Once in a while I get emails asking what is the best Hop On Hop Off Bus tour in Porto. I decided to write an article with everything you need to know about the two best Hop On Hop Off Bus tours in Porto – schedules, prices and tickets, etc. I hope you enjoy the ride! 🙂
How to save money on the Hop On Hop Off bus tour in Porto
If you already decided to take a bus tour in Porto, I recommend you to buy the Yellow Bus Combo Ticket as it allows you to do three activities with one ticket: Hop On Hop Off bus tour + wine tasting at a Calém’s Port wine lodge + 6 bridges cruise. This ticket costs 35€ / adult and 17,50€ / kid (between 4 – 10 years old) and it saves you A LOT of money.
Let’s do the math:
- 6 bridges cruise in Porto: 15€ / person
- Hop On Hop Off bus tour: 22€ / person
- Wine tasting at Calém’s port wine lodge: 18€ / person
The total value of these three activities is 55€ / person. Therefore, when you buy the Yellow Bus Combo Ticket, that costs 35€ / person, you are saving 20€!
The bus tours in Porto are worth it if you:
- … have little time in the city. This way you’ll get an idea of the main attractions in Porto.
- … have a few days in Porto, but would like to have a first look before deciding which monuments to visit.
- … are coming to Porto with kids: it’s always a joy to climb to the second floor of the bus to see the world from up there!
- … would like to visit places further away from the city center, like the beaches in Matosinhos and the Port wine cellars in Gaia.
The bus tours in Porto are also a good option if it’s raining – even though I suggest you to check out my ideas on what to do in Winter in Porto 😉
1st option – Yellow Bus Combo Ticket:
Hop On Hop Off Bus tour for 2 days + boat cruise + visit to a Port wine cellar
This is the Hop On Hop Off Bus tour in Porto that I like the most because with a single ticket you get to do three must do’s in Porto: the bus tour, the famous 6 bridges cruise in the Douro river (a pleasurable 50 minutes boat ride) and a visit to a Port wine lodge.
Let’s do the math: the Classic Hop On Hop Off Bus tour costs 22€, the river cruise costs 15€ and a visit to a Port wine lodge costs around 15 / 25€. So in total, you would pay at least 52€ for these three activities.
Therefore, it really pays off to buy the Yellow Bus Combo Ticket for just 35€, as you will be saving at least 17€ / person. It is a lot of money!
Itineraries of the Yellow Hop On Hop Off Bus tour in Porto
The first itinerary is called Historical Porto and it goes through downtown Porto to Foz neighborhood (by the riverside), and then to the Port wine lodges in Gaia. It is really nice for those of you who would like to get a view over the most important monuments in Porto, but also check out the Port wine cellars across the river.
For shop lovers it is also a good bus tour, as one of the stops is in front of El Corte Inglès, a massive Spanish department store that sells pretty much everything, from clothing to food and souvenirs.
The other Yellow Bus tour in Porto also wanders a bit in the city center and by the riverside, but then it heads to Matosinhos, a nearby city that is phenomenal for fish lovers, as it has some of the best seafood restaurants in the region. This second itinerary of the Yellow Bus tour in Porto is called Porto Vintage and it stops in front of the beach of Matosinhos and then in front of Parque da Cidade, the largest city park in Porto, ideal for walking or riding a bike.
Important information about the Yellow Bus tours in Porto
Audio languages: there are currently 16 languages available.
Average duration: 1h50.
Schedule: During Summer (June to September): everyday from 9h15 to 18h15. During Winter: everyday from 9h30 to 17h30. The Historical Tour of Porto departures from Avenida Dom Afonso Henriques (near São Bento train station) at 9h15, 10h15, 11h15, 12h30, 13h15, 14h15, 15h15, 16h15 and 17h15.
The Porto Vintage Tour also departures from Avenida Dom Afonso Henriques at 9h, 10h, 11h, 12h, 13h, 14h, 15h, 16h and 17h.
Frequency: The Hop On Hop Off bus departures every 60 minutes.
Cancellation policy: You can get a full refund if you cancel the ticket up to 24h before the date that you booked it for.
Where to buy the tickets
The simplest way is to get the online combo ticket for the Yellow bus tour in Porto, because these bus tours get full very quickly, specially during the high season (spring, summer and beginning of autumn). This way you don’t need to worry about the queues to buy the tickets.
Then you just need to print it and show it at one of the bus stops, so just get the online combo ticket for the Yellow Bus and enjoy the ride!
Obviously, if you are not interested in visiting a Port wine cellar nor the 6 bridges cruise, it makes no sense to get the combo ticket to the Yellow Bus tour in Porto.
In that case, the Classic 2 Days ticket for the Hop On Hop Off Bus tour in Porto, of the Yellow Bus company, is more than enough and it costs 22€.
Would you like to include a tram ride?
I recently found out a really cool combo ticket that combines the Hop On Hop Off bus tour in Porto + tram ride + Funicular ticket. It is slightly cheaper than the other combo tickets (adult: 26€ and children: 13€) and it gives you access not only to the bus tour but to two ancient transports in Porto, the tram and the picturesque Guindais’ elevator.
You can get the online combo ticket online for the hop on hop off bus + tram + Guindais’ elevator.
2nd Option
CitySightseeing Hop On Hop Off Bus tour (red Bus tours)
CitySightseeing is another provider of Hop On Hop Off Bus tours in Porto. I simply call it the Red Bus due to its colour 😛 It also has two itineraries.
Unfortunately, CitySightseeing does not provide combo tickets for the Hop On Hop Off Bus tour in Porto, Port wine cellar and the 6 bridges cruise, so you can only get a 1 or 2 days ticket for the bus itself.
Itineraries of the Red Bus tours in Porto
The red line itinerary is very similar to the Vintage Porto itinerary from Yellow Bus. The Blue Line, on the other hand, heads to Vila Nova de Gaia (the city across the douro river), onto Real Companhia Velha (a wine museum owned by a large scale producer) and to El Corte Ingles, as in the Historical Porto of the Yellow Bus tour.
Should I buy a 1 day or a 2 day ticket for the Red Bus tours in Porto?
The difference in price for a 1 day or 2 day ticket is really small:
1 day ticket – Adult: 22€ | Children: 11€
2 days ticket – Adult: 24€ | Children: 12€
Therefore if you don’t have a fixed plan for your days in Porto it might pay off to buy the 2 day ticket for the Red Bus tour, as you can use it as a regular bus tour that lasts for 48h!
Important information on the Red Bus tours in Porto by CitySightseeing
Audio languages: there are currently 9 languages available.
Average duration: 100 minutes (around 1h40).
Schedule: everyday from 9h30 (red line) and from 10h (blue line).
Frequency: The Hop On Hop Off red bus leaves every 30 minutes, for both lines.
Cancellation policy: You can get a full refund if you cancel the ticket up to 24h before the date that you booked it for.
Important tips on Hop On Hop Off Bus tours in Porto
- Don’t forget to check the attractions discounts that come with your ticket! For instance, both the Yellow and the Red Bus offer a 25% discount on the ticket to Serralves’ contemporary museum and 30% discount on the ticket to SEA LIFE. In order to know what are the attractions discounts that you’re entitled to when you buy your ticket, simply get the map at the entrance of the bus. On the back of the map, there is a list with all the attractions discounts. On the back of the map, there is a list with all the discounts.
- If you are not sure if you are at the right bus station, just look above: all stations with a bus tour in Porto have the plaque of each bus tour company!
A word of caution regarding the Hop On Hop Off bus tours in Porto
Porto is a small city with a very compact city centre. Moreover, there are currently some construction work going on, mainly in Avenida dos Aliados, also near São Bento train station, Avenida da Boavista and Praça da Galiza. This basically means that there is A LOT of traffic jams, particularly during the high season (May to October). Therefore, taking the hop on hop off bus tours in Porto might not be the best option, particularly if you are in a hurry.
Other means of transportation in Porto’s city centre
Now that you know everything about Porto’s bus tours , find out more about other modes of transportation within Porto. Like our guide to the train stations, our tips for car rental and bike rental, our tips for taking the metro and our complete guide to airport transfers to get you from the plane to the center of the city in no time! 😉
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