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Which Barcelona Bus Tour Is Best?

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Updated: September 12, 2024
 By Stephen

This post will cover all of the bus tours available in Barcelona.

In addition to providing details about the landmarks included on these outings, we will also go over the prices for each service.

These services will take you to all of the most notable sites in the city, allowing you to jump off and explore the area at your own leisure.

When you’re done looking around and enjoying a great view of the city, you can hop right back onto the bus and continue your tour!

As you're heading from one location to the next, you can use a free multilingual audio guide system to learn more about the city history of Barcelona and the most notable landmarks in the area.

Audio commentary is provided in English, Spanish, Swedish, Portuguese, Dutch, Hebrew, Arabic, Hindi, and other languages.

The frequency of the service for most hop-on hop-off buses is one every 15-30 minutes on average.

If you stay on board the entire time, it will only take 1-2 hours to complete the tour.

However, if you choose to hop off and explore, you can really make the experience last all day!

City Sightseeing Barcelona

City Sightseeing is an international company and you’ll find their buses in many major cities.

In Barcelona, the Hop on Hop Off Barcelona tour includes three routes, and 39 stops, and is available in 16 languages!

Tickets are valid for 3 months, so you can use them anytime within that time frame.

That said, once activated, the ticket will only be valid for the consecutive calendar days you've chosen.

How Much is the Hop on Hop off Bus in Barcelona?

  • 1 Day Hop-on Hop-off Ticket: €33/Adults | €18/Kids | €28/Seniors
  • 2 Day Hop-on Hop-off Ticket: €44/Adults | €23/Kids | €39/Seniors

Purchase tickets or learn more.

TIP: You can save an extra 5% by using Tiqets!

This air-conditioned double-decker bus tour is included with several Barcelona tourist passes and customers who purchase a ticket for the tour will also receive more than €250 in additional discounts at various attractions, stores, and restaurants.

Buses run from 9:00 - 20:00 (9 am - 8 pm) each day and they make stops at each location once every 15-25 minutes.

Tickets can either be printed or you can use your mobile phone as your ticket!

What stops are on the Hop on Hop off Barcelona Tour?

There are three routes available on the City Sightseeing Barcelona hop-on-hop-off tour.

Red Route

This is the main service offered by City Sightseeing in Barcelona, and it includes exactly 20 stops.

The Red Route operates year-round except on New Years Day and Christmas, and it takes approximately 90-120 minutes to experience the entire tour from start to finish.

Of course, a hop-on hop-off bus tour is designed to allow you the chance to jump off the bus and explore areas of interest at your leisure, which means you can make the tour last as long as you want!

City Sightseeing Barcelona provides the Red Route service from 9:00 am to 19:00 (7 pm) each day, giving you a total of 10 hours each day to explore the city at your own pace.

Here are each of the stops made on the Red Route:

  1. Plaça de Catalunya - Las Ramblas
  2. Casa Batlló - Fundació Antoni Tàpies
  3. Passeig de Gràcia - La Pedrera and Casa Mila
  4. Francesc Macià – Diagonal
  5. Estació de Sants
  6. Plaça d’Espanya
  7. CaixaForum – Pavelló Mies Van der Rohe and Monjuic Fountain
  8. Poble Espanyol
  9. Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya
  10. Anella Olímpica
  11. Fundació Joan Miró
  12. Telefèric de Montjuïc - Castell de Montjuic
  13. Miramar – Jardins Costa i Llobera
  14. World Trade Center
  15. Colom – Museu Marítim
  16. Port Vell
  17. Museu d’Història de Catalunya
  18. Port Olímpic
  19. Barcelona Zoo
  20. Pla de Palau – Parc de la Ciutadella and Basilica de Santa Maria del Mar

Blue Route

The Blue Route of this hop-on hop-off Barcelona service is also offered daily from 9:00 am to 19:00 (7 pm). The main differences between this line and the Red Route are that it’s much shorter and it covers the area northwest of the city centre.

Since the Blue Route is shorter with only 14 stops, so it will take only 60-90 minutes to experience the tour from start to finish. Of course, as usual, you can always make these tours last as long as you wish!

Here are the stops provided on the City Sightseeing Blue Route in Barcelona:

  1. Plaça de Catalunya - Las Ramblas
  2. Casa Batlló - Fundació Antoni Tàpies
  3. Passeig de Gràcia - La Pedrera and Casa Mila
  4. Sagrada Família
  5. Sant Pau Recinte Modernista
  6. Park Güell
  7. Tramvia Blau – Tibidabo and CosmoCaixa
  8. Sarrià
  9. Monestir de Pedralbes
  10. Palau Reial – Pavellons Güell
  11. Futbol Club Barcelona - Camp Nou
  12. Diagonal – Les Corts
  13. Francesc Macià – Diagonal
  14. Eixample

Green Route (NOT CURRENTLY AVAILABLE)

Unlike the other routes, this one is only available from April 12th - November 3rd. Visit sites like Port Olímpic, Fòrum, Parc Diagonal Mar, Platja del Bogatell – Cementiri del Poblenou, and Poblenou.

For more details, check their route map.

Barcelona City Tour

Unlike its competitors, Barcelona City Tour offers only two routes.

That said, their routes cover a lot of ground, including some sites that other services only offer seasonally.

There are a total of 34 stops spread across both routes, and the tour is available in 15 different languages.

Barcelona City Tour also offers free wifi on their open coaches and discounts at various establishments across the city.

Ticket Prices

  • 1-Day Hop-on Hop-off Ticket: €33/Adults | €18/Kids | €28/Seniors
  • 2-Day Hop-on Hop-off Ticket: €44/Adults | €23/Kids | €39/Seniors

Purchase tickets or learn more.

Buses run from 9:00 - 19:00 (9 am - 7 pm) for the West route and from 9:00 - 20:00 (9 am - 8 pm) for the East route. Stops are made every 15-25 minutes.

This tour is included with the Barcelona iVenture City Pass and there is an app you can use to find out where you are in real time.

Bus Routes

There are two routes available on the hop-on-hop-off Barcelona City Tour.

Orange Route

This is also known as the West Route, as it runs west of the city centre. This bus line includes a total of 19 stops, and it operates year round from 9:00 am - 19:00 (7 pm) each day.

The entire route takes approximately 2 hours to complete from start to finish.

Although you could just stay on the bus for 2 hours and experience the entire tour, don’t forget that a hop-on hop-off Barcelona tour is designed to let you jump off wherever you want and explore the city at your own pace.

Here are each of the stops provided on the Orange Route:

  1. Plaça Catalunya
  2. Arc de Triomf
  3. El Born Ciutadella Zoo
  4. Passeig de Colom
  5. World Trade Center
  6. Jardins de Miramar
  7. Fundació Joan Miró
  8. Anella Olímpica
  9. Museo Nacional de Arte de Cataluña
  10. Poble Espanyol
  11. CaixaForum Pavelló Mies van der Rohe
  12. Plaça d’Espanya
  13. Estació de Sants
  14. Camp Nou FC Barcelona
  15. Plaça Pius XII
  16. L’Illa Diagonal
  17. Avinguda Diagonal
  18. La Pedrera
  19. Casa Batlló

Green Route

Also called the East Route, this bus line covers the area east of the city centre and it includes a total of 14 stops. Much like their other route, you can expect this tour to take approximately 2 hours from beginning to end.

Here are the stops included with the Green Route:

  1. Plaça Catalunya
  2. Port Vell
  3. Museu d’Història de Catalunya
  4. Barceloneta
  5. Port Olímpic
  6. Zoo Poblenou
  7. Teatre Nacional Auditori
  8. Torre Glòries
  9. Sagrada Família
  10. Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau
  11. Park Güell
  12. Tibidabo
  13. La Pedrera
  14. Casa Batlló

For a larger map, please download it here.

NIGHTTIME BUS TOURS

In this section, we will cover each of the bus tours offered in Barcelona after dark.

We will include details about ticket prices, tour durations, and anything else you might want to know.

Barcelona Guide Bureau

This company offers a variety of specialty bus tours, including this service which focuses on the Magic Fountain of Montjuïc.

In addition to the Magic Fountain, this service also visits La Barceloneta, the Olympic Port, the Old Port, the Monument to Columbus, and more.

This tour runs on Thursday and Saturday from 20:00 - 22:30 (8 pm - 10:30 pm). 

Note: This tour runs seasonally from May to October.

Ticket Prices

This tour will begin at Plaça Catalunya and you’ll find the tour group by looking for their bright orange umbrellas.

A professional guide will provide additional information about each of the locations you will visit along the way.

Barcelona Party Nights

If you’re in the market for more pub crawl/club crawl, the Opium VIP Night Tour should be right up your alley.

This tour will take you to some of the best clubs in Barcelona, including several locations where you’ll enjoy free drinks and skip-the-line access.

Tickets start at €55.95 per person and include at least 3 free drinks as well as at least €20 worth of cover charges.

Purchase tickets or learn more.

The tour will begin at 22:00 (10 pm) and run for a total of 3-6 hours, so prepare for a long and fun night of bar hopping!

SPECIALTY BUS TOURS

This section will go into detail about all of the Barcelona bus tours with a special focus.

While other tours offer a broad overview of notable landmarks in the city, these services tend to feature specific locations and subjects.

Barcelona Guide Bureau

NOTE: This company currently isn't offering any tours as of May 2023, but that may change in the coming months.

In addition to its nighttime tour, this company also offers a variety of additional outings.

Barcelona Guide Bureau is run by professional, licensed guides who provide a unique bus experience in Barcelona.

With 8 different tour options, you can see the highlights or focus on a specific theme during your tour of the city.

The specialty tours allow you to skip the lines and enter some of the sites (entrance fee included in booking price) with your own guide.

Specialty Tours

Each of these tours is provided in English, and each bus is air-conditioned with reclining seats for your comfort.

Gray Line (City Sightseeing)

In addition to their hop-on-hop-off bus tours, this company also provides several half-day and full-day trips to popular locations in and around Barcelona.

Here are a few of the more notable outings you might want to consider:

Each of these day trips includes tickets to the attraction you will be visiting and round-trip transportation to and from the site.

DISCOUNTS AND PASSES

This section will provide information about the best ways to save money on bus tours in Barcelona.

In addition to covering each of the tourist passes available, we will also include details about other discounts you might want to consider.

Tourist Passes

There are several different discount passes available in Barcelona, and many of them offer admission to a hop-on-hop-off tour.

If you’re planning to see and do a lot of things while you’re in the city, these services can save you 50% or more on a variety of fun activities and attractions.

Each of the following tourist passes includes a Barcelona bus tour:

  • The Barcelona Pass
  • Barcelona Turbo Pass
  • Barcelona iVenture Card
  • Barcelona City Pass
  • Gaudi Pass

In addition to saving money, these passes can also save you time with skip-the-line privileges at several popular landmarks.

For more details, make sure to read our full post covering Barcelona tourist passes.

Groupon

This discount website often offers Barcelona bus tours for a very low price.

In addition to traditional services, you’ll also find half and full-day trips from the city to locations such as Montserrat.

Groupon also provides additional discounts every now and then, allowing you to save a lot of extra money on various attractions and activities.

Additional Discounts

If you decide to purchase their hop-on-hop-off tour, both City Sightseeing and Barcelona City Tour offer additional savings on other activities and attractions in the area.

Depending on which service you choose, you can expect coupons totaling more than €250 worth of discounts at a variety of stores, museums, restaurants, and more.

Here are a few of the most notable discounts:

  • Barcelona Aquarium
  • Casa Batlló
  • La Pedrera
  • Camp Nou

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About The Author

Stephen

Stephen is the founder of Free Tours by Foot and Tours by Foot and has overseen the transformation of a local walking tour company into a global tour community and traveler’s advice platform. He has personally led thousands of group tours in the US and is an expert in trip planning and sightseeing, with a focus on budget travelers in the US as well as in Europe. Stephen has been published and featured in dozens of publications including The Wall Street Journal, BBC, Yahoo, Washington.org, and more.
Updated: September 12th, 2024
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