Dublin hop-on hop-off bus
The best Dublin hop-on hop-off bus tours
DoDublin, Big Bus and City Sightseeing, 24-, 48- and 72-hour tickets, the night tour and the Guinness combo. Here is how to pick a bus, with honest advice on waiting for a bus that doesn't come, whether a 24- or 48-hour ticket is worth it and what the ticket really includes.
See our 6 picks
The best-rated Dublin hop-on hop-off bus is DoDublin's Original tour, with a live guide, from €29. Big Bus adds a walking tour and a night tour on its 48- and 72-hour tickets. City Sightseeing adds a museum entry on those tickets. If you only need to get around, a Leap Visitor Card costs €8 a day but has no guide.
The 6 bus tickets we would book
Three hop-on hop-off buses, a bus with Guinness Storehouse entry, a bus and transport pass, and a night tour. All show free cancellation on GetYourGuide.
-
from €29 per person Our top pick 24, 48 or 72 hours 4.5 (3,533) reviews on GetYourGuide
DoDublin Original hop-on hop-off bus
A 24-, 48- or 72-hour ticket with a live guide on every bus. It includes free entry to the Little Museum of Dublin and one free child under 15.
Best for First-timers who want a live guide
Check availability: DoDublin Original hop-on hop-off bus on GetYourGuide -
from €32 per person 24, 48 or 72 hours 4.4 (1,081) reviews on GetYourGuide
Big Bus hop-on hop-off tour
A 24-, 48- or 72-hour ticket with live guides and audio in 7 languages. The 48- and 72-hour tickets add a 2-hour walking tour and a night tour.
Best for Families and visitors staying 2 or 3 days
Check availability: Big Bus hop-on hop-off tour on GetYourGuide -
from €28 per person 24, 48 or 72 hours 4.3 (1,335) reviews on GetYourGuide
City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus
A 24-, 48- or 72-hour ticket with an app that tracks the buses. The 48- and 72-hour tickets add the Irish Whiskey Museum or the World of Illusion.
Best for Budget travellers who like an app
Check availability: City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus on GetYourGuide - from €64 per person
1–2 days
Storehouse + bus
1–2 days 4.7 (413) reviews on GetYourGuide
Guinness Storehouse and Big Bus ticket
Priority entry to the Guinness Storehouse with a drink in the Gravity Bar, plus a 24- or 48-hour Big Bus ticket.
Best for Visitors who plan the Storehouse anyway
Check availability: Guinness Storehouse and Big Bus ticket on GetYourGuide - from €55 per person
48 h + 72 h
Freedom Card
48 h bus, 72 h transport 4.3 (238) reviews on GetYourGuide
DoDublin Freedom Card: bus and public transport
A 48-hour hop-on hop-off pass plus a 72-hour Leap Visitor Card for Dublin Bus, the Luas and the DART. It does not cover the express airport buses.
Best for Visitors who also want buses and trams
Check availability: DoDublin Freedom Card: bus and public transport on GetYourGuide - from €26 per person
1 hour
Night tour
1 hour 4.2 (462) reviews on GetYourGuide
Big Bus night tour with a live guide
A 1-hour open-top bus ride after dark with a live guide. It is not a hop-on hop-off ticket: you stay on for the whole loop.
Best for Visitors with one free evening
Check availability: Big Bus night tour with a live guide on GetYourGuide
Dublin hop-on hop-off bus tours compared
| Tour | From | Duration | Included extras | Who it suits | Why we picked it |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| DoDublin Original hop-on hop-off bus | €29 per person | 24, 48 or 72 hours | Little Museum entry, live guide | First-timers who want a live guide | The best-rated and most-reviewed of the three buses. |
| Big Bus hop-on hop-off tour | €32 per person | 24, 48 or 72 hours | Walking and night tour (48 and 72 h) | Families and visitors staying 2 or 3 days | The most extras on the longer tickets, and a free child ticket with every adult. |
| City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus | €28 per person | 24, 48 or 72 hours | Museum entry (48 and 72 h) | Budget travellers who like an app | The cheapest bus here, and the only one with a museum on the longer tickets. |
| Guinness Storehouse and Big Bus ticket | €64 per person | 1–2 days | Storehouse entry and a drink | Visitors who plan the Storehouse anyway | Two things in one booking, rated 4.7 from 413 reviews. |
| DoDublin Freedom Card: bus and public transport | €55 per person | 48 h bus, 72 h transport | 72-hour Leap Visitor Card | Visitors who also want buses and trams | The only pick that adds public transport. |
| Big Bus night tour with a live guide | €26 per person | 1 hour | Live guide, no stops | Visitors with one free evening | The only night bus tour here, from €26. |
DoDublin Original hop-on hop-off bus
€29 per person24, 48 or 72 hours 4.5 (3,533)
Details
- Included extras
- Little Museum entry, live guide
- Who it suits
- First-timers who want a live guide
- Why we picked it
- The best-rated and most-reviewed of the three buses.
€32 per person24, 48 or 72 hours 4.4 (1,081)
Details
- Included extras
- Walking and night tour (48 and 72 h)
- Who it suits
- Families and visitors staying 2 or 3 days
- Why we picked it
- The most extras on the longer tickets, and a free child ticket with every adult.
City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off bus
€28 per person24, 48 or 72 hours 4.3 (1,335)
Details
- Included extras
- Museum entry (48 and 72 h)
- Who it suits
- Budget travellers who like an app
- Why we picked it
- The cheapest bus here, and the only one with a museum on the longer tickets.
Guinness Storehouse and Big Bus ticket
€64 per person1–2 days 4.7 (413)
Details
- Included extras
- Storehouse entry and a drink
- Who it suits
- Visitors who plan the Storehouse anyway
- Why we picked it
- Two things in one booking, rated 4.7 from 413 reviews.
DoDublin Freedom Card: bus and public transport
€55 per person48 h bus, 72 h transport 4.3 (238)
Details
- Included extras
- 72-hour Leap Visitor Card
- Who it suits
- Visitors who also want buses and trams
- Why we picked it
- The only pick that adds public transport.
Big Bus night tour with a live guide
€26 per person1 hour 4.2 (462)
Details
- Included extras
- Live guide, no stops
- Who it suits
- Visitors with one free evening
- Why we picked it
- The only night bus tour here, from €26.
- None of these listings states a group size.
- No ticket includes hotel pickup: you join the bus at any stop.
- All 6 offer free cancellation.
- Prices and ratings as shown on GetYourGuide on 25 October 2026. Prices are “from” prices in euros and can change; the booking page shows the live price.
Is a hop-on hop-off bus right for your Dublin trip?
Yes, if you want a guide and a seat between sights on your first day. No, if you only need to get from A to B.
For plain transport, a Leap Visitor Card costs €8 for a day. It covers Dublin Bus, the Luas and the DART, but not the tour buses.
The tour buses add a guide or audio, a set loop past the big sights and extras such as museum entry.
Guides on other ways to tour Dublin
How to choose: operator, ticket length and extras
Pick the operator by the extra you want, then the ticket length by your days in Dublin. All three sell 24-, 48- and 72-hour tickets.
DoDublin and City Sightseeing buses
DoDublin has a live guide on every bus and free entry to the Little Museum of Dublin. One child under 15 rides free with a paying adult.
City Sightseeing has an app that tracks the buses. Its 48- and 72-hour tickets add the Irish Whiskey Museum or the World of Illusion. One child aged 3 to 12 rides free for every two paying adults.
The Big Bus tour of Dublin
Big Bus has live guides and audio in 7 languages. Every adult ticket comes with a free child ticket for ages 15 and under.
Its 48- and 72-hour tickets add a 2-hour walking tour and a 1-hour night tour. The 72-hour ticket also adds a Wicklow Mountains tour.
Route, stops and the Dublin hop-on hop-off bus map
Each operator shows its live route map in its own app, not on the GetYourGuide listing. The listings name only a few stops.
Big Bus starts at 13 O'Connell Street Upper. City Sightseeing's Stop 1 is on College Green, and its walking tour meets at the Spire.
The buses pass Trinity College, St Patrick's Cathedral and the Guinness Storehouse. Phoenix Park is on the City Sightseeing route.
The buses still drive past Dublin Castle, but it is closed to visitors until January 2027. No exact reopening day has been published.
Timetable and how often the buses run
The buses run every 20 to 30 minutes in the daytime, as each listing says. Waits are longer early and late in the day.
- DoDublin: first bus 09:00 from Stop 1, last at 18:00. Every 30 minutes until 10:00, every 20 minutes until 16:00, then every 30 minutes.
- City Sightseeing: first bus 09:15 from Stop 1, last at 17:00, every 20 to 25 minutes. A full loop takes 2 hours.
- Big Bus: runs 09:00 to 19:30, and the last full tour leaves at 17:30. Buses run every 20 to 30 minutes, and a loop takes about 2 hours.
If the bus does not come
Use the app to see where the next bus is. City Sightseeing and Big Bus both have live tracking in their apps.
Hop-on hop-off bus or public transport: which is cheaper?
Public transport is cheaper. A Leap Visitor Card costs €8 for one day or €18 for three, and the cheapest bus ticket here starts from €28.
The Leap Visitor Card does not work on hop-on hop-off buses. The Freedom Card bundles both, from €55.
For fares, the Luas and the DART, see our guide to getting around Dublin.
A one-day plan using the bus
One day on the bus is enough for three big sights. Here is one way to plan it:
- Morning: the Little Museum of Dublin on St Stephen's Green, free with a DoDublin ticket. Entry is by guided tour, and you swap your ticket at reception for the next one. It cannot be booked ahead.
- Midday: the Guinness Storehouse. Book a time slot and allow at least 90 minutes.
- Afternoon: EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in the Docklands, about 8 minutes' walk from O'Connell Street. Last entry is at 17:00.
Night tours and other bus tours in Dublin
The Big Bus night tour is a 1-hour ride with a live guide, from €26. It is not hop-on hop-off, so you stay on for the loop.
It passes Temple Bar, Dublin Castle and Christ Church Cathedral lit up at night. It comes with the 48- and 72-hour Big Bus tickets.
Big Bus also sells its bus with Guinness Storehouse entry, from €64.
Booking tips for the hop-on hop-off bus
Start early
Buses run every 20 minutes in the middle of the day but less often early and late. Start before 10:00 to fit in more stops.
Check what your ticket length adds
The walking tour, the night tour and museum entry come with 48- and 72-hour tickets only. A 24-hour ticket has none of them.
Use the app
City Sightseeing and Big Bus show the buses live in their apps. Check before you wait at a stop.
Cancel up to 24 hours ahead
All six picks show free cancellation on GetYourGuide. Each listing gives its own deadline.
Dublin hop-on hop-off bus: questions and answers
Is there a hop-on hop-off bus in Dublin?
Is the hop-on hop-off bus worth it in Dublin?
Is there a map of the Dublin hop-on hop-off route?
What are the hop-on hop-off bus hours in Dublin?
Do children ride free on Dublin's hop-on hop-off buses?
Is entry to attractions included?
More Dublin bus tours, live
More options with live prices and availability, straight from GetYourGuide.
See every tour with today's prices and open dates on GetYourGuide.
Browse all on GetYourGuideSources (5), facts checked on 25 October 2026
Written by the Things to Do in Dublin editorial team.