Big Bus Tours Discount Code

Big Bus Tours is the world’s largest open-top sightseeing bus operator, running hop-on hop-off routes across 30+ cities on five continents — and with a verified Big Bus Tours discount code for up to 20% off selected tours available through BudgetFitter, exploring a new city has rarely been better value. Whether you’re planning a weekend in London, a break in New York, or a city trip to Paris, the company’s distinctive red double-deckers have been helping millions of travellers see the sights for over 30 years.

Big Bus Tours operates on a simple principle: flexibility. You buy a pass, hop on at any stop along the route, ride to whatever landmark catches your eye, hop off to explore, then jump back on the next bus. There are no fixed itineraries, no rigid timetables to chase, and no need to walk miles between attractions. The service covers major cities across Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Asia-Pacific, with London remaining one of its most popular and comprehensive routes.

Everything you need to know about Big Bus Tours

How hop-on hop-off tours work

The hop-on hop-off format is designed around traveller freedom. Once you have a valid pass, you can board any Big Bus Tours vehicle at any designated stop on the route. Each bus runs at regular intervals — in London, that means every 15 to 20 minutes on the Red Route (28 stops) and every 20 minutes on the Blue Route (43 stops). You stay on as long as you want, disembark at an attraction or neighbourhood of interest, spend as much time as you like, then rejoin the circuit on the next bus that comes along.

Pre-recorded audio commentary is available in seven languages through complimentary earphones, covering the history, architecture, and stories behind each landmark you pass. The free Big Bus Tours mobile app complements this with detailed route maps and local dining guides, so you can plan stops and discover restaurants near the attractions you visit.

Pass types and what each includes

Big Bus Tours offers several pass tiers to suit different visit lengths and budgets. Using London as an example — the most comprehensive UK route — the options are as follows:

• 1-Day Ticket — same-day hop-on hop-off access across the full route, starting from £32
• 24-Hour Discover Ticket — extends your window across a full 24-hour period, includes a one-way river cruise and flexible date changes (from £36.99)
• 48-Hour Essential Ticket — two full days of access plus a river cruise and three guided walking tours: The Royal Walk, the Harry Potter Walk, and the Jack the Ripper Walk (from £46.99)
• Evening Tour — a dedicated panoramic night route to see the city illuminated (from £36.99)

The walking tours bundled into the higher-tier passes add genuine depth to a city visit. Rather than just viewing famous buildings through a bus window, you get a guided street-level experience through historically rich areas — a meaningful upgrade for anyone spending more than a day in the city.

Cities covered across the globe

Big Bus Tours covers over 30 cities worldwide, making it one of the most consistent sightseeing experiences you can book regardless of your destination. In Europe alone, the company operates in London, Paris, Berlin, Rome, Madrid, Prague, Vienna, Budapest, Edinburgh, Dublin, Athens, and Munich, among others. North American cities include New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Chicago, Las Vegas, Miami, and Washington DC. The Middle East and Asia-Pacific regions include Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Sydney.

This breadth of coverage means that if you use Big Bus Tours in London and enjoy the experience, you can book the same format of tour with the same app, the same commentary system, and the same pass logic in dozens of other cities — a consistency that dedicated travellers find genuinely useful.

Big Bus Tours vs City Sightseeing

The main alternative to Big Bus Tours in the hop-on hop-off category is City Sightseeing, which operates its own open-top bus network across many of the same cities. Both follow an identical boarding format, and both offer multi-day passes with bundled extras. The key differences come down to route coverage, commentary quality, and inclusions.

Big Bus Tours holds a slight edge in network size and pass flexibility, particularly in cities like London where both operate. City Sightseeing tends to be more prominent in smaller European cities and resort destinations. If both options are available in your chosen city, it’s worth comparing the specific stops and pass inclusions before booking — BudgetFitter maintains verified offers for both operators so you can check the current discount before deciding.

Planning your city visit around the bus routes

For most visitors, a hop-on hop-off bus pass works best as the anchor of a wider city plan rather than a standalone itinerary. Use the bus to cover the broad spread of a city in the first few hours — getting your bearings, identifying the areas you want to return to — then use other transport for the deeper exploration. In London, for instance, pairing a Big Bus Tours pass with the Underground or a river taxi lets you move efficiently between areas the bus route doesn’t reach.

For longer city trips where you’re travelling between multiple destinations, services like Omio are useful for booking trains, coaches, and flights in one place. Budget coach travel between cities is well covered by FlixBus, while Eurostar serves high-speed rail between London and major European cities. These are different use cases to Big Bus Tours — city-to-city movement versus sightseeing within a single destination — but combining them as part of a broader trip plan is a natural fit.

How to get the best Big Bus Tours price

Big Bus Tours tickets are available directly from the company website and app, but verified discounts are frequently available through BudgetFitter. The current verified offer — up to 20% off selected bus tours — applies to a range of destinations and pass types, including London, San Francisco, and selected US routes. BudgetFitter verifies the offer and updates the page whenever the available discount changes, so you can check the deals section above for the most current saving before booking.

Buying in advance generally secures a better rate than purchasing on the day at a bus stop. The flexible date change option included on higher-tier passes provides a useful buffer if your travel plans are not yet fixed — you can lock in a discounted advance price without committing to a specific date.