Wheelchair-accessible entrance
Yes
Big Bus Tours in Philadelphia
Categories
Location on the map
Philadelphia, Philadelphia County, Pennsylvania, US
Accessibility
Phone: +1 215-389-8687
Site: https://www.phillytour.com/
Site: https://www.phillytour.com/
Opening hours
- Monday:9:30AM–4PM
- Tuesday:9:30AM–4PM
- Wednesday:9:30AM–4PM
- Thursday:9:30AM–4PM
- Friday:9:30AM–4PM
- Saturday:9:30AM–5PM
- Sunday:9:30AM–4PM
Big Bus Tours in other cities:
Comments (159)
Groups STAY AWAY! SCAM!Hop on hop off.....NO SERVICE How about get kicked off if! Paid with a party of 20 plus people, hopped off at he first stop......UBER home! SCAM alert! Got off at first stop, tried to get back on next bus, several vacancies within bus, got on and we were told the empty seats were being held for people running around the stop. We were forced back off the bus and called Mike tour manager. Promised a callback, email, response.........nothing. This is a scam GROUPS STAY AWAY! You will pay to UBER back to your hotel/residence!
May 2022, Memorial day weekend: its a guided bas tour covering Philly attractions. If youre having mobility issues or trying to do it under 2 hours - go for it. Its easy to catch from most hotels in Center and Old Town Philly. For people trying use hop-on feature - you will be better with Uber/Lyft, YMMV:1. Bus takes about 90 minutes for a full circle and its from 9.30 AM to 4 PM - basically you have about 6 loops to catch and you will want account to waiting time. Realistically you will end with 2 hops IMHO. Tickets are $36, average Uber is $13 - price wise youre better with Uber for a couple.2. Path around Independence Hall & Liberty Bell is better to walk & visit - bus just adds extra time due to traffic.3. A lot of places are closing past 4PM so you may need to get Uber anyway IMHO.Possible path to optimize the bus if youre staying in downtown hotel and getting tickets online:1. Go from hotel to nearest stop and get to Independence Hall stop; exit;2. Walk/visit/view Independence Hall, Liberty Bell3. Catch bus on a stop near Constitution center and get to Philadelphia Museum of Art; exit; - Rocky is here.4. Catch bus from here to City Hall; exit;5. Catch bus from here to hotel.Above skips visiting Penns Landing & Seaport.
Great sightseeing option. You see all the main highlights with recorded info in 8 languages. Hop on and off stops and most of the major stops you would want to see. Reasonably priced
Terrible company with terrible smelling, polluting buses. This company makes the city awful, please, if you’re a tourist, just walk; Philly is a very walkable city. Or at least choose a company that cares to use buses with modern emissions equipment.
I purchased the Big Bus Tour passes through Groupon and got them for $28/each. Once you arrive you will have to show the person working the desk to redeem them for actual tickets. The girl working the front desk was the rudest person I encountered in Philadelphia. However, the tour guide was the NICEST. She did an amazing job making everyone laugh while still being informative. We rode on the upper deck and even though it was only about 50 degrees, the covered top kept us warm. Everyone is able to get on and off the bus at any stop, but I recommend the Reading Terminal Market and Rocky Statue stops for sure. The only tricky part is getting back on the bus. You have to know when the bus will be coming back, where it stops exactly and have your ticket handy. The ticket also gets you $2 off the Eastern State Penitentiary tour!
We had a great experience with The Big Bus Company...well kinda. To be honest our first tour guide was just okay (that’s PC for...he sucked) and it was lunch time so we hopped off at Reading Terminal Market. Great market, btw.If redemption had a name, it would, without a doubt, be named Jay!!! Jay was awesome. He knew and remembered where everyone on that bus was from (it was about 13 of us) and found a way to involve us all, not just a couple of folks who lived near his hometown like the first guy.That’s not the only thing that made Jay great though. He REALLY knew his stuff. To the point that we didn’t even hop off again because we didn’t want to miss the rest of HIS tour. If some of us knew facts about things or proposed a question, he always had an answer. It wasn’t that he was withholding info, it was just that he was filled with so much, it wasn’t enough time to get it all out.If you have a free day or at least a free few hours, I recommend this tour. Hopefully you will be lucky enough to get Jay!
Awesome experience. Got on a double decker bus and used the citypass philadelphia. My tour guide was evelyn and the driver was a muslim lady. Both were excellent hosts and this was a great experience. Even though we had to detour because of a protest on that day, both women made the ride easy and comfortable. Definitely recommend this company!
One of the best things we paid for!! So much fun and the tour guide was very informative. We enjoyed it so much we did it twice.
Im a big fan of tour buses in any city. The Big B Tours were not the best Ive ever been on but its a great way to see the whole city in 1.5 hrs. We decided to get off and get on at various stops so we really ended up doing the entire trip twice and got to hear different tour guides which is a bonus as they all have their own favourite things to talk about. All of the tour guides we had were very friendly and chatty and fun, but also different age ranges, so it was nice to hear about the city from different personalities and age groups. Also got to see the everything we wanted to see in the city and more. Well worth it. Lots of room on the bus, the cover was great so when it rained lightly it did not disrupt the tour. The bus travels all over the city so you really get to see a lot. Buses come every 25-30 mins so if you choose to get off to see something, you wont miss out or have to wait long. Some of the stops were places where we wouldnt even think of coming to see, so it was great to have the tour guides explain the importance of certain areas and it was great for the bus to actually go to these areas. Although the round trip is 1.5 hrs, plan for at least 3-4 hrs to really enjoy the town and stop at certain stops like liberty bell or Art museum. Highly recommend it.
Affordable, comfortable and convenient. Double decker buses with open top floor.Stops at 27 local attractions. Live naration. Great information and local insights. Hop on and hop off wherever you want. We had a great time.
I make it a point to do all the Big Bus tours when Im visiting different cities. It helps me get the lay of the land right off the bat and I can decide what places to go visit on foot (or by Uber).Sit up top because its covered in the winter - dress warmly and youll be fine.Expect to spend about an hour and a half, assuming you dont get off the bus. If you do get off the bus, I believe that the next bus comes every 45 minutes. (This review was done after a December trip, so that may be seasonal)My tour guide was very knowledgeable, driver was great (Bernard). Im kicking myself for not remembering the tour guide name... I remember he said he was 28 and a Temple grad. He studied military history with an emphasis on the fiscal side, and his favorite US Supreme Court justice was the fourth one. 😆Anyways, he was fantastic. He tied in a lot of his education to the areas history which was pretty cool.I definitely recommend doing this tour.
Was on a one day trip to Philadelphia. We went in late on the last bus tour at 4 pm, so we cant hop on and off the bus. But the tour was good and guide was amazing at what he did and was talented enough that he wrote a book in inverted mirrored image, impressive.
Enjoyed the 90 minute tour with driver Tiffany and Tour Guide Mike. What an excellent tour!!!! Tiffany was an amazing driver and Mike was very personable and knowledgeable. Our group had planned to hop off at a stop but ended up riding the entire route because we were so impressed with the driver and guide.
I loved this alot wish we would have started out with this first, we bought a city pass which allowed us to also get off at one of the the stops to enjoy an attraction. If your staying in the city too, it helps to navigate around a little. It is hop on and off but it does run every 45 minutes when we went and they said traffic is bad after 2p.m. We had a great experience and we did this like 10a.m. So would highly recommend the morning time is possible. Customer service is great and they also partner with the local sightseeing bus and the driver for that bus eas extra sweet, she was family woman from new jersey.
I have been to Philly many times but never did a bus tour before. It was awesome! We did one full loop and the tour guide really knew his stuff and was very humorous. It is a great overview of what to go explore and you can then hop on and off the bus at the location(s) that interest you.
This is the way to go! It’s a great overview and may help you decide which places you want to actually return and spend time visiting. For example, if not for this tour, I may ubered to see Love Park. I would have been disappointed. The view from the bus was enough for me! Sit up top if it’s not cold and enjoy the views :)
Great way to get a quick tour of downtown Philly. We had a young woman narrating the tour and she did a great job. You can hop off at each site and catch the next bus, or you can stay on for the whole thing. Definitely was worth the money and was not that expensive.
They provided an exceptional experience in Philadelphia. Loved having a tour guide. Each one we encountered was very entertaining and did a great job talking about the sites in the city. Would highly recommend one of these especially if you get a Go city pass. You save tons!!
Very informative and funny. A must do.
Sebastian was a funny tour guide. Wouldve gotten 5 stars except they made us all get off at the last stop and reboard (my mom has trouble with stairs) and they cut off about a third of the stops for an issue. Probably out of their control. Still well worth the visit. Up top is the best view
Went on their carriage ride yesterday and had the worst experience. They told us $50 for 1 hour the lied after the ride and changed it to $150. On top of that hid the prices on the clipboard. Also a picture we took shows the clipboard of prices wasn’t even put where we could view it. On top of that the driver was mean to his horse and his tour was unenthusiastic and unprofessional. So was his supervisor. Poor business practices. Please save your money and just walk or drive around Philly
1 stop 1/2 hour.. what a rip off.. also had to pay for cab to get there... After purchasing ticket for tour.. ugh.. I did tip tour driver.. it wasnt his fault they were shady and not truthful about tour where we purchased tickets.. buyer beware. Not as advertised!!!
I was disappointed to wait at stop 15 for right at an hour on a rainy day. On a positive I enjoyed the commentary while on the bus.
Even though currently the two bus companies are sharing ridders. I felt that your guides were much more educated on the city than the red bus. You can tell the difference from the ones who were doing it as a job vs the love of history. Loved the story behind the Rocky statue being moved. Not a fan of Snobs.
Definitely something to do footrest thing in the morning and spend all day hoping on and off the bus. I started at 2:30. Wish I had started first thing
My wife and I booked tickets for Big Bus tours Philadelphia for our anniversary Aug. 5, 2021. We waited for over 1 hour at stop 22 at which time we contacted the company and asked them what happened to the bus. They texted us that it should be there in 12 minutes. After waiting another half hour we asked for a refund and they said they could not give us one. We are both seniors and it took a lot out of us to wait that long in the heat. We ended up walking through downtown Philadelphia and made the most of it but Big Bus tours ruined our anniversary. Also their app does not work in Philadelphia to let you know where the next bus is. Save your money and go with a different company.
Ernest was the best of the 3 hosts we heard today. He was awesome!! He knew his city well and you could tell he was proud of it. His jokes were on point and I really enjoyed them. He gets the 5 stars!!
Great hop on/hop off tour bus to see many of the popular places around Philly! I have used this company during my last two trips to Philly and have very much enjoyed it both times.Not a fault of the tour company but there are a few low hanging tree branches that you need to be watching for during the tour. The tour guides try their hardest to warn you about this throughout the tour but it can be annoying.
We hopped on at a stop halfway through a tour (so possibly we missed a talk about rules in the beginning?). I saw another passenger quickly move across the aisle while the bus was in motion. No one said anything so I figured it was ok to do. Probably 15 minutes later, I quickly switched seats (because I realized there were fewer people on one side of the bus after a group left the tour and I could have more space) while the bus was in motion and the man conducting the tour stopped what he was talking about and scolded me extensively -over the microphone for everyone to hear even though I was now sitting diagonally in front of him- to never do that ever again (getting up while the bus was in motion) and how he could get in big trouble if anyone had seen me switch seats and I could have gotten hurt and that it was a rule that should never be broken and it was all said in a condescending tone (it wasnt hostile or angry but it was as though he had lost all patience with me). He then continued with the tour discussing history and for whatever reason (I had not moved again whatsoever) stopped mid sentence and again repeated to me to not switch seats while the bus was moving. The whole time I was apologizing and said I didnt know and that I now understood the rule. 30 minutes later, after more people exited the tour and there were more seats available, during a stop I asked if it was safe for me to move seats bc I wasnt sure if the bus was going to start moving again soon and he said Do not get up when the bus is moving again over the microphone. I could understand this behavior if I had known the rule and ignored it anyway but he didnt go over the rules every time new people got on the bus and from what I saw (or didnt see) there was no obvious signage stating the rules. A brief Maam please do not stand while the bus is in motion- its for safety with my acknowledging I heard him say it would have been perfectly sufficient for me to follow the rule. This maybe wouldnt be embarrassing to other people but I was every embarrassed.
A very thorough tour, very good your guide and the double decker bus was great!
We chose this tour unfortunately on a day that the election results were declared. This shut down the city center. We sat on the bus in traffic for way longer than the tour should have gone for. At no point were we offered the ability to get off the bus at a different location we were just stuck sitting on a bus passing the same things over and over. I understand that the city center was blocked off but give people an option to get off the bus at a different location. We missed our timed entry at other locations we had booked. I also feel like we did not get the full experience of what it should have been. Very hard to hear the lady telling about the history etc. Honestly on a day like this the tours should have been canceled.
Thoroughly enjoyed this tour! Informative, timely, great value, and a good way to get to know the history of the city. Our tour guide was incredibly enthusiastic and even helped us plan what to do during the remainder of our trip
This is the best way to get around town. The tour guides are very nice and know their history well.
Horrible! Although they have deleted Stop 22, its still on their map. My spouse and I stood there (where there was a clearly stated Big Bus sign depicting it as an active stop) for over an hour waiting for a bus. We saw a city officer walk by so we asked her if she knew when the bus would be coming and she said shes NEVER seen a bus there in the years shes been on that beat. So we walked to Stop 23 and called the company to find out what happened. Spoke to Keiren (spelling) at the number on their map and he said that is not an active stop. Asked him why it is still on the map and he said it would cost too much to change and reprint all the maps. Asked why not just cross it off on each one or slap a sticker on it stating it was inactive. He said it would be too much trouble. Asked why they havent removed the sign at Stop 22 indicating the bus would come and he said that they hope they will start using it at some point in the future and refused to remove it or putting some notification on it stating it was a defunct stop. Asked what they will do to ensure no other customer wastes 2 hours of their sightseeing day walking to a stop, waiting for a bus that never comes and then having to walk to another stop and wait again. They said there was NOTHING they would do. Keiren stated that they tell the people who sell the tickets to tell people there is no Stop 22. And CLEARLY they dont! HORRIBLE interaction with Keiren, who also refused to let me speak to anyone else at the company to make a complaint!
A quick trip around the city. I was expecting more opportunities for pictures. I was able to get a few while Im moving but this never compares to stop. Archer guide was knowledgeable with a great personality. I was expecting more of a on/ off ride. With that being said, I suppose Ill choose a jump on /jump off bus on next visit. I did enjoy Philly however. Hope to return soon.
DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY. GOT OFF BUS TWICE AND HAD TO WAIT OVER AN HOUR for next bus. Busses too full to pick up passengers and now standing g for OVER AN HOUR and havent seen abus. THIS IS A RIP OFF! THEY OVER SELL FOR THEI capacity of busses they have and youre left stranded!!!!
Informative and super friendly. When we missed a stop they had one of their drivers bring us back and he actually brought us yo our hotel instead so we didnt have to walk.Highly recommend this tour.
Subpar service! Waited forever for a bus. Called twice to inquire about an eta and the rep had an attitude. My suggestion…Try a different company.
Very disappointing. Had Zayn as tour guide and Dan as driver.Half the tour was focused on telling us how we were behind schedule and how bad the traffic was rather than talking about the sites. I would have thought if you’re in traffic a your guide would fill the time by going into more detail about what we were going past or engaging with tourists but the tour guide either stopped talking, complained, or went downstairs to talk to the driver.Best thing about it was that I was able to go round Philadelphia in 90 minutes (but made very aware most of it was walkable by the tour guide which made me feel like a chump for getting a bus tour then).It’s a shame that it doesn’t go to parts of South Philly like the Italian market and Geno’s.
We have done the Big Bus tour in Philadelphia twice now. We have always had a good experience on this tour and in general would recommend. If you are lucky enough to get on a bus that has Z as the guide and Miriam and the driver you are in for a treat. Hands down the best guide and driver we have ever experienced in any city. Z knows tons about the city and she is a natural performer. We stayed on the entire 90 loop because we knew we would likely never encounter this good of a guide again. Thanks Big Bus Philly!
The hotel concierge made arrangements and booked tickets for our group of 8. She also arranged for the company to send a private van to the hotel to pick us up and take us to Stop #1.Our van driver could not have been nicer and we got quite the tour from him even before getting to stop #1.Once on the bus, we were able to sit upstairs as it was a beautiful day. This particular bus had no cover, so it was windy when we were riding, but not a problem. We enjoyed it very much.Bus #1 tour guide was great as was the driver. It was a crazy day as there were some events with streets closed. We got off at the Rocky statue. We were told they wait for you for about 5 minutes so that you can get back on, but this was not the case for us. We got off and waited maybe 15 minutes for the next bus.While waiting, we had a nice man from Big Bus Tours letting us know where the bus was and how we could track the bus on our phones (I was not able to find it before the bus arrived, so I dont have that information but apparently it is available).Bus #2 tour guide was also great as was the driver. This bus had a partial cover on the upper level and even though it was cool out, it was sunny and so inside the covered part was like a greenhouse, very hot and uncomfortable, so avoid those seats in the sun if you can.We got off at the last stop (Stop 18) and walked a few blocks back to our hotel.Ive been to Philadelphia before, I wasnt really interested in a tour and didnt really pay attention to anything other than the Rocky steps. It was a beautiful day and a nice way to ride around the city. Not sure it was worth $34 (I assumed $34 due to booking through the hotel), but if you really want a tour, this is probably a good, comprehensive way to go.
We had a great time on a very busy Thursday in June! The tour guides were personable and knowledgeable (thanks, Melissa!), great to learn all the attractions and then decide where you wanted to spend your on foot time. We never waited more than 15 minutes for a bus, and the drivers did a great job navigating detours.
What a great day we got to have in Philadelphia - all with the help of Big Bus Tours. They came all the way to our airport hotel to pick us up - early. The driver was very sweet and made sure we all understood what we needed to do to get a ride back to our hotel. Then getting our online order turned into tickets to get on the tour bus was easy. We enjoyed the whole tour. We only got off once about halfway through because most of what we wanted to do this first time was near the first stop. We loved everything we did (definitely need MORE time than one day in Philadelphia). We made it back to the shuttle in time and our drive (same from the morning) made sure the Hawthorne Suites Family had made it back onto the shuttle. Everyone was so nice and all of the drivers (shuttle, big bus and trolley) did a great job in the Philadelphia traffic and construction! We definitely recommend getting to know Philadelphia this way!! The ticket prices were a great deal ESPECIALLY because they came and picked us up at our hotel and dropped us back off - no need to figure out our way around Philadelphia AND deal with parking!
This was one of the best bus tours I have ever taken. The tour guide was amazing and gave us so much information and the driver was great, no hard braking or accelerating. So many stops and sights to see along the route.
Our experience with Big Bus Tours wasnt that great and sadly our trip to Philadelphia was our Christmas gift to our 11 and 13 year old kids- so it made matters worse. We were having a wonderful tour until we decided to hop off. We were dropped off at 1:30 at stop 2 and were told the next bus would be there at 2:00 to pick us up. Fifteen minutes before 2:00 we went back to the curb to wait on the bus. We went early to make sure we wouldnt miss it. We waited and waited and waited until finally at 2:20 we chose to walk a block or two, rather than continue to just keep standing there in the rain, down to stop 3 and catch the bus there. To make a long story short it was 2:45 and no Big Bus Tours bus to be seen anywhere. So we continued to be proactive and walk instead of stand there and wait. We made it to stop 5 and still with no bus in sight I called the company to ask what was going on. I explained that we had been waiting for, at this point, a whole hour and had not seen the first bus. The lady I was speaking with told me that we could either continue to wait on the next bus (for who knows how long) or walk multiple blocks back to the first stop and wait on a bus there. That was the best she could do. So we ended up having to walk several more blocks, in the pouring rain, to get to the Reading Market before it closed. We had already wasted an hour of our day waiting and were running out of time. We finally made it to the market, but were exhausted and soggy (even with umbrellas) from all the walking we had to do. When we left the market we had to wait another 30-45 minutes on a bus to take us back to our hotel. And even at the terminal market stop the driver of the bus only waited 1 or 2 seconds and almost left us because he didnt immediately see us. We wanted to tour more of the stops but at this point we were just done. Our kids were drenched, so were we and we were afraid of being stranded again. Just not a good time and definitely not a good Christmas memory.*Edited to respond to your reply. Our inconvenience wasnt because of the rain. In fact, when I called the office to ask where all the buses were I asked if the rain was hindering the routes. She politely said no, it wasnt because of the rain and that a bus should be by soon - and gave us the option of waiting for it or walking back to stop 1. Our tour guide also never mentioned any delays due to the rain, or any delays at all for that matter. As for your app, I downloaded it twice (once in November when I initially booked our trip and then again on our way there) and Philadelphia wasnt even an option when choosing cities. The closest city it listed was Washington D.C. which was no help at all.
The bus driver and the guide were wonderful! We took the night tour in New York (different company) and it was aweful compared to this tour! The guide was fun and full of personality and excitement. He was proud of his city and it really showed! Great way to see the city at night!
I absolutely loved the tour and so did my son, so much, that we went twice! Convenient hop on/off at stops, we used this as a form of transportation to get to our next adventures. This only negative was trying to find where they moved to during the construction on where they are originally located. We finally bumped into a man selling tickets to the tour on a corner and he directed us.
My husband and I had some time before we were to head to the airport to return home, so, we took this bus tour. It was fantastic!!!! The driver, Kelly, whom we got to chat with while waiting for the tour to start, is a great driver and a very nice person. We would easily be friends. Sam, our one week new to the job, tour guide, was smart and funny. We learned so much about the history of Philly and Pennsylvania, and the scenery is beautiful. We highly reccomend taking this bus tour. You can get off at any of the stops, and the busses run about every twenty minutes so you can hop back on with ease.
We were stranded at a stop because they decided not to run several without notice. We called to ask for help and basically received the run around from multiple people and a manager. It took them over an hour to even offer help and a shuttle to pick us up. Over all, we wasted several hours waiting on them to tell us what we should do. It would have been better if the customer service people were informed and able to simply tell us quickly that our best option was to walk a half mile to another stop. Instead we got the run around for over an hour waiting to hear from them and then be offered a complimentary shuttle pick up that was going to take another thirty minutes. To top it off we were standing on the sidewalk the whole time with it raining off and on. When you are on vacation and have things planned out this causes issues and you cant really enjoy yourself. Lastly, the phone app is very unreliable and the estimated times for buses is never accurate. This contributed to our problems and continued throughout the day even after we made it on the tour. Overall we enjoyed the tour guides on the bus and they did great. My main issue is with the customer service. It was terrible. Because of the slow customer service, I would suggest looking into one of the other tour groups in Philly.
It was a good tour. They leave pretty regularly, but they are a little slower than the every 15 minutes between buses at the locations deeper in the route.
Fantastic experience, though the guides may vary. Also, make sure there isn’t an event downtown that’ll affect the tour!We have actually lived just outside of Philadelphia for years now and only just tried a hop-on/hop-off tour for the first time in September while we were hosting some friends from out of town. Our guide, Jay, is a true Philly personality (I mean that in the best way) and he made the experience his own – he was charismatic, very funny, and awesome when interacting with the group. Though we had planned to get off at some of the early stops, we were enjoying our time with Jay so much that we decided to stick it out for the whole circuit with him. The only downside was that the Ben Franklin Parkway was shut down for a concert. Afterwards, we took a second bus just to make the stops we skipped and we got to experience a different guide. Unfortunately, the second guide was a little more scripted and lot less memorable.All-in-all, the experience was wonderful. The only thing I’d request is that Big Bus encourage some of their guides to loosen up and be themselves. If you get Jay, you’re in for an excellent tour!
Excellent way to get a quick tour of Philadelphia. We had a great first guide so we stayed on the whole route which we typically do if the guide is good. Buses run about 15-20min apart so it’s very convenient when it comes time to stop and look around. Double decker buses are clean and have optional headsets for pre-recorded narration in different languages. If you come in the heat of the summer I recommend you take the full tour earlier in the morning (starts 9am) when it’s not as hot.
We have done both a Big Bus and a City Sightseeing tour in Philly now. The Big Bus tour was by far a better tour. The tour guide actually studied the facts of the city and knew a lot of really cool things. It was way more educational and interesting than City Sightseeing!
This was such a great way to see the city in a time crunch. My mom and I were only there for 3 days, we used one of the days riding the bus and hopping on and off at the places we wanted to tour. We had a couple different tour guides and they were all so funny! I picked up little tidbits of knowledge here and there, I really impressed my husband with what I learned!
Every time I travel to a big city I look for the Big Bus Tour!! The staff is wonderful, funny, and extremely knowledgeable. I moved to Philly last year and have taken the tour about three times as my family visits me! Its a wonderful way to spend a day in Philly without blowing a ton of money! I learn something new every time, and having the freedom to get on and off is great!
DO NOT BUY TICKETS IN ADVANCE ONLINE - DOES NOT GUARANTY SEAT ON TOUR!! We were only in Philadelphia for the day. We purchased tickets online the day before. Arrived at the bus 20 minutes early and was told the bus was full and had to come back another day. Horrible business practice. They were still selling tickets to people on line in front of us on the spot when there were 15 people on that line that had already purchased their tickets.
This tour was worth every penny. Staff very friendly and knowledgeable. The kids, 4 and 7, had a blast sitting on top of the bus and seeing the world from a new angle. I will do this tour again the next time were in Philly!
We did this on a day where there was a big concert in town so not all of their stops were accessible. The buses were suppose to come every half hour of so, but in some cases it took much closer to an hour. How interesting the tour is while youre on the bus heavily depends on the tour guide.
Very very poor service... Rude people, poor audio quality, changes in the itinerary of the bus without warning (we wasted 1 hour because of that...). Sorry but the tip expected at the end was not deserved at all, especially for the guy who sold us the tickets near the reading terminal market. He took our Go Passes and then had us to wait for 15 minutes without even telling us anything (could he even speak?). When we wanted to take our passes back, he just yelled at us to wait (we didnt even know what was happening)!This company is clearly a tourist scam. Never again!
Great Tour Guide “Z” informative and fun. Spoke with the driver before we started our tour, very pleasant.Highly recommend taking the tour before you start walking the city streets, you will get a better understanding of the placement of all of the attractions.
Great tour guide, very friendly and knowledgeable. The driver did a great job. I enjoyed the jump on and off option
Waited over an hour at one stop and didn’t see a single bus. Almost a month has gone by since I first contacted them in order to receive a refund with little response. Do not recommend.
We had so much fun. We did both the night tour and the daytime hop on hop off. All of the staff and tour guides were awesome except one, but the rest made up for his terrible demeanor. Super interesting and nice to be able to get down and explore and pick up another bus to continue.
I would highly recommend this tour to anyone wanting to explore the City of Philly. The tour guides were personable and full of historical and little known facts about Philadelphia. We hopped on and off the bus on a beautiful Friday afternoon and enjoyed every moment of the tour and city. Wish I remembered the names of the guides/drivers...wonderful experience!
One day hop on-off takes 90 minutes round trip. It took us 45 minutes to catch a bus which was frustrating and freezing in March. Informative content but you waste a good portion of your day trying to catch the infrequent busses. The 3 day apparently only gets you one day on the bus (check details) - there was a frustrated family on our bus where that wasn’t very clear. Not really worth the money. PHLASH would be a better and much less expensive alternative.
Wonderful experience! The tour was a blast, loved that we could get off and on when needed. They were able to pick us up from our hotel at the airport and take us into the city. Our shuttle driver, Kevin, was helpful and even made a trip back to our hotel with our lost baseball cap.
This company left my family, including six month old baby, stranded in the rain. The last bus either didnt run or skipped stop 20, leaving us stranded. We were relying on the bus to get back to stop 1 which is near where we parked. The last bus of the day is supposed to leave stop 1 at 5:00 and arrive at stop 20 at 6:15. I called at 5:15 and asked if the buses were running on time because I needed to catch the last one back. They said it was on normal schedule. We had arrived at the stop nearly a half hour early and just barely missed the bus before the last bus. We stood there until 6:15 and I called again to check on its timing. I was told I just missed the bus by a few minutes. I told them this is clearly false because weve been standing there for 30 minutes. There was absolutely no bus that passed by as they claim. They offered to send a van to pick us up but we had a six month old and obviously werent carrying around a car seat. Twice the person suggested I take my baby into the van without a car seat despite my having her acknowledge this is dangerous and illegal. When I wasnt willing to do this, they didnt care that we were without a way back. So that was it, I was stranded with my family and six month old, and had to walk over a mile in the rain.
Ive done bus tours in D.C. and Boston, and Big Bus Tours Philadelphia just wasnt that good, without even factoring in the price. Took the tour on Thursday 8/24 and the tour guides were knowledgeable. However, if you want to go to the Zoo, that loop only comes around every hour which makes it very hard to schedule around. The main loop was supposed to come every 25 minutes at most. My wife and I found this to be untrue on two separate occasions. Once we waited a timed 30 minutes (at China Town) and another time we simply walked the 1/2 mile to our destination after 25 minutes of waiting at the Museum of Art (Rocky Statue). Definitely put your money towards another city tour company (IMO).
Took tour first and decided what we wanted to explore more. A lot to see in Philadelphia, PA
Recommend doing this. Take bus around town - 90 minutes, listen to tour guide and learn (not all things are correct, but close enough). Then decide what 4-5 things you want to get off and explore next time around. So much history in Philly, so enjoy the bus, Gus! They also own the horse carriage rides where the blinders on the horse have 76 on them. Recommend this also, nice times. Giddy-up, pilgrim!
Quite disappointed after taking this option with good feedback on google, as it’s a hop on at market street but good luck finding space at a later stop. We gave up after three busses passed and had no space, ended up walking miles with young children. Seems like only 3/4 busses were turning, and when we got back to market street we saw two parked busses awaiting to load passengers! Also we were told 15/20 min between busses, more like 30. Otherwise the folks driving and giving the tours are doing their job, it’s the management putting less busses than passengers part I’m not happy with, waste of money after all.
Aaron and Darryle were our guides last evening. We had an awesome time! We also spent two days on this tour. There is so much to see and do in Philly. Guides are pleasant and knowledgeable.
The tour and the guides are fine pretty typical of any of the bus tours. My biggest complaint is the hop on hop off service. Forst stop we got off did the attraction and went back to wait for a bus. The bus came on time but when we waived at it and stood by the sign he did not stop. We waited for the mext bus 25 minutes (states times) and he came and stopped for the red light but as we approached the bus with tickets in hand and out. The driver looked right at us but never opened the door and drove off. This kept on till i called and complained. Be warned drivers are rude and may nor stop if no one is getting off.
A must see if youre not really sure where you want to go and are in town for a few days. The tour guides know their stuff, but the engine of the bus can be loud and it can be hard to hear the tour guide.
Friendly, fun, very informative, highly recommend them.
Tour guide Mike, and driver Dan, were the only saving grace that this company had, and only reason that Im giving the company 3 stars.Dan was an amazing driver and handled the city better than Ive seen most bus drivers handle down town traffic, regardless of which city it is.And Mike had one of those personalities that made you want to ask questions. He also provided information regarding the city that we wouldnt have known or seen if we had toured the city alone.Then comes tour guide Jay. There are plenty of colorful metifors that I could use to describe this guy. Im an amputee, and had to use crutches most of the trip here to get around the city. First thing this guy does is make fun of me for having to use crutches, not even realizing that Im an amputee. As if the prosthetic leg and metal ankle didnt give it away. When Jay is called out on it, he starts giving greef to the guy who called him out, same with the city that we are from. Not only that, this guy makes fun on Asians, while in the cities Chinatown.We were able to find the manager at the next stop and off load regarding this. Of course, all we get is an empty apology that doesnt mean anything, and the standard Oh, how bout we give you a free next ride. This is said while poor ol Jay is literally hiding on the top deck of the bus he was working on.During the entire trip we had to Philadelphia, this was the only negative experience we had. This is a shame, since it came from the mouth of some one who works in customer service, the same industry Ive worked in for over 20 years.
Very good people working here
The best way to hit all the popular spots in Philly! Darrel our driver was exceptional and very friendly. Our dog was allowed which made our trip a success. Darrel was so friendly to our dog Hamlet and he an Ginger posed for a picture with him after the tour.
Very nice tour around the city, the tourist guide was very kind, funny and good explanation about the areas & landmarks. It was very interesting tour.
Waited for bus in long line. We just missed the bus and had to wait for the next. In the meantime a 2nd line started to form and the tour bus operator at the site did not care. He said to the other bus operator after he for off the bus I am not going to do anything about this other than watch. At that point I realized we would never get on the next bus. 40 minutes wasted. We walked the rest of the way to our other destinations. Will never go on that bus again as the other options cant be worse.
We did the Philly by Night tour. Nice way to see the city with a tour guide. Information on the website regarding pricing is out of date. Prices are high. Seemed somewhat disorganized on the street and a little in different to customers. Knowledgeable about the city. The tour is timed so there is really no time to ask questions.
Concept is interesting. Didnt get to try it out on our visit. We missed bus from first stop. Was told by employee that hell tell driver to wait for us at next stop. As we stood at next stop, driver looked at us and kept driving. Had to pay for a cab to get to Museum of Art before it closed. 😒
Fun ride with a history lesson on your tour site. Fun experience. :) I would go with them again. If you enjoy site seeing and touring check out citypass . com and get deals on events, museums, zoos etc.. Bigbus is an awesome company.
The Philly big bus tour was certainly a great tour, while I found it a little short. I highly recommend it. Alex our tour guide was the life of the tour, very friendly, , knowledgeable and funny.I would recommend the tour to anyone visiting
Horrible service. It was a low tourist day so they decided to stop service without notice. We were dropped off and never picked up. Waited for an hour from 3-4pm for a bus to show up.
We completely enjoyed our day on and off the double decker bus! Always on top! The drivers and guides were the best!!! Especially David and Tiffany!!! Would totally recommend this experience!!! Thanks for an awesome time!!!
The tour guild was all messed up on drugs or drunk.. We stopped at the betsy Ross house and still saw the tour guild walking around and stumbling to the bus.. All in all the next bus tour guide was terrific and gave us a ton of history! Will be back
We visited on 8/10 and rode on the bus starring Evelyn who was an absolute gem. She was knowledgable, entertaining, and a delight. Kudos to Evelyn and the driver. You ladies rock!
I learned some things that I didnt know before.
Absolutely gorgeous! A site not to be missed, especially if you have Masonic heritage. Thanks for the lift, Big Bus!
I loved Big Bus Philly. It took us everywhere and the guide told us much information. I enjoyed.
Winter hours are different from whats posted on map. If you buy city pass, you can get big bus tickets from Independence Visitor Center 15min before bus starts.
Tour guides were very good as was the tour. We went around the whole tour and learned a lot about the city. Dropped us off near our car was a bonus
Lots of interesting info. Sucks you cant stay on same bus, but just an inconvenience
The hop on, hop off is the way to tour Philly.
Loved it! Very informative. We were exhausted after days of walking around the city so it was great to relax and learn about the history. I definitely recommend.
The trip is very good! It is nice that you can use your ticket the whole day, and you get on and off the bus in all the stops you want to.
Omg horrible experience...the big bus tour guy looks drunk...he was speaking too loud in speakers ..i couldnt bear his voice in small bus with loud speaker noise..ruin my entire evening...it was too chilli day..so cold ..do not sit on top ..u will freeze in 5min..better to wear heavy jacket and carry a blancket...if u have babies or young kids then better to sit down..not on top...not so good experience..overall ok..except the guide..
Loved the live commentary. Our guide was fantastic. Beautiful city!
I have so much fun learning about the city in just one hour
The ticket sellers were very rude and lie to get you on the bus.they will tell you what you want to hear just to get you to buy the ticket.. The bus drivers then all drove recklessly i was scared the bus was going to tip over... Then to top it off the tour guides were extrmemly rude didnt stop at all the stops and were definitly uneducated and would make things up that were not accurate i would not reccomend this bus tour company to anyone horrible experience save your money!!!
It was difficult to get to my ticket. I am traveling, of course, and didnt have access to the email they sent the ticket to. Could give access to the ticket in their app. Also, their app doesnt have the city I was touring in it.
Two of their buses passed our stop after waiting almost an hour we called uber. Never again.
A good way to see everything there is to see while visiting Philadelphia. Ticket prices could be better but then again it beats trying to find parking at each of the stops covered in their route.
Been waiting one hour now for a bus and still have not seen one. Was told they run every 20 minutes what a joke, Save your money and go to the other company and not the Big Bus.
Totally enjoyed the hop on and off tour around Philly will do that again any time.. Wish I could remember the name of our guide.. He was great
Some buses dont have air conditioner in lower level
They are unreliable when it comes to timing. I was told that the buses ran every 30 mins well it was more like an hour or a hour and a half. Some of the staff was rude. Would not use them again!
A quick tour of some of the highlights of Philadelphia, or as a taxi service. Just be done by 5pm
Left us stranded. Very unorganized the staff was rude. Save your money!!! Take an uber. Smoking everywhere. The group of staff at stop1 were fighting and it was very uncomfortable. What a mess!
A very fun and interesting way to both get around the city and learn about Philly. Especially worth the money if you get it as part of a City Pass.
Kids had a blast on the Big Bus good tour info and details. Convenient stops and schedule.
Awesome experience! Glad we decided to do it! Would definitely take the tour again!
Night tour around Philadelphia. ...neat
Excellent service, nice tour. 100% recommended.
Fantastic tour announcer. a young college student native to Philadelphia. Made the city come alive!
Not sure if everything the tour guide says is true, but entertaining while you see the city.
Nicely done tours, friendly folks, very helpful, helped recover my lost iPhone from one of their buses.
We had a rainy day but the tour was still fantastic. Thanks to our guide and driver
A little pricey, but the overview of the city is a good for visitors or people that live here to get a fair overview of the city.
Being able to get on and off at any stop made the tour a must if youre in philly
We thoroughly enjoy Big Bus Tours and seek them out wherever we go.
Great fun and interesting tour, packed into a succinct 90 minute ride.
Great experience and the personal is very funny and charming.
Beautiful and friendly tour.
Tour guide was not knowledgeable. All the stuff in colonial times happened in this area - really?????
Horrible experience! They do not run on an actual schedule and they dont actually stop at all the stops. They rush through everything
Horrible experience. The bus didn’t come at all and we lost 3 hours just waiting for it
Good time with my family. The guia excelen. Congratulation
Good option for sightseeing; the bus frequency can improve
No hop on , hop off because of Korona.
The best way to see the sights on a nice day!
We enjoyed the tour with Dexter!
Love it!!
This was a fun and fact-filled tour.
Amazing tour.
Good experience, knowledgeable guides.
A good way to see the sights
Bad driver does not stop
Great way to see the city.
Excellent tour!!
Nice price tag
Not the best
What a wonderful experience!!! We learned so much about the city we love and live in. Our tour guide was Uncle Brucey. Uncle Brucey was fun and knowledgeable. We had a blast!!! We plan on doing it again and adding more people to our adventure. Way to go Philly Tour Buses!!!
For me as a tourist a great way to get to know the city. Just get on the bus and do not worry about how best to organize your tour of the city and how to reach all the sights. The price for the tour was appropriate and for me a great experience.
Very bad service, they offered us headphones to listen to the tour in Spanish and it did not work, when we complained they said that they could do nothing. In addition, we would get to take it at another stop and they would close the door or they would start us off and we could not get on. In other parts of the world I have taken it but in Philadelphia the service is terrible
According to Google is open, unfortunately it is not operational. We got there and there were no buses. No sellers.
Very good, worth it
Excellent
Total reviews rating 4.1
159 Reviews for Big Bus Tours 2023:
Review №1
2022-06-19A nice tour with a very funny and knowledgeable tour guide. Loved learning about the history. I think this tour needs to partner with the city on trimming some of the trees. My wife got hit in the head several times by low hanging branches.
Review №2
2022-01-17The tour guides were absolutely amazing! I cant recommend this tour enough. They were informative, helpful, and overall kind. Multiple times, I dropped something, hit my head because I didnt listen to the clear directions to be careful, or needed help with directions. Everyone stepped and with a genuine smile. I even missed the bus once and called the number in a panic because it was 25 degrees and I would have had to wait an hour. They sent a shuttle for me, no questions asked! Just do it! 👍🏾👍🏾👍🏾
Review №3
2022-04-26We decided to grab the bus tour to see some things wed missed while in town for a wedding. Great tour! Very informative! We did use the hop-off at 3 different places & it really makes a good experience into great! Its 90 minutes if just ride & scope out where you want to visit later. We had 2 exceptional guides & 1 average, so the experience is definitely luck of the draw. Definitely a great way to see Philadelphia highlights.
Review №4
2021-08-15Awesome experience! Our guide and driver Tiffany took us on an awesome ride without an accident (we saw others in an accident). I learned so much from our New Zealand guide, took lots of pictures & met new people that I wish I could see again because I got some great pictures of them lol. Must do if are visiting!!!!
Review №5
2021-08-02The tour was fine, my only complaint is that the bus driver drove too fast so we didnt get a whole lot of time at each attraction. He drove by a few sights full speed and we completely missed those attractions so that was a bummer. Aside from the driving, the tour was fine.
Review №6
2022-05-30Thanks for the good deal thru GO City pass.. We loved the Big Bus Tour— also reserved bus for Big Bus they directed me to City sightseeing both are good
Review №7
2022-07-04Fun and exciting way to experience Philadelphia even for someone like me who grew up in and around the city! I highly recommend a Citypass and choosing this as one of the options. The bus was clean and fun with the opportunity to hop on and off and the staff was fantastic!
Review №8
2022-05-02This is a great way to see the city! We were a group of children and adults age 7-45, locals & tourists. For the little ones, seeing WAWA was the highlight of the tour (actually two WAWAs!). They also loved our tour guide, Claire (She was funny, I loved her jokes.). The adolescents were really engaged and asked/answered questions. The teens took a nap. The adults enjoyed the historical tidbits and beautiful Philly architecture. In short, this tour offers something for everyone.
Review №9
2019-12-07We only had a day in Philly so we took the bus tour and had a great time. We were able to see all the main spots philly had to offer and had the option to come off or on at locations, which we did for the rocky statue (of all things).Very nice. We were able to do the bus in half the day and spent the rest at liberty bell area. Thanks to our tour guides who educated us in all things philly. Including where will smith was born and raised.
Review №10
2022-06-22Great way to become familiar with Philadelphia. Tour guides are knowledgeable funny friendly. And the two bus companies work together. Hop on and off either company with your pass.