Explore Dubai's Sights with a Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour
Explore Dubai comfortably on a Hop-on Hop-off bus tour in an air-conditioned bus with an audio guide to the sights. This article will give you all the details on the different Hop-on Hop-off tickets, routes, and free services offered by the top providers in Dubai.
Most Popular Hop-on Hop-off Tickets in Dubai
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Ticket Comparison
The tickets for the individual Hop-on Hop-off providers differ in their validity, the number of routes offered, the frequency of bus transport, the price and above all in their inclusive services (free attractions).
With the tickets of the individual providers and the individual free services in connection with the validity, one can quickly lose sight of the facts. Therefore we have compared the two top dogs Big Bus and City Sightseeing, which are most common in Dubai, for you!
Big Bus
dark red bussesCity Sightseeing Tip!
light read bussesClassic Ticket
Premium Ticket
Deluxe Ticket
1-Day-Ticket
48-h-Ticket
3-Days-Ticket
7-Days-Ticket
for some routes
Classic-Family Ticket
Premium-Family Ticket
booked individually
booked individually
booked individually
booked individually
available on some routes
Hop On / Off not possible
Hop On / Off possible
(+ 11 additional languages)
(+ 12 additional languages)
- Dhow Fahrt
- Nachttour
- Tours of the Classic-Tickets
- Sharjah-Tour
- Marina-Boat Tour
- Tours of the Classic+Premium-Tickets
- Palm-Island Ride
- Desert Sunset Tour
- Lost Chambers Aquarium
- Dubai Museum
- Dhow Ride +
Pearl Experience - Global Village (Nov.–Apr.)
- Night Tour
- Tours of the 1 & 2-Days-Tickets
- Dubai Aquarium &
Underwater Zoo - Back of the House Tour
- Tours of the 1, 2 & 3-Days-Tickets
- Flying Cup Ride
- 1h Dubai Canal Ride
depending on route
depending on route
Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour Routes in Comparison
The buses run on different routes (number varies depending on the provider, see table above). The routes lead to sightseeing in the most famous and important places in Dubai. You can simply get off where you want to stop. Alternatively, you can simply enjoy a round trip and watch the colorful hustle and bustle of the city from the sightseeing bus. Below you will find the individual routes of the Hop-on Hop-off sightseeing tours in Dubai.
5 Stops – first departure: 8:50 h, last departure: 17:50 h
The Dubai Mall – City Walk – Wafi Mall – BurJuman Mall – Dubai Museum – Old Souq – Heritage Village – Gold Souq / Spice Souq – Riviera – Deira City Centre
Beach Tour – Green Route
5 stops – first departure: 9:00 h, last departure: 18:00 h
The Dubai Mall – Jumeirah Public Beach – Burj al Arab – Souk Madinat – Mall of the Emirates
Marina Tour – Blue Route
11 stops – first departure: 9:00 h, last departure: 18:00 h
Mall of the Emirates – Marina Walk – Marina Mall – The Beach – Marina Promenade – Bayside – Tallest Block – Media City – The Pointe (Shopping, Palm Jumeirah) – Hotel Atlantis The Palm
Night Tours
The night tours of Big Bus are not to be understood as Hop-on Hop-off routes compared to City Sightseeing. There are two tours (A and B), but you cannot get off the bus. Tour A starts at 19:30 at Dubai Mall. Tour B starts at 19:45 at the Mall of the Emirates.
A schedule of the Big Bus night tour can be found here.
10 stops – first departure: 9:00 h, last departure: 17:30 h
The Dubai Mall – Etihad Museum – Jumeirah Mosque – La Mer Beach – Mercato Mall – Public Beach Umm Suqeim – Burj al Arab – Souk Madinat Jumeirah – Dubai Police Academy Museum – Mall of the Emirates
Historical Dubai – Red Route
13 stops – first departure: 9:00 h, last departure: 17:30 h
The Dubai Mall – Al Seef (Tip! This is also where the free dhau ride takes place) – BurJuman Mall – Dubai Museum – Old Souq – Gold Souq / Spice Souq – Riviera Hotel – Dubai Creek – Al Ghurair Centre (Shopping) – Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel – Deira City Centre – Dubai Festival City Mall – Sheikh Zayed Road
Dubai Marina – Yellow Route
12 stops – first departure: 9:00 h, last departure: 17:30 h
Mall of the Emirates – Dubai Marina Walk – The Beach @ JBR – Marina Promenade – Grosvenor House Dubai – Mina Seyahi – Dubai Media City – The Pointe (Shopping, Palm Jumeirah) – Atlantis The Palm – Palm Views West – Fairmont The Palm
Palm Jumeirah – Pink Route
5 stops – first departure: 10:00 h, last departure: 16:00 h (smaller bus, irregular departures, look at the timetable)
Atlantis The Palm – Sofitel Dubai The Palm – Anantara Dubai The Palm – Rixos The Palm – Jumeirah Zabeel Saray
Global Village & Miracle Garden – Orange Route
3 stops – first departure: 15:00 h, last departure: 17:00 h (irregular departures, look at the timetable)
Mall of the Emirates – Miracle Garden – Global Village
Only for cruise ship passengers – Green Route
3 stops – limited schedule for cruise ship passengers, planned according to the ship arrivals
The Dubai Mall – Cruise Terminal 3 – Cruise Terminal 2
Night Tour “Sunset” – Dark-red Route
5 stops – first departure: 18:00 h, last departure: 20:00 h (2 journeys)
The Dubai Mall – Dubai Festival City Mall – Deira City Centre – Al Seef – BurJuman Mall
Night Tour “Midnight” – Dark-blue Route
7 stops – first departure: 18:00 h, last departure: 20:00 h (2 journeys)
The Dubai Mall – Mall of the Emirates – Mina Seyahi (Marina) – The Pointe (Shopping, Palm Jumeirah) – Atlantis The Palm – Fairmont The Palm – Souk Madinat Jumeirah
A map of all routes of City Sightseeing in Dubai you can also find here.
Is a Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tour in Dubai Worthwhile?
Yes! Because on a bus tour you can see so many interesting hotspots. Plus, you can discover the city very flexibly because with a Hop-on Hop-off ticket you have the possibility to travel on different routes. These are named thematically and according to colors and lead to the most beautiful sights and attractions in Dubai. As the name suggests, you can get on and off at any station. You usually wait only a few minutes for the next bus. Especially recommended are the night tours, which are already included in the Hop-on Hop-off Tickets. Marvel at sparkling Dubai at night and relax onboard the sightseeing buses!
What would sightseeing be without a little background knowledge? With free audio guides (headphones included) in German and many other languages, you will learn exciting details about Dubai's history and the individual sights during the tour.
10 Advantages of Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tours in Dubai
- Free audio guide (available in over 10 different languages including German)
- Voucher booklet with various discounts and free attractions in Dubai
- Inclusive sightseeing-dhau-ride
- See the most popular attractions and spots in Dubai
- Exciting and coordinated routes relieve you of sightseeing planning
- Refrigerated drinks are available free of charge on the sightseeing buses.
- You can get on, off and on as often as you like and are therefore very flexible.
- With a Hop-on Hop-off ticket, you can save expensive metro and taxi costs.
- Free WLAN during the entire bus journey
- App with live tracking of the Hop-on Hop-off buses
Book Dubai Hop-on Hop-off Tickets
It is advisable to book Hop-on Hop-off Dubai tickets online in your local language in advance to take care of tour planning. This way you will get a ticket at the best price as soon as possible, without hidden costs or surcharges.
You Should Know This Before You Go on a Sightseeing Tour
The open double-decker buses offer a magnificent view of Dubai from above. In addition, some of the buses on the upper deck have an air-conditioned, enclosed area. This is especially pleasant in summer. However, in Dubai during the winter months (main travel season) the wind can still make it relatively fresh on the upper deck. Take a jacket with you in the evening or sit down in the closed part of the double-decker buses. You should also be prepared for the sun to take full effect on the upper deck: headgear and sun cream are therefore advisable.
Please note that you will have the vouchers ordered online converted into printed cards by the staff of the provider during the first journey (e.g.: The Dubai Mall, Mall of the Emirates). You will also receive vouchers for all-inclusive services such as the Dhau trip, museum tickets, etc.
Last, but not least, we would like to draw your attention to the fact that City Sightseeing Dubai and Big Bus each offer individual apps for your bus tours. With the help of the app, you can always see where you are at the moment and which spots are on the individual routes (WLAN free of charge available in the City Sightseeing Bus). Above all, you'll be able to see when the next bus arrives.
The apps for the individual operating systems can be found here:
FAQ about Hop-on Hop-off Bus Tours in Dubai
Absolutely. Rarely do you have the chance to discover so many great spots including attractions as a dhow ride in such a short time. The best thing about it is that the audio guide provides you with exciting facts about Dubai in your own language. In addition, you save on the cost of many taxies, metro and tram journeys with the Hop-on Hop-off tickets in Dubai. So check whether you might even travel cheaper with a longer Hop-on Hop-off ticket (e.g. 3 or 7 days) than with individual tickets for public transport.
Special family tickets for sightseeing tours in Dubai are only available from Big Bus. City Sightseeing also offers single tickets for children. The current prices for Hop-on Hop-off family tickets/total price from single bookings can be found in the current price table (above).
The provider City Sightseeing Dubai has a larger core offer (number of routes, 2-night routes with 2 starts each). In addition, City Sightseeing offers more inclusive services such as museum tickets, dhau trips and even WLAN on the bus. However, families that don't mind doing without some of the above-mentioned amenities often select Big Bus, since it offers somewhat more favorable family tariffs.
Yes, Big Bus offers tours in Dubai as well as Abu Dhabi. In addition to bus tickets for Abu Dhabi,, there are also big bus combo-tickets for Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The tickets can be purchased for both cities individually or as a combination ticket for both cities together. City Sightseeing does not currently use Hop-on Hop-off buses in Abu Dhabi.
The sightseeing buses of both providers are air-conditioned in the lower area. Some of the buses have two floors and the upper area has a closed, air-conditioned zone.
City Sightseeing Dubai buses stop on the green route at both Terminal 3 and Terminal 2, but this route is for cruise passengers only and is only offered on days when cruise ships call in Dubai. Big Bus has not advertised its own route but offers a shuttle bus between the terminal at Port Rashid and the Dubai Mall. The buses run between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. from the terminal in the direction of the mall. They drive back from the mall (Stop 12 & 1) to the harbor between 11:00 am and 8:00 pm.
All-City Sightseeing buses are wheelchair accessible. Big Bus writes on their website (08/2019) that most of their buses are wheelchair accessible.
More Sightseeing Tours and City Tours in Dubai
Further Sights
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