Mexico City Hop on Hop off Bus Tours

Discovering Mexico City on board a tourist bus is the most comfortable and practical way to get to know the city. I show you how to use the tourist bus service.

Andressa García

Andressa García

9 min read

Mexico City Hop on Hop off Bus Tours

Mexico Tourist Bus | ©Girish

Whether you travel alone or in a group, you are sure to have an unforgettable experience aboard the city's tourist bus. This is an activity in which you will be able to get to know the history, architecture and culture of Mexico City without having to walk too much, taking advantage of a pleasant atmosphere and an ideal climate.

With all these characteristics, it is clear that taking the tourist bus is one of the best things to do in Mexico City. The bus has comfortable and spacious seats, as well as air conditioning and expert guides. Iconic sights include the Zocalo, the Metropolitan Cathedral and the National Palace.

The best sightseeing buses in the city

Mexico City Tourist Bus| ©So Cal Metro
Mexico City Tourist Bus| ©So Cal Metro

The company in charge of the tourist bus in Mexico City is known as Mexico City Tour. The best thing about this line is that it offers you different bus services to choose from, as well as different routes and tours to do in the city, no matter how many days you plan to stay in CDMX.

On the official website of this tourist bus you will find different products to choose from. These products are usually one or two day tours, or even themed tours, which you will love to do if you want to learn much more about the culture and history of Mexico City.

There are several features and advantages that stand out in this tourist bus service, among them the use of wifi on board during the whole tour. You will also have a system of free stops, which means that you can get on and off the bus as many times as you want, always using the same ticket you bought at the beginning of the trip.

Another feature you will like about this tour is that it has different audio guides that will help you learn a little more not only about the history and culture of the city, but also about each of the places and historical monuments that you will see on each of the routes.

Join the Mexico City sightseeing bus tour

Different routes of the tourist bus of Mexico City

View from the bus| ©Nyall & Maryanne
View from the bus| ©Nyall & Maryanne

Before you sign up for the tourist bus, which is undoubtedly one of the best tours of Mexico City, you should know that you have a total of four routes for this service, which is ideal if you hope to see a large part of the city in a short time. The four routes are: Centro Historico, Polanco Hipodromo-Chapultepec, South Coyoacan and Basilica.

Centro-Histórico Route

To begin with, the Centro Histórico route is the most visited and used route of this tourist bus service in Mexico City. By boarding this circuit, you will have the opportunity to discover the history, architecture, culture and gastronomy of the historic centre region of the city. This route has a frequency of 30 minutes.

Polanco Hipódromo-Chapultepec Route

Then there is the Polanco Hipódromo-Chapultepec route, which is the most modern and fashionable circuit and tour of the city. Within this route you will have the opportunity to enjoy the different areas to go shopping and also to enjoy the most avant-garde and modern architecture of the city. As for the frequency, you should know that from Monday to Thursday it takes about an hour and a half and from Friday to Sunday it takes about 45 minutes.

South Coyoacán Route

Sur Coyoacán is the route that takes you to one of the most bohemian neighbourhoods in the city, where you can also get to know its architecture and archaeology. From Monday to Thursday it runs every hour and a half, while from Friday to Sunday it runs every hour.

Basilica Route

Finally, the Basilica Route is the religious circuit, where you can take a journey through the pre-Hispanic, colonial and modern eras of the Mexican capital.

Sign up for a tour of Mexico City

Advantages of using the tourist bus

Getting to know Mexico| ©Caroline Cooke
Getting to know Mexico| ©Caroline Cooke

The tourist bus in Mexico City runs until late at night, so both day and night it offers several advantages compared to other means of transport and ways of exploring the city. But in general, this type of transport offers you comfort during the whole journey because the buses have air conditioning, toilets and comfortable seats.

On the other hand, you should know that the tourist bus is quite accessible, meaning that as a tourist you will be able to easily access many of the main attractions of the city. This is a great advantage if you are travelling to the city for a short time and also if you have already done a bike tour in Mexico City and now you want to get to know the city from the bus.

Another advantage of doing this tour is that it gives you a taste of Mexican culture and traditions, without the need to walk too far. It is also a safe way to get around the city, especially if you have never been to Mexico City before and are afraid of getting lost in the city.

This system is also advantageous because it allows you to get to know the city by making as many stops as you want, without having to pay a ticket to get on at each stop. So if you are making a short trip to Mexico City and you want to do some sightseeing to get to know each of the attractions of this city, the tourist bus is a good alternative, because it allows you to get on and off as many times as you want.

Sign up for a bike tour of Mexico City

How long is the complete tour of the tourist bus?

Tour bus| ©GojiMet86
Tour bus| ©GojiMet86

To talk about the duration of the buses, it is necessary to know that this can vary according to each route. For example, on the route through the Historic Centre, these buses have a frequency of approximately 30 minutes, but the journey can also take a little over 40 minutes if you do not make any stops along the way.

Another route has a frequency of approximately one and a half hours, while another has a frequency of one hour. On each of the routes, the journey can take between 40 minutes and an hour and a half, although this depends largely on the number of stops you make during the journey.

As for the duration of the ticket, you should know that once you buy a ticket for the Mexico City sightseeing bus service, you can use it for the next 24 or 48 hours, depending on the tour you have chosen, which means that you can hop on and off as many times as you want during this period of time.

What I will see from the tourist bus

Palace of Fine Arts| ©Ivan Hernández
Palace of Fine Arts| ©Ivan Hernández

As you already know at this point, getting to know the most emblematic places of Mexico City on board the tourist bus is a comfortable and safe way to explore the city. So, it is common that you will want to know what are some of the things you will be able to see on board of this tourist bus.

In general, the bus takes you to the most interesting places in the city. In a more specific way, among the places you can visit on board of this bus are the National Auditorium, the Tamayo Museum, which is one of the best museums in Mexico City, the Cibeles Fountain, the Independence Monument, the Wax Museum, the Christopher Columbus Monument, the Monument to the Revolution, among many other iconic places.

In total you will have the opportunity to visit a little more than 30 important places in the city. It is clear that, depending on the route you decide to take, you will be able to visit some of them and not others, that is why I recommend you to dedicate time to do each one of the four routes of the Mexico City tourist bus.

And taking into account the way to know the places that I have already described, you have to know that these buses are modern and panoramic, which will allow you to enjoy a unique view of these iconic places in the city, while you travel comfortably through its streets. But you will not only be able to see, but also hear in great detail, everything related to the history and cultural richness of the Mexican capital.

Get to know the best museums in CDMX

How much does the tourist bus ticket cost?

Money in euros| ©Ibrahim Boran
Money in euros| ©Ibrahim Boran

Before knowing the price of the bus, you should know that this price means that you can get on and off as many times as you want during one or two days, depending on the itinerary you choose. You should also know that this price means that you will be able to visit as many museums and points of interest as you want, always bearing in mind that the entrance to each of them is at your own expense.

To buy a ticket, you have to pay around 16 euros per adult or young person over the age of 13. In the case of children between 4 and 12 years old, you will have to pay 10 euros. In addition to what you already know, the price also includes the use of free wifi, panoramic views and audio guide in at least seven languages.

You can also find different costs when it comes to tours and other services within the Hop On Hop Off service. For example, if you want the tourist bus service for two days, you will have to pay around 23 euros per person over 13 years old, or 15 euros per child between 4 and 12 years old.

Now, if you decide to do city tours, you will have to pay around 35 euros per person for the canteen tour, or around 55 euros per person if you want to sign up for one of the best city tours of Teotihuacan using this service. You'll also have to pay around 40 euros if you sign up for a beer tour of Mexico City.

Visit the Pyramids of Teotihuacán

Tourist bus timetable

Bus tours| ©Michel Charbonneau
Bus tours| ©Michel Charbonneau

As for the timetable of each of the buses, you should know that these routes usually have a fixed timetable of uninterrupted service throughout the year, which goes from 9:00 to 21:00. In this case, as it is a Hop on Hop off service, you can get on and off the bus as many times as you like along the route.

On the other hand, it is also true that several of these routes have their own specific timetables. For example, the Centro Histórico route, which has 19 stops, is open from 9:00 to 19:00. The Polanco Hipódromo-Chapultepec route, with 7 stops, has a schedule that goes from 11:00 to 19:00.

For its part, the South Coyoacán circuit works between 11:00 and 19:00 and has about 16 stops. Finally, the Circuito Basilica, which has 5 stops, has a slightly different schedule, as it offers departures at various times of the day, at 10:00, 11:30, 13:00, 14:30, 16:00 and 17:30.

Additionally, if you want to sign up for the different tours offered by the company, you would have to coordinate with your tour guide what time the itinerary will start and how long the tour will end, taking into account that you would be doing a more specific tour.

How the tourist bus works

Getting to know Mexico| ©Caroline Cooke
Getting to know Mexico| ©Caroline Cooke

The operation of this tourist bus is quite simple. Basically, it is a series of circuits that offer an uninterrupted transport service throughout the city, all year round. They run almost all day long and give you the opportunity to hop on and off the bus as many times as you like. As a rough approximation, buses leave every 20 minutes, although this frequency may vary according to traffic.

As for booking the ticket to get on the tourist bus, you should know that you can do it directly online. You choose the route or routes you want to take and then buy the ticket you want to use, whether it's a one-day or two-day ticket. You also have the option to choose the specific tours you want to do throughout the city.

Once you've bought your ticket, it's time to get your voucher, which you can use to get on and off the bus as many times as you like. Keep in mind that with the purchase of these tickets, you are not guaranteed entry to each of the places you will stop at with this bus, as these are at your own expense.

After buying the ticket, you will have one or two full days, depending on the option you have chosen, to make use of your ticket and start getting to know the city aboard this CDMX sightseeing bus.