Hanoi Hop-On Hop-Off Buses

An excellent option to know the best things to see and do in Hanoi is to hire a tourist bus for a few days, as these buses stop at the main attractions of the city and allow you to know them in a practical and comfortable way. If you are one of those people who prefer to make personalized tours around the city without worrying about traffic, tourist buses are the best option.

In these tourist buses you can get on and off as many times as you want during the time you have hired the service. In addition, you will have the information you need about the places you visit, since you can listen to an audio guide in your language or browse for free to find information.

Hanoi has a tourist bus with which you can move around the city: the City Sightseeing. This bus takes you to visit 13 of its main attractions and landmarks in a comfortable way. Some of these places of interest are the Imperial Citadel of Thang Long, the Hanoi Cathedral, the Hanoi Opera House, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Hoa Lo Prison and the Frog Garden.

You can hire it for 1 or 2 days, but if you hire it for 2 days, you will save more than 30% on the second day. You can also hire it for a longer time, but make another purchase transaction. The bus schedule is usually from 9.15 am to 5.15 pm.

This tourist bus works with the Hop On-Hop Off system, which means that you can get off and on the bus as many times as you want during the time you have contracted the service. For example, you can get off at Tran Quoc Pagoda, take your time to walk around it and then get on the next bus to visit another attraction.

Another advantage is that while traveling on the bus with panoramic view, you will listen to an audio guide that will give you information about the places of interest in the city that you pass by during the tour. In addition, the buses have free Wi-Fi on board, so you can search online for all the information you want.

The City Sightseeing bus runs a single route, with only one variation, as it does not pass the Central Post Office from Friday afternoon to Sunday. However, the Post Office is closed to the public during these hours.

The following is a detailed description of the bus routes on weekdays and weekends.

City Sightseeing route on weekdays

From Monday to Friday afternoon, the City Sightseeing bus usually stops at or passes near the following attractions:

• Frog Garden / Terminal
• Central Post Office
• Hanoi Cathedral
• Military History Museum
• Thang Long Imperial Citadel
• Quan Thanh
• Tran Quoc Pagoda
• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
• Temple of Literature
• Hoa Lo Prison
• Hanoi Cathedral
• Vietnam Women's Museum
• Hanoi Opera House

City Sightseeing tour on weekdays

From Friday from 4pm to Sunday, the City Sightseeing sightseeing bus usually stops or passes near the following attractions:

• Frog Garden
• Military History Museum
• Thang Long Imperial Citadel
• Quan Thanh
• Tran Quoc Pagoda
• Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum
• Temple of Literature
• Hoa Lo Prison
• Hanoi Cathedral
• Vietnam Women's Museum
• Hanoi Opera House

Traveling by Hanoi sightseeing bus has many advantages, especially if you prefer to tour the city at your own pace. With the City Sightseeing bus you can go to the main attractions of the city comfortably and take as much time as you want to get to know each of them. In addition, you can take advantage of discounts at local businesses.

You can follow the itinerary following the established route of the bus or start one of the best tours of Hanoi at any of the stops on the itinerary. This way you can choose to start the tour at the stop closest to where you are staying and end it at the same place.

One of the main advantages is that you will already have the itinerary figured out, and you will not have to plan routes or check traffic issues. In addition, you will have an audio guide in your language, who will tell you about the places you are visiting and you will be able to ask any questions online, using the WI-Fi available for free on the buses.

Another advantage of these buses is the flexibility in the way they are contracted, since you can use the service at any time within a period of 12 months. Once you activate it, you can use it for 24 or 48 hours, depending on the period you have contracted. This is an advantage because, if for any reason you have to postpone the dates of your trip to Hanoi, you will not have to cancel the bus, nor will you have to pay extra costs.

The City Sightseeing Hanoi sightseeing bus stops at about 13 attractions in the city, where you can get off during the tour. These usually include the Frog Garden, Central Post Office, Thang Long Imperial Citadel, Quan Thanh Temple, Tran Quoc Pagoda, Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum and Temple of Literature, among others.

Please note that entrance fees to historical buildings are not usually included in the sightseeing bus ticket, although many of them are free of charge. Most of these buildings can be visited until 5 pm and are closed at noon. Also, some buildings are not open to the public on Mondays. Below, I will tell you a little about these attractions, so you can start planning your tour of the city.

• Dien Hong Park or Frog Garden: it is located near Hoan Kiem Lake, where locals usually go to play badminton and dance, especially in the morning. There you will find the Frog Fountain, more than 120 years old.
• Central Post Office: it is one of the most emblematic buildings in Hanoi, which is also known as Bo Ho Post Office. It is located in front of Hoan Kiem Lake. It was completed around 1900 and has witnessed important historical events in the country.
• St. Joseph Cathedral in Hanoi: from the 19th century. Its facade, with two bell towers and a clock, is reminiscent of the church of Notre Dame.
• The Imperial Citadel of Thang Long: built in the 11th century, it is considered part of the World Heritage. There you can see the Kinh Thien Palace, the Flag Tower, the gates, the palace of the Hau Lau princesses, the tunnels and the subway barracks. Nearby is the excavation area. It can also be visited at night.
• The Military History Museum, dedicated to telling the story of the victims of the Vietnam War. War tanks, cannons, planes, helicopters and other vehicles that belonged to the U.S. Army are some of the things you can see in this museum.
• Quan Thanh Temple: it is one of the 4 temples built at the cardinal points of the city (along with Bach Ma, Thu Le, Kim Lien and Quan Thanh), in order to protect it from evil spirits. It is a Taoist temple, representative of Chinese architecture. It is recommended not to visit it on the 1st and 15th of each month.
• Tran Quoc Pagoda, from the year 545, the oldest temple in the city. It stands out for its architecture of 11 levels with 6 doors in each one, the treasures it houses and also for the panoramic views of Hanoi. It is usually open until 4 pm.
• The Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum, an imposing mausoleum of 20 meters high located in the center of Hanoi, erected in honor of Vietnamese independence leader Ho Chi Minh. It is located in an enclosure of 20 hectares in which the ornamental gardens stand out. The mausoleum can be visited until around noon and the rest of the enclosure until 5 pm.
• The Presidential Palace, which is located in the same enclosure as the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum. It is of European style and was built around 1900. It is not possible to visit the inside, since it houses government offices.
• The Temple of Literature, dedicated to Confucius, where the sages of the empire were educated. It was the first university in Vietnam, known for its enormous demand. There you can see the 5 courtyards, altars, gates, gardens and water ponds.
• Hoa Lo Prison, which today functions as a museum. It was built by the French colonial government in the late 19th century to house political prisoners. Part of it was demolished in the 1990s.
• The Vietnam Women's Museum, which recalls the active role of women in the country's history. There is also a room dedicated to the devotion of the Mother Goddesses, of great cultural and spiritual importance in the country.
• The Hanoi Opera House, whose design was inspired by the Palais Garnier in Paris. It was built by the French colonial government in the early twentieth century. It is located in the center of Hanoi.

Another option to see these buildings and sites of interest in the city is to hire a guided tour of the city of Hanoi, as they usually include transportation (there are even experiences with all-terrain vehicles) and a local expert guide who will tell you about the places you visit and the history and culture of the city.

The ticket for the City Sightseeing Bus costs about 19 EUR for adults for 24 hours and about 13 EUR for children. If your stay in Hanoi will be 2 days, you can buy the 48-hour ticket, which will give you a discount of more than 30%. In case you want to book it for a longer period, you can do it in a separate transaction.

There is a difference between buying the bus ticket for a day and for 24 hours. In the case of an hourly contract, if you start using the bus at 12 noon, you will be able to use it until the next day at the same time. On the other hand, if you contract it per day, you can only use it on the same day, i.e. from 9 am to 5 pm approximately.

The tickets can be used for a period of up to 12 months, so the contract terms are flexible. When you buy your ticket you will be asked to provide an estimated date of arrival in the city, which you can change free of charge up to 24 hours before. This alternative is convenient in case you postpone your trip, or decide to take one of the Halong Bay cruises from Hanoi, instead of touring the city.

Finally, keep in mind that there are days when children can travel for free on the tourist bus, so it is a good idea to check the company's social networks to find out about this and other promotions.

The City Sightseeing tourist bus City Sightseeing usually runs every day from 9:15 am to about 5:15 pm. Therefore, it runs for about 8 hours with a frequency of one every half hour.

During this schedule, you can hop on and off the bus as many times as you wish to see the various attractions proposed in the itinerary, such as the Temple of Literature or the Ho Chi Minh Mausoleum.

Besides, you don't need to start your tour at Stop 1, but you can start your tour at any of the established stops, or at the one closest to your hotel or accommodation.

If your stay extends for about 3 days in Hanoi, you can take the opportunity to visit Sa Pa, a charming village located in the mountains, where you can learn a lot about the traditions of the locals.

The full tours of the City Sightseeing tourist bus usually last approximately 90 minutes. In general, the buses have a frequency of one every half hour, which can help you plan your itinerary. For example, if seeing each attraction takes about an hour, you will see about 6 or 7 per day.

The City Sightseeing bus operates on a set route, which has strategic stops at or near the city's main attractions. Depending on the ticket you have purchased, you can use the bus for 24 or 48 hours. You can also buy it for longer, but you will have to make a different purchase operation.

The 24 or 48 hours are counted from the moment you start using the tourist bus. For example, if you have purchased a 24-hour ticket and take the bus at 2pm, you can use it until 2pm the next day to tour the attractions of Hanoi.

During this period, you can take as many tours of the city as you wish, and get on and off as many times as necessary to complete the itinerary of attractions you have planned for your visit to Hanoi. During your tour, you can't miss the Vietnamese gastronomy, because besides tasting the delicacies, you will learn a lot about the culture and history of this country.