City Sightseeing York Hop-On Hop-Off Bus Tour
Recommended by 90% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
York, England
- 1 hour (approx.)
- Offered in: English
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Overview
Journey back in time on a hop-on hop-off bus tour of York, England’s quintessential medieval town. Your flexible 24-hour ticket enables you build a custom itinerary of York’s main attractions such as The Stonebow, Clifford’s Tower, Museum Gardens and more. With unobstructed views from the open-top viewing deck and 20 possible stops around town, you have the best of the city at your fingertips.
- City Sightseeing hop-on hop-off tour of York with audio commentary
- Create a personalized sightseeing itinerary and explore York at leisure
- See top York attractions such as Clifford's Tower and Monk Bar
- Hop on and off as many times as you wish at any of the 20 stops around the city
- Make use of a ticket that’s valid for 24 hours from the time of first use
What's Included
- Unlimited hop-on hop-off for 24 or 48-hours
- On-board audio commentary available in several languages and kids commentary + free headphones
- Discount booklet including offers on local eateries, attractions and shops
- Vouchers valid for 12 months from travel date selected at check-out
- Gratuities
- Hotel pickup and drop off
- Food and drinks, unless specified
Meeting and Pickup
Operating hours
Select your preferred tour option to see hours.
Departure Point
- You may start this tour at any of the stops listed.
Ticket Redemption Point
Exhibition Square (Stop EC), York YO1 7EP, UK
Itinerary
With the untarnished essence of a true medieval village, York boasts a mix of lasting heritage and modernity, offering fascinating museums, stunning Gothic architecture and traditional drinking and eating culture. With your 24-hour pass (valid from first use), see York’s top sights with audio commentary, available in 10 languages, offering an intriguing window into the past—laced with Roman and Viking conquest. Hop on the open-top, double-decker bus at any of the 20 stops along the route, and enjoy the flexibility of choosing your own sightseeing itinerary and tour duration.
Grab a comfortable seat in either the indoor or open-air seating section and take in the views along the route. Relax as the bus makes the entire loop or hop off at any stop. Discover Exhibition Square and Clifford’s Tower—the lasting remains of William the Conquerer’s York Castle. Finish there, or continue to the Monk Bar Fortress or any other stop on the route that catches your fancy (full itinerary listed below).
Ending your tour is easy - just hop off!
Note: Entrance fees are not included in your hop-on, hop-off pass.
Grab a comfortable seat in either the indoor or open-air seating section and take in the views along the route. Relax as the bus makes the entire loop or hop off at any stop. Discover Exhibition Square and Clifford’s Tower—the lasting remains of William the Conquerer’s York Castle. Finish there, or continue to the Monk Bar Fortress or any other stop on the route that catches your fancy (full itinerary listed below).
Ending your tour is easy - just hop off!
Note: Entrance fees are not included in your hop-on, hop-off pass.
Red Route
21 Stops
21 Points of Interest
Duration: 1 hour
Operating Schedule: First Tour from stop 1: 9:08am. Last full loop tour from stop 1: 4:38pm During the winter months, the tour runs every 30 minutes on weekdays and every 20 minutes on weekends. Winter Schedule (2nd January - 27th March and then 3rd November - 31st December): First departure from Stop 1 at 9:45am. Last departure from Stop 1 at 4:15pm. Frequency: every 30 minutes. Summer Schedule (28th March - 12th April and then 18th July - 5th September): First departure from Stop 1 at 9:23am. Last departure from Stop 1 at 5:08pm. Frequency: every 15 minutes. Spring and Autumn Schedule (13th April - 17th July and then 6th September - 1st November): First departure from Stop 1 at 9:28am. Last departure from Stop 1 at 4:28pm. Frequency: every 20 minutes
1
Exhibition Square (Stop EC)
2
Gillygate
3
Monk Bar
4
Foss Bank
5
Peasholme Green
6
The Stonebow
7
Clifford's Tower
8
Margaret Street
9
Walmgate Bar Post Office
10
Barbican Road
11
Fishergate
12
8 Bishopthorpe Rd
13
Southlands Methodist Church
14
The Winning Post
15
York Racecourse
16
Blossom Street (Stop BA)
17
The Mount
18
Mount Vale
19
The Ghost Bus Tours York
20
Leeman Road Coach Stops (Stop A)
21
Museum Street (Stop EA)
Points of interest passed by on this route
Museum Gardens
Clifford's Tower
Monk Bar
York Railway Station
Exhibition Square
York Barbican
Fishergate Postern Tower
National Railway Museum
York Minster
Jorvik Viking Centre
York Mansion House
York Castle Museum
York Theatre Royal
Barley Hall
Fairfax House
York Observatory
Millennium Bridge
York's Chocolate Story
York City Walls
The York Dungeon
GR8escape York
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Wheelchair accessible
- Stroller accessible
- Near public transportation
- Most travelers can participate
- Tour operates all year round
- Tour duration: 60 Minutes
- Vouchers are valid for 12 months from travel date selected at check-out
- Winter Schedule (2nd January - 27th March and then 3rd November - 31st December): First departure from Stop 1 at 9:45am. Last departure from Stop 1 at 4:15pm. Frequency: every 30 minutes
- Summer Schedule (28th March - 12th April and then 18th July - 5th September): First departure from Stop 1 at 9:23am. Last departure from Stop 1 at 5:08pm. Frequency: every 15 minutes
- Spring and Autumn Schedule (13th April - 17th July and then 6th September - 1st November): First departure from Stop 1 at 9:28am. Last departure from Stop 1 at 4:28pm. Frequency: every 20 minutes
- 2026 Timetable:
- The tour will not operate on the following dates:
- 2nd, 6th, 9th, 13th, 16th, 20th, 23rd, 27th and 30th November
- 4th, 7th, 11th, 14th, 18th, 21st, 24th, 25th and 26th December
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.6
based on 590 reviews
Stu_E, Jun 2026
V clean buses and friendly drivers. Never waited more that 10 mins for a bus. Apx 1hr to do whole route and passes all major points
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Thank you very much for your kind feedback.
We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your City Sightseeing York hop-on hop-off bus tour and that you found the buses very clean and our drivers friendly. It’s great to know that the frequent service helped you make the most of your visit, with short waiting times of around 10 minutes and a full route covering all the main landmarks in about an hour.
Our York sightseeing tour is designed to offer a convenient and efficient way to explore the city’s major points of interest, and we are very pleased it worked so well for your experience.
Next time visiting York, we recommend our cruise on the River Ouse with a live guide on board.
We truly appreciate your recommendation and hope to welcome you again soon on board City Sightseeing.
David_D, Jun 2026
The route included plenty of worthwhile hop on / hop off stops. The drivers and other employees were very friendly and patient with all our questions.
Julie_B, Jun 2026
I repeated the tour with 3 different guides! Having a live audio tour is so interesting and each one had different information 😀
Response from Host, Jun 2026
Dear Julie,
Thank you so much for your wonderful feedback!
We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your City Sightseeing York experience and that taking the tour with different live guides made your hop-on hop-off bus journey even more interesting. Our live commentary is designed to bring the city’s history and main attractions to life, and it’s great to know you appreciated the different insights each guide shared.
York is a truly special city to explore, and we’re very happy that our sightseeing tour helped you discover it in such an engaging way.
Next time visiting York, we recommend our cruise on the River Ouse with a live guide on board.
We hope to welcome you back on board again soon for another great experience with City Sightseeing York!
Kind regards,
City Sightseeing York Team
Carla_a, May 2026
We had an audio guide over the bus speakers. It was very informative. A lot of the interesting history of York isn’t accessible by bus eg The Shambles, and York Minster etc. but the buildings and history mentioned were good. It was a lovely day so we sat on the open top section of the bus. The driver was good too.
I recommend the City Sightseeing bus tour York and Viator who were excellent as always.
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you very much for your detailed review!
We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your experience in York and that you found the audio guide informative and the commentary interesting. It’s great to know you were able to enjoy the open-top seating on a lovely day and that the driver contributed positively to your experience.
We also appreciate your feedback regarding the limitations of accessing certain historic areas such as The Shambles and York Minster by bus, while still valuing the information provided along the route. Your comments are very helpful and will be taken into account.
Finally, thank you for your kind recommendation of CitySightseeing York and Viator. We truly appreciate your support and hope to welcome you again soon for another great tour!
Lynne_C, May 2026
Website and information supplied not very good. However the drivers were exceptionally friendly, knowledgable & helpful
Response from Host, May 2026
Thank you for sharing your feedback about your experience with City Sightseeing York.
We’re sorry to hear that the website and pre-trip information did not fully meet your expectations. Clear and helpful communication before the tour is an important part of the City Sightseeing York hop-on hop-off bus experience, and your comments will be taken on board for review with our team to improve the information we provide to future visitors.
On a much brighter note, we’re really pleased to hear your kind words about our drivers. It’s great to know they were exceptionally friendly, knowledgeable and helpful throughout your journey. We will make sure your compliments are passed on to the York team, as they work hard every day to offer a welcoming and informative sightseeing experience around this beautiful historic city.
York is a fantastic destination to explore with City Sightseeing, with stops near iconic landmarks such as York Minster, Clifford’s Tower and the medieval city walls, allowing visitors to discover the city at their own pace.
We hope to welcome you back on board City Sightseeing York again soon.
Alyx_M, Apr 2026
A great way to see the city of York. We were confused as to where to board the bus, but ran into several friendly people in a park who helped us. The bus was nearly empty up top. The driver was careful and very friendly. We stayed on the bus for the full round trip and enjoyed seeing other parts of the city in addition to the Shambles.
Response from Host, May 2026
Hi Alyx 👋
Thank you so much for your kind review 😊
We’re really pleased to hear you enjoyed discovering York with us and that the tour helped you get a great overview of the city. We’re also glad you were able to connect with friendly people along the way and find your way onto the tour.
We truly appreciate you choosing City Sightseeing and hope to welcome you again soon 🚍✨
Ruth_B, Apr 2026
Lots of great info, for a while I had a live guide and for the other loops (I stayed on for a few) the speakers were used. The information was great and the driver was really friendly.
Response from Host, May 2026
Hi Ruth 👋
Thank you so much for your lovely review 😊
We’re really pleased to hear you enjoyed the York tour and that the mix of live guiding and audio commentary helped you learn more about the city. It’s also great to know the driver made a friendly impression during your journey.
We truly appreciate you choosing City Sightseeing and hope to welcome you on board again soon 🚍✨
Larry_T, Apr 2026
PersonalizEed tour by tour guide.
Saw everything several times over.
Went by quickly so we repeated it.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Thank you very much for your review Larry.
We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your City Sightseeing York hop-on hop-off tour and that you appreciated the personalized approach from our team. It’s great to know you were able to see all the main highlights of the city, and that the flexibility of the service allowed you to repeat sections of the route and enjoy York at your own pace.
Our open-top bus tour is designed exactly for that, to give you the freedom to explore, re-visit your favourite spots, and make the most of your time in such a historic city.
We truly appreciate your feedback and hope to welcome you on board again soon for another great sightseeing experience in York.
Khalida_H, Mar 2026
The communication and booking advance information was great. Found the meeting point comfortably and the the individual confirming my booking was helpful providing the leaflet and information on what to expect. I got from seat in the top deck so the view was great. Enjoyed the tour, thank you
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Dear Customer,
Thank you very much for your kind feedback and for choosing City Sightseeing York. We are delighted to hear that you found the communication and advance booking information helpful, and that our team made it easy for you to locate the meeting point and provided useful information for your tour.
It’s wonderful to know that you enjoyed your seat on the top deck and had great views of the city. We’re thrilled that you had an enjoyable tour and appreciated the overall experience.
Thank you again for your review. We hope to welcome you back soon!
Gerard_P, Mar 2026
Very informative hour, learned a lot about the history of York. We stayed on from stop 1 back to stop 1.
Response from Host, Mar 2026
Hi Gerard, thank you for your feedback! We’re delighted to hear that you enjoyed the City Sightseeing York tour and learned so much about the history of this beautiful city. It’s great that you stayed on for the full loop and experienced everything from start to finish!
We hope to welcome you back soon for another unforgettable experience!
SiongLye_L, Nov 2025
The bus was clean and the commentator was very friendly. The recorded commentory was very good as well
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Thank you so much for your review!
We’re delighted to hear that you found the bus clean and enjoyed the friendly commentary, as well as the recorded guide. Your feedback means a lot to our team.
We hope to welcome you back soon for another great experience in York!
Sharon_H, Nov 2025
The narration was via a recording. The sound level was very poor. We tried moving seats several times but it made little difference
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Dear Guest,
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We’re very sorry to hear that the audio narration was difficult to hear and that moving seats did not improve your experience.
Your comments have been shared with our local team to help improve the audio system and overall tour quality for future guests. We truly appreciate you taking the time to provide this feedback, as it helps us enhance the experience for everyone.
Kind regards,
City Sightseeing Team
Stacey_R, Oct 2025
Very boring route. Only use this is you want transportation around the walls of York as the city is very walkable. There is lots of construction about and they play the commentary over speakers no earphones and only on English. I would not purchase unless have bad walking ability cause you miss 85% of York
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Hi Stacey, thank you for your feedback. We’re sorry to hear that the route and commentary did not meet your expectations. We appreciate your observations regarding the construction, language limitations, and audio delivery, and we will share them with our team to see where improvements can be made.
Tina_L, Oct 2025
Would have been better with the guide instead of the pre recorded cd. If you only need to see the centre it is all walkable distance but obviously does give you some history
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Dear tina,
We sincerely appreciate you sharing your opinion with us.
We are glad to hear that you were able to experience the fun of discovering a new city aboard our service. We are pleased to hear that you found our service excellent and that you enjoyed your visit to the city.
We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you again very soon in one of our more than 100 destinations.
Thank you for choosing City Sightseeing!
Best regards,
Quality Department
Donna_G, Sep 2025
Enjoyable tour of York. It was raining on our day but we were provided with plastic ponchos that helped. We didn't hope off on this tour. Just stayed on for the whole route but it was a good way of seeing the sights
Response from Host, Sep 2025
Dear Customer,
We sincerely appreciate you sharing your opinion with us.
We are delighted to hear that you enjoyed your tour of York and that the provided ponchos helped make your experience more comfortable despite the rain. It’s wonderful to know that staying on for the full route allowed you to see the sights and enjoy the city.
We hope to have the pleasure of welcoming you again very soon in one of our more than 100 destinations around the world.
Thank you for choosing City Sightseeing!
Best regards,
Quality Department
andrew_t, Aug 2025
Very enjoyable ride. I stayed on the bus for the whole route. The chap giving the commentary was exceptionally informative. Well revommended
Response from Host, Aug 2025
Dear Andrew,
We sincerely appreciate you sharing your opinion and recommendation about our tour in the Tripadvisor community. We are happy to hear that you enjoyed both our bus tour and our walking routes, and that the audio guide explanations were to your liking.
We sincerely hope to welcome you back to one of our more than 100 destinations. We are committed to always providing you with high-quality, memorable experiences in each of our cities.
Thank you again for your support and choice of City Sightseeing.
Best regards,
Quality Department
greg_m, Jul 2025
Bus broken down after two stops once sorted good way to see sights. Using the ticket more than once is useful.
Rachel_B, Jun 2025
Good fount of knowledge but didn't really announce all the stops and what they can be used for. Still a good way to save your legs.
colinofhove, Jun 2025
Really nice to sit back and listen to the history which is done via a guide rather than the standard earplugs, so much better.
Monica_B, Jun 2025
I didn't manage to do the trip as I ran out of time, the York races had started on the day I was supposed to do this so I will have to come to York again a do the trip next time.
Amanda_H, May 2025
Great way to get around. Stops at all the sights that you need to see. Easy to understand maps. Staff are very helpful.
Mildred_B, May 2025
Excellent way to see the city, can pick the bus up from the train station which is very handy. Highly recommend as a great way to get around.
Paul_L, Feb 2025
Great way to orientate to the main city attractions. The guide was just a bit too "full on" - threw in lots of useless anecdotes (some of which were just downright daft !) which meant that the useuful "tourist info" got lost
Harini_N, Jan 2025
The bus broke down. It was not one but 2 buses. I had to walk back because I had other plans clashing, and could not finish the tour.
Katherine_R, Dec 2024
Brilliant overview and context for exploring York. The bus was on time and very clean, staff were professional and welcoming, and there is a new story around every corner.
Diane_A, Oct 2024
Very knowledgeable guide.
Good value if you take advantage of the 24 hour use of ticket.
Lots of stops / places to visit.
Darren_N, Oct 2024
The hop on and off bus is a great way to orientate you with the city and the main must sees. We had live commentary who would take questions.
Alan_S, Oct 2024
The nice preciseness of the ride matching up with all the history as we made our rounds about the city.
Mark_D, Sep 2024
We really enjoyed the tour. York is such a beautiful, historic city! The tour bus helped us see a broad range of sights in one afternoon. Our live tour guide on our first circuit was outstanding - much better than the recorded “guide” we had on a second partial circuit.
Debbie_P, Sep 2024
Was good journey overall..... Nothing more to say really about the trip
Can't add full details as not all options available... Was with family (elderly) but not an option so had to select SOLO traveller
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