Can you see a city in one day? We spent six weeks touring eight countries and, for the most part, we weren’t in the same place for more than a night or two. Crazy? Maybe, but we took advantage of an easy way to see a lot in a short time.
How to see a city in a day
Disclaimer: We realize that when you visit a city, there is WAY too much to see to fit it all into one day. Still, it’s better to get a taste of what a city has to offer and sample its most popular attractions.
For first-time visitors who want to get a quickie overview of a city, the cheapest, easiest and fastest answer is to take advantage of the city’s hop on/hop off tour bus. It is an easy way to learn about its history, the “must-see” sights, and how to get to them.
The one-day city tour bus is usually an open-top, double-decker variety that goes on a set loop around the city. Passengers listen to a recording that shares some history and other interesting facts about the city through the provided earphones.
Why take a bus tour?
- The bus goes to parts of the city you probably wouldn’t have time to see on your own.
- The included narration gives you a good overview of the city’s history in a short time.
- It helps you understand the layout of an unfamiliar city and better gauge distances as you plan the rest of your sightseeing.
- The route is intended for visitors, not locals, and stops are located near popular tourist locations.
- The stops are varied and appeal to a variety of interests.
One-day itineraries made easy
The tour company has already worked out the best way to see the most important parts of the city in the least amount of time. It saves a lot of time and effort by showing those sights that need little more than a drive-by (like Admiral Nelson’s statue in Trafalgar Square). It also makes it more fun by taking you by others you may not have known about. The bus will stop at major locations so you can “hop off” to visit a site, then “hop on” another bus when you’re ready to move on.
If you don’t hop off, the entire route takes about 1.5 – 2 hours, traffic permitting.
These bus tours offer either a taped narration or a live guide. Buses with taped narration offer hookups with multilingual channels while live guides usually give the tour in English.
Tip: If we don’t like the tour guide, we take the first opportunity to hop off and wait for the next bus which (hopefully) will have a better guide. After that we’ll either ride around again and hop on/hop off at the interesting places or take a different route.
Inspired?
Here are some tips for your own one-day city tour.
- Ticket prices vary but are generally competitive for all companies in a city. A rough budget is $30 per ticket, depending on location.
- Some tickets are valid for one calendar day while others are good for 24 hours, so check the terms carefully. To get the most value out of a day ticket, we recommend beginning early. On the other hand, if a ticket is good for 24 hours you can begin in the evening.
- Two-day tickets usually offer a better value, especially in large cities with multiple routes (north-south, east-west, historic, etc.).
- Some companies also offer a less expensive night tour, which might be ideal if your time is extremely limited.
- Be sure to ask what time the last bus stops at your stop in the evening. Be prepared to get back to your hotel on your own if you lose track of the time. We got stuck on the other side of town when our driver kicked everyone off the Prague tour bus at 6:00 p.m.
- Check for bonus opportunities. For example, our Singapore and London tickets included a river cruise in the price of the ticket.
Have you ever taken a city tour? Did you like it? Tell us about it!
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