Bangkok Hop on Hop off Bus Tours

One of the best things to see and do in Bangkok is to take a bus ride through the streets of the city to see the sights of its different neighbourhoods. That's why I advise you to keep reading this post in which I will share with you all the information you need about the best tourist buses in the capital of Thailand.

There are different alternatives when it comes to Bangkok sightseeing buses and the two best options consist of a sightseeing service that allows you to use the bus as a means of transport to get around the city. The journey is via some 16 stops that pass some of the city's most important buildings and monuments.

On this type of route you usually have the possibility of getting on and off at each of the stops with total freedom throughout the opening hours. The frequency with which the buses of the same company run varies between 30 and 40 minutes and the most common is that the routes start at 9 a.m. and continue to be available until 9 p.m. This means that they are a tourist service both day and night.

Some of the places near the stops of these tourist routes are:

• Kammalawat Dragon Temple.
• Patpong Night Market.
• Chinatown.
• MBK Centre.

The prices of the experience vary depending on the number of days you decide to use these buses as a means of transport, however, the average fares range from 15 to 30 euros per person for each date.

Without a doubt, this is one of the best tours in Bangkok and at the same time it is a recommended plan for the whole family. All buses offer audio guides in up to seven different languages.

Some of the Bangkok tour bus companies, such as Britannica, offer only one route while others split their routes into two routes because the city is quite large and there are tourist attractions in both the north and south of the city. The following routes are those offered by the two best tour bus companies in Bangkok:

Main Route

The main tour bus routes in Bangkok usually have about 16 stops in total. Within these 16 stops, passengers have closer access to some 53 different points of interest throughout the city including the Siam Museum, Chinatown, the Bangkok Grand Palace and the Bangkok National Gallery.

The specific duration of this route is about 7 hours in total, but if you decide to get off at several of the stops it is likely to take about 12 hours. In this case the frequency of bus arrivals at each of the stops also varies between 30 and 40 minutes and always involves a double-decker bus with an open-top roof.

CBD route

The CBD route is named after the Central Business District and is a route that takes passengers through the different neighbourhoods of Bangkok's most modern and exclusive area. This tour is your best option for a day when you decide to shop in one of the city's large shopping malls or if you want to learn a little about the development of the area where some of Bangkok's best skyscrapers are located.

Here too, the tour usually lasts about 7 hours in total, but the number of sights near the stops drops to about 34 places of interest. There is also an audio guide and the frequency of the buses at each stop is still between 30 and 40 minutes.

There are advantages that make Bangkok tourist buses an excellent alternative for transport during most of the day, as this city is characterised by being quite chaotic when it comes to moving from one point to another. Therefore, a tourist service focused on the enjoyment and comfort of its users is a good bet, as well as allowing you to enjoy the best tours of Bangkok.

It is a comfortable transport alternative

Comfort is felt from the very first moment you step into the Bangkok tour buses. They are state-of-the-art vehicles with audio guides and seats as comfortable as a private car.

There are fixed stops where you are guaranteed another bus will arrive in less than 30 minutes and that's a nice thing in a city where traffic makes all transport alternatives a real challenge with too many unforeseen events.

Guaranteed to get you everywhere

With Bangkok tour buses you are completely assured that you will get to every single stop that is part of the route. This means that it's a complete tour that will take you to all the main tourist attractions in the city without having to pay extra money in case there is traffic on the road.

This makes them a better alternative to taxis and tuk tuks, two fairly inexpensive options, but which adjust their fares according to the time of day and demand.

It's a cheaper experience

Ultimately, the best tour buses in Bangkok end up being a cheaper experience. Because they function as a means of transport that is available to you for 12 continuous hours of the day, you can take advantage of them to reach a wide range of attractions without having to pay individual fares for each trip. That means that by paying for 24, 48 or 72 hours of service you will save a lot of money compared to what you would spend if you were to use taxis or tuk tuks for the same amount of trips around the city.

The full uninterrupted Bangkok sightseeing bus tour usually takes about 7 hours in total. However, the reality is that few people actually complete this duration, as they decide to get off at some of the 16 stops along the main route and this adds minutes and hours to the amount of time they spend their day on the bus.

You should also bear in mind that if a person wishes to complete the two routes that make up the Bangkok sightseeing buses then they would need a minimum of 14 hours. Therefore, they may be a more practical plan for those who are in the city for three days or more.

Either way, one thing is for sure, no matter how long you are on these buses, you will still have most of the night available. That means you'll be able to take part in some of the best things to do in Bangkok at night, as it's a city with a wide range of night-time activities that go on until almost dawn.

Rattanakosin and Siam are two of the areas in Bangkok that are part of the Bangkok sightseeing bus tours.

Rattanoski

The first site is known as the historic quarter of this community and is home to important buildings such as the Grand Palace and the Temple of the Leaning Buddha. This means that along this part of the tour you will find very typical Thai architecture and an area full of palaces and large buildings.

Siam

In the case of the second neighbourhood, Siam, you will find a much more interesting and diverse urban panorama, as it is the oldest commercial area of the city and for many it is the true centre of Bangkok and is the best representation of the essence of the great Thai cities.

All this means that from these buses you will have the opportunity to see some of the best Palaces in Bangkok and even some of the best temples in Bangkok. All in a journey that lasts 7 hours on average and gives you the opportunity to get off at as many stops as you want if you decide to enter each of these places and then continue on the route without paying a single extra Euro.

The price of a ticket for the Bangkok Sightseeing Bus varies between 15 Euro and 30 Euro per person. Babies under 2 years of age in the arms of their parents do not pay any fee for access to the buses.

If you decide to pay for these tourist buses in any agency in the city of Bangkok then you will have to pay higher prices, because in the capital of Thailand there are additional taxes when paying with credit cards from abroad.

So it is indisputable that these tourist buses are an excellent financial investment because of their low cost and the possibility of paying with credit cards online.

The schedules of the best Bangkok sightseeing buses remain the same throughout the year and this means that you will be able to use them from approximately 9am to 9pm. There may be some adjustments to this format in the event that the route has to be modified for special events or simply for construction work on the streets and avenues that are part of the routes.

The fact that these buses remain available for 12 hours continuously makes them an excellent sightseeing activity during a four-day trip to Bangkok. That's because with 8 to 10 hours you can tour most of the city centre and even get off to visit museums and temples without worrying about finding alternative transport to continue your tours.

The operation of Bangkok's tourist buses is quite simple to understand. It is a system of buses that runs on a 16-stop route that takes tourists to various major attractions in the centre of the Thai capital.

Buses arrive approximately every 30 minutes at each of the stops and passengers can get on as many buses as they want after getting off to visit the palaces, monuments and museums that are close to the stops along the route.

As the route is quite extensive, it is possible to use this bus system for 48 and 72 hours. In fact, this tour bus service usually has 7-day tickets that allow users to take advantage of their comfort and safety for a whole week in Bangkok to move through the city centre quickly.

My recommendation is to make the most of this type of transport to get to the different corners of the tourist areas of Bangkok. This will leave you with enough free time on a relatively long trip to take part in some of the best excursions from Bangkok.