Hanoi Hop on Hop off Bus Tours

An excellent option to get to know the best things to see and do in Hanoi is to hire a tourist bus for a few days, as these buses stop at the main attractions of the city and allow you to get to know them in a practical and comfortable way. If you are one of those people who prefer to do personalised tours around the city without worrying about the traffic, the tourist buses are the best option.

In these tourist buses you will be able to get on and off as many times as you want during the time you have hired the service. In addition, you will have all the information you need about the places you visit, as you can listen to an audio guide in your own language or browse for free to find information.

Hanoi has a tourist bus with which you can move around the city: the City Sightseeing. This bus takes you to 13 of its main attractions and emblematic buildings in a comfortable way. Some of these places of interest are the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, the Hanoi Cathedral, the Hanoi Opera House, the Tran Quoc Pagoda, the Hoa Lo Prison and the Frog Garden.

You can hire it for 1 or 2 days, but if you hire it for 2 days, you will save more than 30% on the second day. You can also book it for a longer period, but you have to make a separate purchase. The bus usually runs from 9.15am to 5.15pm.

This tourist bus works with the Hop On-Hop Off system, which means that you can get off and on the bus as many times as you want during the time you have contracted the service. For example, you can get off at Tran Quoc Pagoda, take your time to walk around it and then get on the next bus to visit another attraction.

Another advantage is that while you travel on the bus with panoramic view, you will listen to an audio guide that will give you information about the places of interest of the city that you pass by during the tour. In addition, the buses have free Wi-Fi on board, so you can look up all the information you want online.

The City Sightseeing bus runs a single route, with only one variation, as it does not pass the Central Post Office from Friday afternoon to Sunday. However, the Post Office is closed to the public during these hours.

The following is a detailed description of the bus routes on weekdays and weekends.

City Sightseeing route on weekdays

From Monday to Friday afternoons, the City Sightseeing bus usually stops or passes near the following attractions:

• Frog Garden / Terminal
• Central Post Office
• Hanoi Cathedral
• Military History Museum
• Thang Long Imperial Citadel
• Quan Thanh
• Tran Quoc Pagoda
• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
• Temple of Literature
• Hoa Lo Prison
• Hanoi Cathedral
• Vietnam Women's Museum
• Hanoi Opera House

City Sightseeing tour on weekdays

From Friday from 4pm to Sunday, the City Sightseeing bus usually stops at or passes near the following attractions:

• Frog Garden
• Military History Museum
• Thang Long Imperial Citadel
• Quan Thanh
• Tran Quoc Pagoda
• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
• Temple of Literature
• Hoa Lo Prison
• Hanoi Cathedral
• Vietnam Women's Museum
• Hanoi Opera House

Travelling by Hanoi Sightseeing Bus has many advantages, especially if you prefer to explore the city at your own pace. With the City Sightseeing bus you can get to the city's main attractions in comfort and take as much time as you want to explore each one. You can also take advantage of discounts at local businesses.

You can follow the itinerary following the established route of the bus or start one of the best tours of Hanoi at any of the stops on the itinerary. This way you can choose to start the tour at the stop closest to where you are staying, and end it at the same place.

One of the main advantages is that you will already have your itinerary figured out, and you won't have to plan routes or check traffic issues. In addition, you will have an audio guide in your language, who will tell you about the places you are visiting and you will be able to consult any doubts online, using the Wi-Fi available free of charge on the buses.

Another advantage of these buses is the flexibility in the way they are contracted, as you can use the service at any time within a period of 12 months. Once activated, you can use it for 24 or 48 hours, depending on the period you have contracted. This is an advantage because, if for any reason you have to postpone the dates of your trip to Hanoi, you will not have to cancel the bus, nor will you have to pay extra costs.

The City Sightseeing Hanoi sightseeing bus stops at around 13 attractions in the city, which you can get off at along the way. These usually include the Frog Garden, Central Post Office, Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Quan Thanh Temple, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and the Temple of Literature, among others.

Please note that entrance fees to historic buildings are not usually included in the sightseeing bus ticket, although many of them are free of charge. Most of these buildings can be visited until 5pm and are closed at midday. In addition, some buildings are not open to the public on Mondays. Below, I'll tell you a little about these attractions, so you can start planning your tour of the city.

• Dien Hong Park or Frog Garden: it is located near Hoan Kiem Lake, where locals usually go to play badminton and dance, especially in the morning. There you will find the Frog Fountain, which is over 120 years old.
• Central Post Office: one of the most iconic buildings in Hanoi, it is also known as Bo Ho Post Office. It faces Hoan Kiem Lake. It was completed around 1900 and has witnessed important historical events in the country.
• St Joseph's Cathedral in Hanoi: 19th century. Its façade, with two bell towers and a clock, is reminiscent of the church of Notre Dame.
• The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long: built in the 11th century, it is considered part of the World Heritage. There you can see the Kinh Thien Palace, the Flag Tower, the gates, the palace of the Hau Lau princesses, the tunnels and the underground barracks. Nearby is the excavation area. It can also be visited at night.
• The Military History Museum, dedicated to telling the story of the victims of the Vietnam War. War tanks, cannons, planes, helicopters and other vehicles that belonged to the US army are some of the things you can see in this museum.
• Quan Thanh Temple: is one of the 4 temples built at the cardinal points of the city (along with Bach Ma, Thu Le, Kim Lien and Quan Thanh), in order to protect it from evil spirits. It is a Taoist temple, representative of Chinese architecture. It is not recommended to visit on the 1st and 15th of each month.
• Tran Quoc Pagoda, from the year 545, the oldest temple in the city. It is noted for its 11-level architecture with 6 gates on each level, the treasures it houses and also for its panoramic views of Hanoi. It is usually open until 4pm.
• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, an imposing 20-metre high mausoleum in the centre of Hanoi, erected in honour of Vietnamese independence leader Ho Chi Minh. It is set on a 20-hectare site with ornamental gardens. The mausoleum can be visited until around noon and the rest of the grounds until 5pm.
• The Presidential Palace, which is on the same grounds as the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. It is European in style and was built around 1900. It is not possible to visit the inside, as it houses government offices.
• The Temple of Literature, dedicated to Confucius, where the sages of the empire were educated. It was the first university in Vietnam, known for its enormous demand. You can see the 5 courtyards, altars, gates, gardens and water ponds.
• Hoa Lo Prison, now a museum. It was built by the French colonial government in the late 19th century to house political prisoners. Part of it was demolished in the 1990s.
• The Vietnam Women's Museum, which commemorates the active role of women in Vietnam's history. There is also a room dedicated to the devotion of the Mother Goddesses, of great cultural and spiritual importance in the country.
• The Hanoi Opera House, whose design was inspired by the Palais Garnier in Paris. It was built by the French colonial government in the early 20th century. It is located in the centre of Hanoi.

Another option for getting to know these buildings and sites of interest in the city is to hire a guided city tour of Hanoi, which usually includes transportation (there are even off-road vehicle experiences) and a local expert guide who will tell you about the places you visit and the history and culture of the city.

The ticket for the City Sightseeing Bus costs about 19 EUR for adults for 24 hours and about 13 EUR for children. If you are staying for 2 days in Hanoi, you can buy a 48-hour ticket, which will give you a discount of more than 30%. If you wish to purchase a ticket for a longer period, you can do so in a separate transaction.

There is a difference between purchasing a bus ticket for a day and for 24 hours. In the case of an hourly ticket, if you start using the bus at 12 noon, you will be able to use it until the next day at the same time. On the other hand, if you hire it by the day, you can only use it on the same day, i.e. from 9 am to 5 pm approximately.

Tickets can be used for a period of up to 12 months, so the contract periods are flexible. When you buy your ticket you will be asked to provide an estimated date of arrival in the city, which you can change free of charge up to 24 hours in advance. This alternative is convenient in case you postpone your trip, or decide to take one of the Halong Bay cruises from Hanoi instead of touring the city.

Finally, note that there are days when children can travel free on the tourist bus, so it's a good idea to check the company's social media channels for this and other promotions.

The City Sightseeing bus usually runs every day from 9.15am to about 5.15pm, so it runs for about 8 hours with a frequency of one every half hour. Therefore, it runs for about 8 hours with a frequency of one every half an hour.

During these hours, you can hop on and off the bus as many times as you want to visit the various attractions on the itinerary, such as the Temple of Literature or the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

Moreover, you don't need to start your tour at Stop 1, but you can start your tour at any of the established stops, or at the one closest to your hotel or accommodation.

If your stay in Hanoi lasts about 3 days, you can take the opportunity to visit Sa Pa, a charming village located in the mountains, where you can learn a lot about the traditions of the locals.

The full City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off bus tours usually last approximately 90 minutes. In general, buses run at a frequency of one every half hour, which can help you plan your itinerary. For example, if it takes you about an hour to see each attraction, you should be able to see about 6 or 7 per day.

The City Sightseeing bus operates on a set route, which has strategic stops at or near the city's main attractions. Depending on the ticket you have purchased, you can use the bus for 24 or 48 hours. You can also buy it for longer, but you will have to make a different purchase operation.

The 24 or 48 hours are counted from the moment you start using the tourist bus. For example, if you have bought a 24-hour ticket and you take the bus at 2pm, you can use it until 2pm the next day to tour the attractions of Hanoi.

During this period, you can take as many tours of the city as you wish, and get on and off as many times as necessary to complete the itinerary of attractions you have planned for your visit to Hanoi. During your tour, you can't miss out on Vietnamese cuisine, as in addition to sampling the delicacies, you'll learn a lot about the culture and history of this country.