Our pick
The bus ticket
City and Bondi loops
- Routes2 routes, 23 stops
- Length24 or 48 hours
- Commentary8 languages
Cost for your party
Sydney hop-on hop-off bus price and what each ticket buys
Hop-on hop-off bus around Sydney and Bondi
★ 4.4 · 2,975 guest reviews
The short version
The Sydney hop-on hop-off bus price starts from the listing fare for a 24-hour ticket, and the 48-hour ticket and the combo with a harbour cruise and night tour cost more.
Price essentials
Weigh up 4 options
Price the day for your group
Set the size of your party and see the opening fare of each option side by side.
- Bus, city and Bondi24 or 48 hours · per visitor from $53
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View - Harbour cruise5 stops · per visitor from $29
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View - Night bus1.5 hours · per visitor from $48
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View - Attraction pass2 to 4 sights · per visitor from $38
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View
Starting prices from GetYourGuide, converted at the ECB reference rate. You will see the exact price when booking.
The fare starts low and climbs with every add-on. Here is what the cheapest ticket covers, what the longer and combined options add, and where the real extras hide.
Editorial team, sydneyhoponhopoff.com · Updated November 8, 2026 · Quick read: 8 min
Summary view
- Cheapest ticketFrom $53 for the bus, with free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
- Ticket lengthsThe listing sells a 24-Hour and a 48-Hour ticket, plus a 48-Hour combo with cruise and night tour.
- Harbour by boatThe hop-on hop-off harbour cruise on its own starts from $29.
- Small childrenThis listing carries infants aged 3 and under for free, with no ticket needed.
- Not in the fareEntry to paid sights; a combo pass for 2 to 4 attractions starts from $38.
What the cheapest ticket costs, and what it actually covers
On GetYourGuide the bus ticket we recommend begins at $53, the floor set by its shortest option. That buys unlimited rides on open-top double-deckers across 23 stops, split between 2 routes, a city loop and a loop out to Bondi, for as long as the ticket clock runs. That is an adult fare; use the calculator further down to scale it to your party and set it against the harbour boat and the night bus.
Read any from-price as a starting point rather than a quote. Your date, your ticket length and any add-ons all shift it, and you see the full sum on the booking step before paying anything. The listing itself is flexible: you can reserve now and pay later, and free cancellation runs up to 24 hours before for a full refund. In a city where the weather can turn, that window lets you hold a day and move it if the forecast goes grey.
Sydney hop-on hop-off bus tickets on this listing carry 2,975 reviews averaging 4.4, a solid score for a product used by very different kinds of traveler. Commentary is offered in 8 languages, the listing marks the buses as wheelchair accessible, and your driver speaks English. Those details matter more than they look when you compare the fare with cheaper ways of moving around, which the last section does.
Tickets and add-ons
What each option costs and covers
| Option | From | How long | What it adds |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bus only, our pick | $53 | 24 or 48 hours | City and Bondi routes |
| Harbour cruise alone | $29 | 1 to 2 days | Boat stops round the harbour |
| Night bus alone | $48 | 1.5 hours | The lit city, live guide |
| Attraction pass | $38 | 60 days from first entry | Entry to 2 to 4 sights |
Starting fares from each listing; your final price depends on the day, ticket length and extras.
A day or longer: choosing the length of your ticket
Your first choice is length: the listing has a 24-Hour Hop-On Hop-Off Ticket and its 48-Hour twin, and the question is how many days you want the bus on call. Both loops are long. Ridden straight through, the city loop needs about 1 hr 30 min and the Bondi loop about 1 hr 15 min. Ride both end to end and most of a morning has gone before you have stepped inside a museum.
That is the case for the longer ticket. With a day only, you tend to ride more and stop less; with a second day you can give the city loop to the harbour, the Opera House and Darling Harbour, and keep the Bondi loop for a slower morning by the sea. Recent reviewers report buying the 48-hour ticket and riding both the red and blue routes, and one suggests stepping off at a handful of places, then returning to the rest later.
You open and start the ticket inside the operator app, and one reviewer points out that the 24-hour window runs from that tap, not from midnight. That makes the timing of the first tap your own: activate at lunchtime and the ticket runs into the next day. The listing has city buses leaving every 30 min from 9:00am, so an early start buys the most riding for the money.
What the hours buy
How long each ride takes without getting off
- City route1 hr 30 min
- Bondi tour1 hr 15 min
- Harbour cruise80 min
- Night tour1 hr 30 min
Approximate full-circuit times given in the listing record for the bus routes, the optional cruise and the night tour.
The harbour cruise and the night tour as add-ons
At the top of the range, a 48-Hour pass comes bundled with a boat ride on the harbour and the evening bus. That boat works like the bus: for 1 calendar day you board at Circular Quay Wharf 6 and get off where you like, at Manly, Watsons Bay, Shark Island or Taronga Zoo, and staying aboard for the whole loop takes about 80 min. It is the water half of the city, and it reaches places the bus does not.
The evening bus pulls out at 6:00pm from Phillip Street, stop 1A, and makes its circuit of about 1 hr 30 min without letting anyone off. Bought on its own, that panoramic evening ride begins at $48, rolls over the Harbour Bridge and pauses for pictures at Mrs Macquarie's Chair and on the Milsons Point side. A combo buyer used the opening day for the red line plus the evening ride, and the next for the beach loop and the water.
Whether the bundle saves money depends on how much of it you would buy anyway. The harbour hop-on hop-off cruise on its own starts from $29 and runs 60 to 90 minutes for a round trip with 5 stops. If you already plan an evening on the open top deck and a morning on the water, the combo keeps both in a single booking. If you would skip either, the plain bus ticket plus a public ferry is the leaner route, and the cruise page compares them in detail.
Pick by plan
Which ticket fits your stay
Tell us your time in Sydney and your priorities to see which fare to book.
If I have a single free day
The 24-hour ticket
Start early and both loops fit, with city buses at 30 min intervals from 9:00am.
If I want the city and Bondi without rushing
The 48-hour ticket
An extra day gives the city loop (about 1 hr 30 min) and the Bondi loop (about 1 hr 15 min) a morning each.
If I want the harbour and the lights too
The 48-hour combo
The bundle tacks the boat and the evening ride onto the bus pass.
If I mostly want the water
The harbour boat alone
It starts from $29 with 5 stops round the harbour.
If We travel with a toddler
Any bus ticket
The listing lets toddlers up to 3 years old ride at no charge.
Ways to spend it
Bus only, harbour first or after dark
On the water
The harbour boat
Hop-on hop-off cruise
- Round trip60 to 90 minutes
- Stops5 to hop off at
- StartsCircular Quay Wharf 6
After dark
The night bus
Panoramic, no stops
- Leaves6:00 PM
- Length1.5 hours
- GuideLive, in English
Children, infants and the family budget
On this listing, babies and toddlers up to age 3 ride without a ticket of their own, though Big Bus's own site sells child tickets from age 3 (Big Bus, September 2026).3 The separate night tour sets its own line lower: there, infants aged 2 and under ride free. Older children need a ticket, and the booking page shows the child fare for your date when you add them, so check it before you settle on a length.
Families feel the luggage rule most. No suitcase may board, carry-on size included, which rules out the day you land or check out. Leave bags at the hotel, or ride on a day when you are not moving. A folding pram is easier to manage on the lower deck than at the top of the stairs, and the buses are listed as wheelchair accessible.
Public transport sets a useful benchmark for a family day. On Opal, kids from 4 to 15 travel on child fares while those aged three years and under ride free, and a day of child travel is capped at AUD 9.65 early in the week and AUD 4.80 from Friday on.4,5 That gap is the price of commentary and a seat with a view, and the public transport page on this site works through it stop by stop.
From booking to riding
Where the money goes, step by step
Booking
Reserve the ticket
From $53, with pay-later and free cancellation up to 24 hours before.
Before you ride
Install the app
You open and start the ticket in the operator app.
First bus
Board at Circular Quay
City buses run every 30 min from 9:00am, per the listing.
At the sights
Pay entries separately
A combo pass for 2 to 4 attractions starts from $38.
Evening
Night tour if booked
Departs 6:00pm from stop 1A for a non-stop loop of about 1 hr 30 min.
Booking the ticket and starting it on the day
If you are wondering how to buy hop-on hop-off tickets for Sydney here, choose a date and an option in the booking box, reserve now, and pay later if you prefer. Free cancellation up to 24 hours before gives a full refund, which suits a trip where the weather or your plans may change. Booking ahead also fixes the price for your date.
After booking, download the operator app, because that is where the ticket is accessed and activated. Activate it when you are ready to ride, not the night before. The listing puts the first departures at 9:00am for the city loop and 9:30am for the beach loop, and Big Bus's April and May 2026 route pages start both from the first Phillip Street stop by Alfred Street, so the quay is the natural place to begin.6,7
Once on board, plug in for the recorded commentary, which recent reviewers say comes through headphones, and pick your language from the 8 on offer. A reviewer also praises a staff member at stop 1A for help while waiting. Keep the app open at each stop so you can show the ticket quickly, and note where the next bus is due.
Video
A full guide to riding the Sydney open-top bus
Wander with TK on YouTube · Tap play to load the video; not before.
The vast Australian Museum is free (excluding special exhibitions).
Before you pay
Covered, charged extra, or easy to save on
In the fare3
- Unlimited rides on 2 routes and 23 stops
- Audio commentary in 8 languages
- Buses listed as wheelchair accessible
Costs extra3
- Paid attractions such as the Sydney Tower Eye
- The night tour, unless you book the combo
- The harbour cruise, unless you book the combo
What the bus fare leaves out
The ticket moves you between sights; it does not open their doors. The listing names the Maritime Museum, SEA LIFE Sydney Aquarium and the Sydney Tower Eye as places to hop off for, and those that charge entry are paid separately. If you plan several paid sights, an attraction pass covering 2, 3 or 4 of them costs from $38, with 60 days after the first entry to fit in the others.
Several big names cost nothing to enter. You pay nothing to walk into the Australian Museum or the state art gallery on the Domain.1,2 Around the Opera House the steps and forecourt cost nothing, guided visits and performances are paid, and the state visitor guide suggests setting aside 1 to 2 hours.8 Those hours on foot are part of the plan too: the bus gets you to the door, but the best of these places is inside or on the waterfront, away from the road.
The tower is the classic paid extra. Sydney Tower Eye stands 309 metres tall, and its observation deck sits 250 metres above the ground.9,10 Taronga Zoo, a cruise stop, sells its own tickets, and the boat listing gives its hours as 9.30 AM to 4.30 PM. Add these up before you decide how many hours of bus you need, as a day with several paid entries rarely leaves time for both loops.
Weighing the fare against a day on public transport
Sydney has a cheap benchmark for getting around. Once an adult has tapped AUD 19.30 worth of rides on a Monday to Thursday, or AUD 9.65 from Friday through Sunday or on a public holiday, every further ride that day is free, and AUD 50 covers the whole week, whatever mix of trains, buses, ferries, metro and light rail you use.11 On a weekend that cap undercuts any sightseeing ticket by a wide margin.
What the bus fare adds is not transport but guidance. A route drawn past the sights, commentary in 8 languages and an open top deck are things a commuter bus does not give you. For a first day, with jet lag or a tight schedule, that framing is worth paying for; later in the week, the ferry and the train usually do the job for less.
A sensible plan uses both. Spend the bus ticket on the day you want orientation and the Bondi loop, then switch to Opal for ferries and the places you already know you want. The comparison pages on this site go deeper: discounts and free alternatives, the bus against public transport, and the harbour cruise against a public ferry.
FAQ
Brief questions, brief answers.
What does the Sydney sightseeing bus cost?
From $53 on our listing.
That is the starting price; ticket length and add-ons raise it, and free cancellation runs up to 24 hours before.
What ticket lengths are there?
24 hours or 48 hours.
Choose 24 hours or 48 hours, or the 48-hour bundle that adds the boat and the evening ride.
When does the 24-hour ticket start?
When you activate it.
You start it in the operator app, and a recent rider says the clock begins at that moment.
Do babies need a bus ticket?
Not if they are 3 or under.
On the day bus the listing's free age runs up to 3; the standalone evening ride sets it at 2 and under.
Is the harbour cruise included?
Only in the combo option.
The cruise is part of the 48-Hour option with cruise and night tour; on its own it starts from $29.
Can I bring my suitcase on the bus?
No.
Suitcases of any size, carry-on included, stay off the bus, so leave bags at the hotel first.
Does the ticket include museum entry?
Can I cancel if it rains?
Yes, up to 24 hours before.
The listing gives a full refund up to 24 hours in advance, and you can reserve now and pay later.
Sources
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Free things to do in Sydney ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Free things to do in Sydney ↩
- Big Bus Tours · Sydney bus tours (page captured 10 September 2026) ↩
- Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · Child Opal fares ↩
- Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · Opal benefits ↩
- Big Bus Tours · Sydney Tour Route - Red (page captured 18 April 2026) ↩
- Big Bus Tours · Bondi Tour Route - Blue (page captured 19 May 2026) ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Top attractions in Sydney ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Top attractions in Sydney ↩
- Destination NSW (sydney.com) · Top attractions in Sydney ↩
- Transport for NSW (transportnsw.info) · Adult Opal fares ↩
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