Where to Ride: The 9 Best Sightseeing Bus Tours in Canada

1.Big Bus Vancouver Hop-On Hop-Off Sightseeing Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 3,028 reviews · 1 hour 30 minutes (approx.) · from $48Our pick

Use a 24 or 48-hour Big Bus Vancouver pass to explore the city by open-top bus. Ride past Canada Place, Stanley Park, Robson Street, Granville Island, Chinatown, and Gastown, then hop off to shop, eat, or walk. Commentary comes by recording or, on some buses, from lively guides such as Sherry.

“The Big Bus Tour was amazing. We learned a lot about the history of Vancouver. Our driver/ tour guide was exceptional. Sherry did a phenomenal job in explaining everything along our route. Her professionalism, courtesy and comedic personally message the tour very delightful. I would love to your with her again.”

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2.City Sightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.3 · 2,544 reviews · 1 - 2 days · from $49

Use a 24 or 48-hour pass to explore Toronto by open-top double-decker bus, stopping at 13 points from Sankofa Square to the Distillery District. English-speaking guides such as Pietra, Mashaal, and Curtis add local stories, while audio commentary is available in nine languages. You can also ride a covered trolley in colder weather.

“was fun learning about Toronto and being able to just jump on and off as we felt like it”

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3.Ottawa: Bilingual Guided City Tour by Amphibious Bus

★★★★★★★★★★4.6 · 2,089 reviews · 1 hour · from $43

See Ottawa from two angles in one hour, traveling 40 minutes by road and 20 minutes on the Ottawa River. A bilingual guide such as Wendy, Alexis, or Pierre shares history and jokes while the amphibious bus visits Parliament Hill, ByWard Market, Lansdowne Park, Gatineau, and the river locks.

“This activity was very good. It gave us great pleasure as permanent residents of Ottawa to partake in this tour. The captain and the guide were both very informative and funny. We enjoyed that the info. was provided in both official languages. The mixture of both land and water was interesting. The one thing we wished for was that it could be longer. Thank you!”

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4.Hop-on Hop-off Sightseeing Tour with 10 Stops

★★★★★★★★★★3.9 · 1,807 reviews · 1 - 2 days · from $47

Ride Vancouver’s double-decker sightseeing bus between Canada Place, Stanley Park, Granville Island, Gastown, Chinatown, and False Creek. Your ticket includes a multilingual audio guide and two self-guided walks. Live guides such as Sherry, Dan, and Mary may add local stories, though traffic and full buses can affect timing.

“A useful way to get around the city and see some of the key places. Busses were regular and could be tracked on the useful online map.”

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5.Ottawa: Hop-On Hop-Off Guided City Tour Pass

★★★★★★★★★★4.4 · 1,194 reviews · 1 day · from $33

Start at 44 Sparks Street for a guided Ottawa loop lasting about 1.5 hours, then hop off at Parliament, ByWard Market, museums, galleries, and parks. Choose a one or two-day pass, ride the open top for views or the lower deck for comfort, and listen to live English and French commentary.

“We would highly recommend this activity. Awesome overview of Ottawa with great stops. The bilingual guides were very accommodating and eager to help passengers. We had the all day pass and were considering going around twice. This was not a great idea as there was quite a wait at the starting point. We ended up walking back to the Mint as it wasn’t open on the first go round. I suggest you plan to hop on and off on the first go round. Also, the space museum is closed on Wednesdays which we found out on the day! We went on a Wednesday!”

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6.Calgary: 3-Hour Sightseeing Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★4.7 · 940 reviews · 3 hours · from $49

Ride from Calgary Tower through downtown, East Village, Stampede Park, Heritage Park, and WinSport’s Canada Olympic Park. Your English-speaking guide, such as Adelaide, Adam, Jen, or Janessa, explains Calgary’s railway, Stampede, and Olympic story, with three short stops for photos. You finish back at Calgary Tower.

“Adelaide was exceptional in her conveying of knowledge, sense of humor and handling of difficult clients. We loved our tour and recommend it highly to orient a newcomer to the city of Calgary.”

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7.Best of Quebec City: Panoramic Bus Tour with Local Guide

★★★★★★★★★★4.0 · 897 reviews · 2 hours (approx.) · from $42

Ride through Quebec City with a local guide, seeing Old Quebec, Place Royale, Petit Champlain, the Plains of Abraham, Place d’Armes, the port, and Château Frontenac. English commentary is provided, with French added when needed. The comfortable coach limits walking and gives first-time visitors a quick city overview.

“It’s a 20 minute walk up inclines to meet the bus. It’s a double decker and the guide is only on the top. It was difficult to understand her with a heavy French accent. She also spoke in English and French and it was confusing trying to hear her.”

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8.City Sightseeing Toronto Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour

★★★★★★★★★★3.5 · 726 reviews · 2 hours 15 minutes (approx.) · from $49

See Toronto by double-decker bus on a 24 or 48-hour pass. Ride past the CN Tower, Casa Loma, Yorkville, the Distillery District, and St. Lawrence Market, then hop off where you like. English live commentary and audio guides in nine languages are available, with guides such as Marcel, Mashaal, Marilyn, and Pietra appearing on different departures.

“Good overview of the inner city for a quick stopover. Nice to have live guides on the buses who were dynamic and pointed interesting facts”

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9.Night Sightseeing Tour on a Double-Decker Bus

★★★★★★★★★★4.5 · 133 reviews · 1h 30m · from $32Best value

Spend 90 minutes seeing Toronto after dark from a guaranteed upper-deck seat. An English-speaking guide points out the CN Tower, Old Toronto, the Financial District, Chinatown, and more while the bus moves through the city. The roof may be closed in November and December, so dress for the weather.

“Marilyn was a great guide on our night tour of Toronto, with Steve driving. We were lucky to go close to the CN tower as part of our trip. Learnt lots about local history and got a good overview of the area. Really enjoyed our trip and the buildings all looked gorgeous at night.”

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