island Lagoon cruise
- Dhow Cruise
- Adults – $73.25 + Children $47.04
Deluxe – 5-day
- HOHO tour
- Night trip
- Flamingo Lagoon Discovery
- Lost Chambers Aquarium
- Dhow Cruise
- Desert sunset tour
- Marina and Island Lagoon cruise
- Palm Island Drive
- 7 museums free
- 5 walking tours complimentary
- Adults $87.95 + Children – $54.14
City Sightseeing
1-day ticket
- HOHO trip
- Night excursions
- Dubai museum ticket
- Dhow cruise
- Free coffee
- Adults – $72 + Children – $44
3-day ticket
- HOHO tour
- Night tour
- Palm Jumeirah Cruise
- Museum ticket
- Aquarium ticket
- Dhow cruise
- Free coffee
- Adult – $97 + Children – $69
7-day ticket
- HOHO tour
- Night trip
- Palm Jumeirah Cruise
- Flying club ticket
- Museum ticket
- Aquarium ticket
- Dhow cruise
- Free coffee
- Adults – $125 + Children – $97
Thus you can see both HOHO bus operators offer many perks but make sure to buy Dubai discount passes to save funds during the vacation.