Tour de autocarro de San Francisco Hop-On Hop-Off Open Top (Essential)

So much fun! This is a must do for visitors. Very reasonably priced for a two hour loop around the city, over the bridge and back. Dress warm, the cold wind over the bay is vicious! We hopped off in Chinatown/North Beach to walk around, it was easy to find our pick up place with the app we downloaded. The audio guide was helpful.

My opinions - So, it was a little late in the day - 2:30 - and we got a reduced fare, as we were told the last tour ended around 6:00 p.m. We waited about 45 minutes for the first bus to pick us up at the fisherman's wharf. Frankly, the driver/tour guide was way too loud and obnoxious to us. We had to get off after two stops because we could not stand the noise and a couple of other passengers did the same. We waited about 45 minutes for another bus, and we were told it was the last bus of the day. The driver did not give the tour - it was tape recorded but actually gave us some interesting information. However, the bus physically was on its last legs. If it had shock absorbers, they were not working. Not very clean either. We bounced along trying to listen to the tape for the next 12 or so stops, just to get back to the wharf which was nearer to our hotel. We have been on hop on hop off tours in Europe which were ok. This was just a waste of money and time and physically painful.

The ride was great to get all the landmarks in and get around the city, the instructions left much to be desired…from a lack of communication to differences in confirmation codes between one company and the other other…the driver on our bus did his part and was really good to help us…prob would not buy online in the future.

Absolutely worth it to get a lay of the land! You get to see the financial district, shopping areas, the bay, pier 39, go across the golden gate and back- and it’s SO windy up top! The audio option helps get more info, they provide headphones, and a pamphlet. Easy to book, worth the money, and it takes about 3ish hours but flies by! Also beware sun burn if riding up top

Had a great time. Saw lots of sites. Hop on hop off was and excellent way to see the city.

City Sightseeing San Francisco Hop On – Hop Off Bus Service Is Not Dependable Our family of five learned the hard way how the City Sightseeing San Francisco Hop On – Hop Off bus service is not dependable. Our first disappointment came when two of the “route attractions” advertised on the handout maps and on the company website were cancelled without notification. Our group was informed how stop number thirteen provided access to the museums of Golden Gate Park. However, we were not informed how it was the only stop from which the museums could be accessed, or how stops number fourteen and fifteen were no longer available. It was not until the bus varied from the map and turned away from Golden Gate Park and announced the next stop was number sixteen at Haight Ashbury, did our group and a number of other customers realize the stops we were interested in were no longer available. It was a rather long walk back to the California Academy of Science which was our destination for the afternoon. This one failure to properly communicate the change in the bus route might have been forgivable. However, when later in the afternoon our group wanted to complete our Hop On – Hop Off bus tour, our driver decided to curtail the tour when our group of five were the only passengers left on the bus. He traveled on Columbus Avenue to skip stops numbers three, four, five, and six in order to proceed directly to stop number seven to drop us off. When I complained about not getting to see the other stops, I was informed how stops number five and six were only a five-minute walk along The Embarcadero and our group should walk it! This is not my idea of dependable customer service. When the route is changed, I expect clear communications regarding the nature of the changes and how those changes impact to my plans. I want to know in advance any stops which have been cancelled. I certainly do not want to be told I can walk to see route attractions I have already paid to see. I strongly recommend visitors to San Francisco travel on the Big Bus B Hop-On Hop-Off service since it follows its map and conscientiously stops at the advertised attractions.

The hotel location was excellent. Right next to the Warf and Pier. In case it’s applicable to you and your stay, parking was $30 a night, no Air Conditioning (just a small window) and they don’t supply wash cloths. Other than that it was affordable.

This city is BIG! Keep that in mind, you will not be able to do all of the stops in one day, impossible! We try to do a few stops and still could not see our short list of stops. There’s traffic and significant distance between attractions. We have done several hop-on, hop-off tours in other cities and this one was the most overwhelming because the attractions are so far apart! Crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on the top was the highlight.

Excellent. Great day. Busses ran very frequently.

It was good for getting us to places that were a little more difficult to get to. It was great using this on our first full day in San Francisco to see the various districts for the first time. We were stuck in very slow-moving traffic around Fisherman’s Wharf and the Golden Gate Bridge. As it was getting late and dark during the winter months, we chose not to stop at the second half of the stops before our stop at Union Square. First tip: even though it was a sunny day with clear blue skies and sitting on top was fantastic for getting close to the beautiful building tops of San Francisco, it got quite cold after 3 p.m. in winter. Second tip: it is very windy on the Golden Gate Bridge – my son’s beanie was blown off but, fortunately, ended up in another passenger’s lap. The bus stops at a rest area for photos of the Golden Gate Bridge but does not wait; you have to catch the next bus after getting off for photos. There was quite a long wait to start at Union Square. The closest stop to Lombard Street was still quite a walk away, so we chose not to make a stop there and postponed seeing Lombard Street until the next day, using a cable car to get there instead. Due to the popularity of the seats upstairs, it was quite difficult to get a seat upstairs.