Brussels Hop on Hop off Bus Tours

Time is one of the most precious resources when travelling. The aim is to make the most of it and a sightseeing bus pass will allow you to see all of Brussels in less time, in comfort and learning about the city.

The best option

Brussels Hop-on Hop-off Toot Bus Tour

Discover Brussels comfortably and at your own pace by bus

Walk around the city and visit the most emblematic sights and monuments, without worrying about distances and with an audio guide that will give you an insight into the local history of the capital of the European Parliament.

From RM183 at Hellotickets

With this electric sightseeing bus tour, 24 or 48 hours at your choice, you will move around the city comfortably and at your own pace. You will have unlimited access to the two available route options (red and blue) and you will be free to hop on and off at each stop.

The ticket includes an audio guide, both for adults and children, wifi and headphones, and the time will start counting from the moment you exchange your ticket at any of the stops.

Recommended if... you want to get to know the city comfortably, especially if you go with the little ones, as it has a children's audio guide.

The best option is the City Sightseeing bus, which you can access by buying a one or two-day pass for the Brussels sightseeing bus. It's a double-decker bus with two different routes covering the entire city. You can buy a pass for unlimited use for 24 or 48 hours and there is audio commentary on board.

How it works

The Brussels sightseeing buses are based on the concept of "free stops". This means that for the duration of your pass**(24 or 48 hours**) you can hop on and off as many times and at as many stops as you want. This means that you can use the tourist buses to take a guided tour of the city or simply to move around the different points of interest in Brussels during your visit.

My recommendation

My recommendation is that, at least once, you take each tour in its entirety while listening to the audio commentary to experience the panoramic views of the city in comfort.

Interesting details

All buses are adapted and accessible for wheelchair users and pushchairs. The experience is designed to save time and gain in comfort, but also to avoid long walks between the different museums or monuments in Brussels, which is especially appreciated if you are travelling in winter and can escape the cold temperatures on board the bus.

How to book

You can choose between a one-day or two-day pass for the Brussels tourist bus and you can buy it online. When booking, enter the date on which you plan to start your journey. This date will serve as a reference for cancellation, but not for activation of the pass.

In other words, if your plans change, you will be able to cancel your pass up to 24 hours before your travel date, but once you receive the voucher in your email, regardless of the date you have set, you will have 12 months to activate it.

Activation

The activation of the tourist bus pass is done with the first use. From then on you have either 24 or 48 hours to use it as many times as you want. To get the most out of it, I recommend that you activate it first thing in the morning. All you have to do is show the voucher on board the bus and it will be sent to your email address.

Each of the Brussels sightseeing bus routes covers a different area of the city, with the second route focusing on one of the main monuments of Brussels, the Atomium, further away from the centre of the city. With both the 24-hour pass and the 48-hour pass you will have unlimited access to both routes.

At each of the stops you will find a map with the exact location of the stops within each zone. You can also request it from your driver or have it emailed to you once your booking is confirmed. In any case, all stops are easily identifiable.

Both routes have on-board audio commentary available in English, German, Chinese, Russian, Spanish, Italian, French, Dutch and German. All buses on both routes also have panoramic views and two floors.

Main route: the Europa Tour

Atomium Route

Ana's Traveller Tip

Let yourself be surprised by the city: start your route at any stop without planning anything and get off when you pass a monument that catches your eye.

Hopping on a Brussels sightseeing bus is like taking a city tour, but if you want to complement it with a walking tour there are many options available in this article on the best tours and excursions from Brussels.

The sightseeing bus commentary will give you the more historical and objective point of view, but the guided walking tours led by a local guide will tell you about the less official history of the city including its legends and customs. Doing both activities is the perfect combo to bring back from your trip with you information and knowledge that will last as long as the visual memory of Brussels' most outstanding monuments.

And if you decide to leave Brussels, I recommend a trip to Bruges or a visit to Ghent, both of which are spectacular cities. It all depends on whether your trip to Brussels is for one day, two days, three days or four days.