Athens Hop-On Hop-Off Buses

Enjoying the beauty of the Greek capital can be exhausting; just climbing the hill to the Acropolis is quite a physical effort. The city also has many places to see, so how can you cover them all? With the tourist bus.

The Athens tourist bus with panoramic views and free stops is a very popular means of transport in Athens. It takes you to the most important sights in the city and has four different routes, one of which goes to the Piraeus area. It is a practical, comfortable and informative way to explore the Greek capital. From just €15 you can get your 48-hour pass for the tourist bus.

What does the 48-hour ticket include?

• Access to the Athens tourist bus for 48 consecutive hours.
• You can hop on and off at all available stops.
• 4 different routes covering the city centre, the port of Piraeus and the beach areas.
• Audio guide availableon board in several languages.
• Panoramic views from an open-top double-decker bus.

How to get the most out of your pass

• Use it as a means of transport to visit the main monuments: Acropolis, Parthenon, Archaeological Museum, etc.
• Explore iconic areas such as Plaka, Monastiraki and Syntagma on foot.
• Head to the port of Piraeus and stroll among the boats in Pasalimani and Turcolimani.
• Discover the city's most popular beaches, such as Aghios Kosmas and Vouliagmeni.
• Enhance your experience by adding an optional visit to the Acropolis or its museum.
• You can also take a night tour to see the city lit up.

If you want to combine the convenience of the tourist bus with an unforgettable excursion outside the city, this is the option for you. The sightseeing bus pass with excursion to Cape Sounion includes two days of access to the 4 sightseeing bus routes in Athens and a visit to the Temple of Poseidon, one of the most spectacular sites in all of Greece, where you can watch the sun set over the Aegean Sea. This combined experience starts at €32

What's included in the combined ticket

• Access for two consecutive days to the Athens tourist bus (4 routes included).
• Guided excursion to Cape Sounion with a stop at the Temple of Poseidon.
• Hop on and off the tourist bus at any stop.
• Audio guide on the bus in Athens and during the excursion to Sounion.
• Free Wi-Fi on all buses.

How to make the most of this experience

• Spend the two days of your pass comfortably exploring the main neighbourhoods and monuments of Athens.
• Plan your trip to Cape Sounion for the day you select when booking: transport is included and will depart from the city centre.
• Relax on the journey to the cape as you travel along the Athenian Riviera with views of the sea.
• Arrive at the Temple of Poseidon just in time to enjoy the sunset from this stunning natural viewpoint.
• Take the opportunity to take photos, explore the surroundings and enjoy a unique experience with the golden light of twilight over the Aegean Sea.

The classic option: the City Sightseeing bus

The main tourist bus company in Athens is City Sightseeing (the classic red buses), offering a convenient and flexible way to explore the city, starting at €22. You can choose between 24-, 48- or 72-hour passes, depending on how long you're staying in Athens. The longer the pass, the more routes you can enjoy, up to a maximum of 3 different routes.

What's included in the City Sightseeing ticket

• Pass valid for 24, 48 or 72 hours, depending on the option you choose.
• Unlimited use of the bus during the duration of the pass.
• Access to 1, 2 or 3 available routes, depending on the pass.
• Hop on and off at all stops along the route.
• On-board audio guide with historical and cultural information.
• Free Greek beer included in the experience.

How to get the most out of your pass

• Use it to visit the main sights of Athens at your own pace.
• Enjoy the views from the double-decker sightseeing bus as you travel around the city.
• Take the Athens route to see places such as Syntagma Square, the National Gardens, the Temple of Olympian Zeus and the National Library of Greece.
• Discover the port with the Piraeus route, which includes stops such as the Lion Gate, the Municipal Theatre and the Eugenides Planetarium.
• If you're travelling between April and October, take advantage of the Beach-Riviera route, which takes you to places such as Flisvos Marina, Glyfada Beach and Lake Vouliagmeni.
• Learn as you explore the city with the audio guide available throughout the tour.

The cultural alternative: Athens Museum Pass with tourist bus

If you want to explore Athens by tourist bus and visit the main monuments and museums without queuing, the Athens Museum Pass is the most comprehensive option. This pass includes a 48-hour ticket for the Get On-Get Off tourist bus and priority access to 21 cultural attractions, all with a single pass.

What's included in the pass

• 48-hour ticket for the tourist bus with free stops throughout Athens.
• Priority access without queuing to 21 museums, monuments and archaeological sites.
• Free audio guide at the Acropolis and other key sites.
• Smartvisit app to manage tickets and reservations from your mobile phone.
• Self-guided multimedia walking tour, perfect for delving deeper into the city's history.
• Save up to 45% compared to buying individual tickets.

How to get the most out of your tourist bus with this pass

• Spend a day discovering the city from the bus, getting off at stops near places such as the Acropolis, the Acropolis Museum or the Panathenaic Stadium.
• The next day, continue your tour and skip the lines to enter other museums and monuments.
• Enjoy the views from the double-decker bus and enhance your experience with the audio guide available on board.
• Plan your itinerary easily from the app, downloading tickets or managing your bookings from your mobile phone.
• Ideal if you only have a couple of days in Athens and want to see as much as possible without any hassle.

If you purchase your ticket for the Athens sightseeing bus between April and October, you can enjoy two guided walking tours of Athens at no additional cost. During the rest of the year, the weather varies and the number of tourists in Athens decreases, so this option is not available.

These tours are the perfect complement to the bus routes. While the audio commentary you will hear on board focuses on the cultural and historical information of the points of interest the bus passes by, the walking tours focus on more everyday aspects that are also essential to know in order to get a complete picture of the city.

An expert guide covers a different area of the city on each of these tours and, over the course of about two hours, not only shows you places that tourists don't normally see, but also tells you about the city and its way of life from a local's point of view, which I assure you will be very enriching.

The most convenient and secure way to purchase your Athens tourist bus pass is online through Hellotickets. Here you will find different ticket options, from the most basic to those that include excursions and entrance tickets to monuments, all with free cancellation.

Buy online at Hellotickets

• Buy your ticket for the Athens tourist bus with free stops and panoramic views in advance and receive it directly on your mobile phone.
• You can also opt for the City Sightseeing ticket with up to 3 routes and 24, 48 or 72-hour passes.
• If you're looking for a more complete experience and want to save money, choose the combined package with an excursion to Cape Sounion or the Athens Museum Pass, which includes the tourist bus and admission to monuments.
• Avoid queues and complications: you don't need to exchange anything at the ticket office.
• You can cancel free of charge up to 24 hours before the selected date.

When does the pass activate?

• All tickets are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase if they are not activated.
• The time (24, 48 or 72 hours, depending on the pass you choose) starts from the first use: either when you board the bus or when you access any of the attractions included (in combined passes).
• During the purchase process, you must indicate the planned start date, but you can change your plans or cancel free of charge if something unexpected comes up.

The tourist bus is an ideal option for taking a trip to places further away from the centre of Athens, such as the Piraeus area. If after this visit you feel like continuing to explore the surroundings of the Greek capital, I recommend that you consider one of the getaways I mention in this article about 8 Best Tours and Day Trips from Athens

Greece is a country with so much to offer travellers, and it would be a shame to only discover one city during your trip, even if it is as exciting as Athens. With organised excursions, you will have the opportunity to visit places such as Delphi, the Peloponnese or the Greek Islands in just one day.