Prague Hop-On Hop-Off Buses

Riding a tourist bus is a smart choice to explore the city of Prague comfortably, economically and without worrying about traffic. These buses have strategic stops that will allow you to know everything there is to see and do in Prague and will facilitate the organization of your itinerary.

In addition, you will have an audio guide on board that will provide useful information about the sites of interest included in the tours and Wi-Fi to ask any questions. In this article I will tell you about the main tourist buses in Prague, their routes, prices and how to hire them, as well as practical tips to make the most of them.

• City Sightseeing bus with free stops in Prague - from 28 €.
• Bis Bus Prague with free stops - from 29 €.

The Prague City Sightseeing is a tourist bus with about 14 strategic stops in the city, which bring you closer to its main tourist attractions. You can get off the bus at any of the stops and get on the next bus after seeing one of the attractions. For example, you can take a guided tour of Prague Castle and get on the next bus to go to another attraction.

The tour has two routes, Red and Blue, which you can combine without having to buy another bus ticket. You can change lines at the stops they have in common, which are usually Prague Castle, Svanda Theater and Strahov Stadium.

Buses are contracted for 24 or 48 hours, which are counted from the moment you get on the bus. For example, if you buy a 24-hour ticket and board the bus at 3 p.m., you will be able to use the bus until 3 p.m. the next day. On the other hand, the savings is about 30% if you buy the two-day pass. In case you visit Prague with children, they will also benefit from a discount.

All buses have an audio guide in several languages, including Spanish, which provides historical and cultural information about the sites you will visit on your tour and free Wi-Fi so you can search online for any questions or queries you may have.

Prices of the City Sightseeing Bus

These are the prices of the City Sightseeing tourist bus in Prague:

• Adults: from 28 € for a 24-hour pass and from 34 € for a 48-hour pass.
• Children from 3 to 12 years old: about 24 € for the 24-hour pass and about 30 € for the 48-hour pass.
• Children under 3 years old: do not pay a ticket.

You can hire the tourist bus for more days, if you still do not know how many days you need to visit Prague, but making a different purchase operation. There are also discounts for family groups that you can take advantage of.

Summary of the benefits of the tourist bus

• 14 free stops near Prague's main attractions.
• 2 combinable routes included.
• It is contracted by hours and not by days, so it gives you more flexibility to decide when to start using the bus pass.
• Discount of about 30% on the second day.
• Free cancellation up to 24 hours before the chosen travel date.
• Audio guide on board.
• Free Wi-Fi.
• Panoramic bus with air conditioning.
• Baby carriage and wheelchair accessible buses.
• Maximum validity of one year from the date of purchase.

Red Line

It is a route with 8 stops and a total duration of 60 minutes if you do not get off the bus. It usually runs on a double-decker bus and has a frequency of one every 60 minutes. Its schedules are usually from 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. approximately.

City Sightseeing Red Line stops are:

• Main train station
• Bruské Barracks - Old Castle Staircase
• Entrance of Prague Castle - St. Vitus Cathedral
• Strahov Monastery
• Strahov Stadium - Petrin Garden
• Svanda Theater
• Dancing House
• IP Pavlova Square

Blue Line

This Blue Line tour is the longest and usually takes place on a panoramic single-decker bus. The round starts at Old Town Square around 9:30 am and ends around 5:30 pm. The duration of the tour is about 90 minutes, if at no time you get off the bus, and its frequency is about 1 every 30 minutes. It has about 9 stops at tourist sites of interest.

The stops of the Prague City Sightseeing Blue Line tourist bus City Sightseeing are:

• Republic Square 3
• Wenceslas Square
• Dancing House
• Malostranské nám Square
• Prague Castle - St. Vitus Cathedral
• Strahov Monastery
• Fallen Prague Castle
• River bank
• Old Town Square

Summary of City Sightseeing routes

Another of the tourist bus options offered by the city of Prague is the Big Bus. This bus has 2 routes, with a total of 18 stops. You can take the complete tour, to get to know the city at a glance, or get on and off as many times as you want at the attractions of your interest, for example, to take a tour of the Jewish quarter.

The bus ticket lasts 24 hours, and you can combine the green route and the red route without having to buy another ticket. It is ideal for summer days in Prague, as the buses are air-conditioned. Operating hours are usually from 9:30 am to 6 pm, every day of the year.

On all buses you will travel with an audio guide available in several languages, including English, which will help you better understand the history and cultural significance of the tourist sites included in the itinerary. The price of the tour starts at 29 € per person, and there are discounts for family groups. On the other hand, only the red buses are wheelchair accessible.

Big Bus Prague prices

Here are the prices of the Big Bus Prague sightseeing bus passes:

• Adults: from 32 € for the 24-hour pass and from 42 € for the 48-hour pass.
• Children from 5 to 15 years old: about 16 € for the 24-hour pass and about 21 € for the 48-hour pass.
• Children under 5 years old: free of charge.

Prices are discounted if you book bus passes online. Note that the 24-hour pass has no flexible date, so I recommend you to book the bus once you are sure of your arrival date in Prague.

Another option is the 24-hour Essential pass, which includes the 24-hour sightseeing bus pass plus a one-hour Prague cruise, which does offer a flexible date. This costs about €36 for adults and about €18 for children ages 5 to 15. The 48-hour pass always includes the cruise, which is usually one hour.

You can also book a Prague sightseeing cruise on your own, to enjoy at any time during your stay, as combining the cruise with the bus will give you less time to explore the city's attractions.

Bis Bus Prague benefits at a glance

• 18 free stops near Prague's main attractions.
• 2 combinable routes included.
• It is contracted by hours and not by days, i.e. if you start using the bus at 10 am, you can use it until 10 am the next day.
• Discount of about 30% if you hire it for 2 days.
• Audio guide on board.
• Panoramic air-conditioned buses.
• Flexible date change on some tickets.

Red Route

Buses on the red route are double-deckers. They leave every day from 9:35 am from stop 1 at the Hilton Hotel, and the last bus leaving from stop 1 leaves at 5:10 pm. Its frequency is 1 every 30 minutes approximately, and to make a complete tour, without getting off at any stop, takes about 2 hours.

It has a total of 9 stops, which are as follows:

• Hilton Hotel
• Bruske Barracks
• Prague Castle
• Dlabačov Street
• Švanda Theater
• Dancing House
• Karlov Stop
• I. P. Pavlova Square
• Main railway station

Green Route

The Green Route bus is panoramic and single-decker. It departs daily from 9 a.m. at Na Příkopá Street in the city center, in front of the Church of the Holy Cross, and ends at 5:26 p.m. at the main train station.

If you board this bus and do not get off at any time, the route usually takes 50-60 minutes and has a frequency of 15-20 minutes. It is not wheelchair accessible and does not have Wi-Fi on board.

Like the red route it has 9 stops, which I detail below:

• Na Příkopá Street.
• Hilton Hotel
• Štefánik Bridge
• Old Town Square
• Brusque Barracks
• Small Town Square
• Dancing House
• Wenceslas Square
• Main Railway Station

Overview of Big Bus Prague routes

Touring Prague on a tourist bus is a comfortable and economical option to move around the city, allowing you to explore its main attractions. The Czech capital, with its rich history, architecture and medieval references, offers you a unique visual experience that you can appreciate from the comfort of a tourist bus.

Here are some of the reasons that make this option highly recommended:

• Panoramic view: tour buses usually have open top floors, so they offer you the best views of Prague. From the buses you will be able to observe its impressive architecture that encompasses various styles, such as Gothic, Baroque and Renaissance.
• Comfort and convenience: it is a convenient way to tour the city, especially if you are staying one or two days in Prague and prefer not to use public transportation.
• Informative audio guide: most tour buses offer narration in several languages about the places you visit, providing you with useful information and historical context during your tour.
• Flexibility: You can hop on and off the buses as many times as you wish at the pre-arranged stops of your choice, giving you the opportunity to experience Prague's attractions at your own pace.

To maximize your travel experience and efficiently manage your expenses, whether you are staying four or five days in Prague, I recommend purchasing the sightseeing bus ticket along with the Prague Cool Pass Prague Tourist Card. The latter provides discounted access to numerous tourist attractions located along the bus routes.

Some of the emblematic places that you can visit with the tourist buses in Prague are the following:

• Prague Castle: it is the most important architectural complex of the Czech Republic, which is located next to the Vltava River. The visiting hours of the Castle are between 6 am and 10 pm. It is best to visit early in the morning to avoid crowds.
• The National Museum of Prague: located in Wenceslas Square, its imposing neo-Renaissance building is an architectural jewel. Its exhibits range from prehistoric artifacts to contemporary objects, giving you a complete overview of the Czech cultural heritage.
• Wenceslas Square: more than a square, it looks like a 750-meter-long avenue in the center of the New Town. Walking along it you will find Prague's best restaurants, stores and museums.
• I.P. Pavlova Square: is an important landmark of the city. Surrounded by historic buildings and modern infrastructure, this square is a hub of commercial activity in the Czech capital. Its name pays tribute to the Russian physiologist Ivan Petrovich Pavlov.
• Jewish Quarter: one of the must-see sites in Prague, where you can learn about the Jewish presence in the city and its historical legacy, visit ancient synagogues and the Jewish cemetery.

Express tour of Prague by minibus

Hiring a minibus tour of Prague is a comfortable way to get to know the city in a short time, as the tours last about an hour. The minibuses are equipped with headphones, with which you can listen to commentaries in several languages, including Spanish, about the emblematic sites you visit.

Some of the places of interest you will visit are: the Old Town Square, the Powder Tower, St. Agnes Monastery, Masaryk Station, the Dancing House, Charles Bridge and the National Theater, among others.

It is a recommended option if you are in Prague for one day and want to see the main sights at a glance. It usually runs every day at two different times. Please note that it does not make free stops like the Hop-on, Hop-off buses.

Another way to visit the iconic places of the Czech capital in a short time, is to book the Prague sightseeing bus with a panoramic tour of about two hours. It also includes a stop for you to admire Prague Castle up close and walk around the fortress.

The tour usually starts in the heart of the city and takes you through historic districts such as the Jewish Quarter, Old Town Square and Charles Bridge. It also usually includes informative commentary provided by an audio guide.

Sightseeing bus with river cruise

It is usual to combine the sightseeing bus tour with a cruise on the Vltava River in Prague, so you can see the city both by land and water. It is ideal if you will spend a short stay in this city and want to know the most representative in a short time.

These tours usually include a visit to the main attractions of the city, such as Old Town and the Jewish Quarter, which you can see on board the panoramic bus. There is also usually a stop at the Prague Castle to explore it on foot, always accompanied by a guide who will provide historical and cultural information to enrich the tour.