Hop-On Hop-Off Tours in Dublin

DoDublin is a local company, operating since 1988, that offers 24 or 48-hour Hop-On Hop-Off passes in English, Spanish, and German. They also have combination tickets that include a 48-hour hop-on hop-off pass with either single or return Airlink Express airport transfers. That’s amazing value for money, especially if you’re flying into town for a long weekend! Their hop-on hop-off route has 32 stops and takes about two hours to complete if you feel like staying on board. On-board commentary is available on every other bus in English, Irish, French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Polish, Japanese, and Chinese. Tickets include a range of discounts at attractions and a free Pat Liddy walking tour (worth €14) that departs from stop 1, O’Connell Street, every day at 11 am.

City Sightseeing was founded in Spain in 1999 and operates hop-on hop-off buses in over 100 destinations around the world. Their Dublin service includes one route with 26 stops (plus 5 extra pick-up points in the morning), and buses alternate between having a live English-language guide and commentary in English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Chinese, Portuguese, and Polish. Tickets also include a free walking tour that leaves College Green every morning at 10.30 am, so you can explore the streets which the buses can’t reach while learning all about the city’s history.

Big Bus runs hop-on hop-off bus tours in 23 cities around the world, and their service is reliable and covers all of the city’s major sites in over 35 stops. Although Big Bus has two routes, there’s a lot of overlap and the main differences are the extra stops in the north of Dublin (including Croke Park and Glasnevin Cemetery) and the style of commentary. The red route features digital commentary and takes about an hour and 45 minutes for the full loop, while the blue route features a live English-speaking guide and takes about two hours in total.