If you're trying to figure out what you want to see while in Munich, a hop-on hop-off bus tour will give you an excellent overview of the city.
Once you've seen some of the main sites, you can pick the ones you like the best and find one of our free Munich walking tours to cover these attractions in greater detail.
In the post below, we'll include information about how each service works, routes, attractions visited, prices, and how to save money on this activity.
- Hop-on Hop-off
- Day Trips From Munich
- Munich to Neuschwanstein Castle
- Pros and Cons of Bus Tours
- Free Munich Walking Tours
This section covers each of the hop-on hop-off bus tours available in Munich.
There are currently 3 companies offering this service, and prices range from €21 - €35 per person depending on how many days long your ticket lasts.
Most of these companies offer free cancellation and full refund.
Big Bus Tours
This is one of the most well-known and respected bus tour companies in the world, and they offer this tour in many notable cities around the globe via their double-decker buses.
With so much experience, you can rely on them to provide a reliable service.
In addition to offering transportation to several notable sites in Munich, they also include pre-recorded commentary or audio guide in the following 8 languages:
- English
- French
- German
- Italian
- Spanish
- Arabic
- Russian
- Norwegian
They currently offer a total of 3 ticket options in Munich which are active for either 1 or 2 days at a time.
Discover Ticket
- Red Route (City Tour) only
- Single Ride around the city (not 24 hrs)
- €21.60/Adults | €14.40/Children (4-14)
- Book Your Tour or learn more.
Essential Ticket
- Red Line (City Tour)
- Blue Line (Schwabing Tour)
- Purple Line (Nymphenburg & Olympiapark Tour)
- 24-Hour Hop-on Hop-off Service
- €26.10/Adults | €14.40/Children (4-14)
- Book Your Tour or learn more.
Explore Ticket
- Red Route (City Tour)
- Blue Line (Schwabing Tour)
- Purple Line (Nymphenburg & Olympiapark Tour)
- 48-Hour Hop-on Hop-off Service
- €31.50/Adults | €17.10/Children (4-14)
- Book Your Tour or learn more.
NOTE: The prices above reflect an extra 10% off when you use the official Big Bus website.
Routes
Big Bus currently has three different routes in Munich, each covering different locations around the city.
If you’re wondering where each route will take you, check this map to get a better idea.
We’ll also give you a description of the stops included on each route below.
Red Line
The red route covers Munich’s inner-city area, with views of sites such as Marienplatz, the Opera, Stachus, and Haidhausen.
There are 8 stops on this route including the following:
- Hauptbahnhof
- Odeonsplatz
- Marienplatz
- Opera
- Haidhausen
- Deutsches Museum
- Stachus
Blue Line
The blue route will take you to the neighbourhood of Schwabing, which was once the home of many famous German artists.
This is also where you’ll find the English Garden, one of the largest public parks in Europe.
The following 6 stops are included on this route:
- Hauptbahnhof
- Odeonsplatz
- English Garden
- Leopoldstraße
- Schwabing
- Pinakkotheken
Purple Line
The purple route takes you a bit further outside of the city centre to sites like the Nymphenburg Palace and Olympiapark.
You’ll also be able to see attractions in Germany like the Schloss Nymphenburg Gardens, the Neuhausen Beer Garden, and more.
Here are the 4 stops on this route:
- Hauptbahnhof
- Neuhausen
- Nymphenburg
- Olympiapark
Each route takes around 60 minutes to complete, and Big Bus typically offers service every 30 minutes.
The blue route only has service every hour on weekends and every 2 hours on weekdays.
Their bus service is available from 10 am - 6 pm.
City Sightseeing
Like Big Bus Tours, this company also offers hop-on hop-off express tour all over the world in their double-deckers.
Their services are very similar, including using the same routes, ticket types, and the pre-recorded commentary in 8 languages.
One of the main differences between City Sightseeing and other companies is that they offer family grand tour at a discounted rate.
Some ticket options also include a free espresso! Their cancellation policy is like other bus tour companies.
City Tour
- Red Line (City Tour) only
- Single Itinerary around the city (not 24 hrs)
- €22.50/Adults | €14.50/Children (5-15)
All Tours - 24 Hours
- Red Route (City Tour)
- Blue Line (Schwabing Tour)
- Purple Line (Nymphenburg & Olympiapark Tour)
- 24-Hour Hop-on Hop-off Service
- Includes Free Segafredo Espresso
- €25.90/Adults | €14.50/Children (5-15)
- €54/Family Ticket (2 Adults + 3 Children)
All Tours - 48 Hours
- Red Route (City Tour)
- Blue Line (Schwabing Tour)
- Purple Line (Nymphenburg & Olympiapark Tour)
- 48-Hour Hop-on Hop-off Service
- Includes Free Segafredo Espresso
- €29.90/Adults | €14.50/Children (5-15)
- €59.90/Family Ticket (2 Adults + 3 Children)
Routes
City Sightseeing uses the exact same routes as their competitors, and they offer service about as frequently as well.
Learn more about these routes above.
Gray Line
While this company’s hop-on hop-off bus tour is also similar to those offered by their competitors, there are a few differences to note.
For the most part, they offer stops at the same locations as Big Bus, but there are a few differences we will note below in the routes section.
If you’re not a fan of pre-recorded commentary, Gray Line offers live commentary in German.
While this won’t be useful for anyone who doesn’t understand the language, it’s definitely worth noting for those who are fluent and prefer to have a tour guide provide details.
Their pre-recorded commentary is offered in English, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Italian, Russian, Chinese, and Japanese.
Express Ticket
- Express Circle Tour (7 stops)
- Single Ride around the city (not 24 hrs)
- €21.60/Adults | €14.40/Children (4-14)
24-Hour Ticket
- Grand Circle Tour (12 stops)
- 24-Hour Hop-on Hop-off Service
- €29/Adults | €16/Children (4-14)
- €59/Family (2 Adults, 2 Children)
48-Hour Ticket
- Grand Circle Tour (12 stops)
- 48-Hour Hop-on Hop-off Service
- €35/Adults | €19/Children (5-15)
Routes
Unlike its competitors, this company has consolidated its service down to just two routes.
Despite this fact, they still manage to make stops at all the major locations included with every other hop-on hop-off bus service in Munich.
Express Circle Tour
This is essentially like the Red Line route from Big Bus, but with a few differences.
Here are the 7 stops included with their Express Circle Tour:
- Hauptbahnhof
- Kunstareal
- Odeonsplatz
- Icewave
- Max-Joseph-Platz
- Marienplatz
- Karlsplatz - Stachus
Grand Circle Tour
This route includes all the stops on their Express Circle Tour with a few more stops at popular locations such as Olympia Park and Nymphenburg Palace.
Here are the additional stops included with the Grand Circle Tour:
- English Garden
- BMW Museum
- BMW World
- Olympia Park
- Nymphenburg
The Express Circle Tour takes approximately 1 hour to complete, while the Grand Circle Tour is 2.5 hours in length.
Their operating hours are 9:40 am - 4 pm in the summer and 10 am - 3 pm in the winter.
Gray Line offers service every 60 minutes.
Day Trips From Munich
There are a lot of notable and popular attractions within a few hours of Munich, so you might want to consider a trip.
One of the most popular destinations is Neuschwanstein Castle, and we have an entire post dedicated to visiting this historic site.
In addition to these options, there are several other day trips from Munich you might enjoy.
Gray Line
Aside from their hop-on hop-off bus tours, this company also offers a variety of day trips from Munich.
These outings include transportation via bus to a variety of popular locations. Here are the best options they currently offer:
- Visit the summit of Zugspitze
- Includes Cable Car ride
- Includes Cogwheel Train ride
- Duration: 8 hours
- Availability: Every Sunday at 10 am
- €115/Adults | €79/Children | €99/Student & Youth
- Book Your Tour or learn more.
Salzburg & Lake District Day Tour
- Visit Salzburg, home of Mozart
- Travel through the Bavarian Alps
- Cruise across Lake Wolfgangsee
- Duration: 10.5 hours
- Availability: Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday at 8:30 am
- €64/Adults | €31/Children | €49/Student & Youth
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
- Visit the medieval town of Rothenburg
- Includes Guided Tour of Harburg Castle
- Duration: 10.5 hours
- Availability: Mon, Wed, and Sat at 8:30 am
- €66/Adults | €36/Children | €56/Student & Youth
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
Berchtesgaden & Eagle’s Nest Tour
- Visit Berchtesgaden and see the Bavarian Alps
- Visit a Memorial to WW2 Victims
- Visit Eagle’s Nest Estate
- Duration: 10 hours
- Availability: Monday and Friday at 8:30 am
- €65/Adults | €36/Children | €55/Student & Youth
- Purchase tickets or learn more.
Nuremberg Day Tour
- Visit Nuremberg Trials Memorium
- Guided Tour of Historic Old Town
- Duration: 10 hours
- Availability: Not currently offered
- Prices starting at €58 per person
Royal Castle of Herrenchiemsee Day Tour
- Includes Guided Tour of Castle Herrenchiemsee
- Includes Visit to Benedictine Church
- Includes Boat Ride on Lake Chiemsee
- Duration: 10 hours
- Availability: Not currently offered
- Prices starting at €58 per person
Innsbruck & Swarovski’s Crystal Worlds Tour
- Visit the city of Innsbruck
- Visit Swarovski’s Crystal Worlds
- Duration: 10.5 hours
- Availability: Not currently offered
- Prices starting at €58 per person
Pros and Cons
If you’re interested in visiting all of the major attractions in Munich, a hop-on hop-off bus tour can be an excellent way to get around and learn about important historic locations.
While a lot of people will find this type of service very helpful, there are a few things to consider before purchasing tickets.
Pros
Here are just a few reasons you might find a Munich hop-on hop-off bus tour very useful and valuable.
Hop On and Off at Your Own Pace
One of the best things about this type of service is that you can jump off and explore the city at your own pace.
When you’re done spending time at one stop, you can jump back on the bus and continue your tour.
Excellent Overview of Munich
The ability to hop on and off at your own discretion also makes hop-on hop-off bus tours a great way to get around the city if you’re looking for transportation, because they make stops at all the major sites in the city.
Live and Recorded Commentary
Hop-on hop-off bus tours always include pre-recorded commentary in multiple languages, allowing you to learn about the city as you travel from one stop to the next.
While most of these bus tours no longer offer live commentary, there is at least one company offering this service in Munich.
Cons
Even though this service is very useful for a majority of travelers and tourists, there are certain reasons that these bus tours might not be the best option for everyone.
No Assigned Seat
While most fully guided bus tours will give you an assigned seat so that you’ll always have somewhere to sit, hop-on hop-off bus tours do not offer this service.
Instead, all their seats are first-come, first-served, which means there might only be standing room when you hop on the bus.
Not Great Commentary
Although most people will find the pre-recorded commentary helpful, it’s not exactly the deepest or insightful information you’ll ever hear.
If you’d like to learn more about this city, a Munich walking tour will probably provide a lot more interesting details.
Inefficient Travel
If you are planning to use this type of service to get around the city, it should be noted that even the fastest companies only offer stops every 30 or so minutes.
This means you could be waiting at one of their stops for quite some time.
Anyone who has limited time in Munich might want to consider public transportation, taxis, Uber, and other alternatives to get around the city a lot faster.
