Marseille Hop on Hop off Bus Tours

One of the greatest benefits of the tourist buses is that they offer the possibility of going from one place to another within the city while enjoying the most emblematic places. They make a very complete route and are the best ally to explore this wonderful city.

If you want to know more about the benefits offered by these buses, I advise you to keep reading this publication. Here you will find all the information you need to take advantage of them in the most practical way possible on your next visit to the city and at the same time learn about some of the things to see and do in Marseille.

The first thing to know about Marseille's tourist buses is that they run two routes, but they are managed by a single company called Colorbüs Marseille, which is officially accredited by the city as the only company in charge of managing this type of tourist service.

Both routes undoubtedly pass through some of the city's most iconic sites. As such, they are arguably some of the best tours in Marseille. Especially if you evaluate their economic convenience.

In a nutshell, on this bus you will be able to see the architectural beauty that defines this southern French city. This while at the same time enjoying the experience of being in a comfortable two-level vehicle in which the upper deck is completely uncovered so that you can more accurately appreciate the attractive surroundings. You should know that there are tickets that combine both routes or even a single route.

There are also family fares and it is possible to combine the experience of participating in these bus tours with a Segway tour of the city's historic centre. Either way, access to the bus includes an audio guide which is available in several languages, including Spanish. At certain times of the year there may also be a guide who specialises in the history of the city.

The shortest and most popular route is the red route, which stops at sites such as the Old Captaincy, the Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations and the Basilica of Notre Dame de La Garde.

The blue route, on the other hand, overlaps with this route in several sections, but extends to other parts of the city such as the famous Le Corbusier Housing Unit stop and the Parc Borély stop.

At the former you will have the opportunity to get close to one of the greatest architectural works of this visionary of French urbanism, while at the latter you can go directly to the best known and most loved public park in the whole city. On this route you will also get close to the Museum of Contemporary Art of Marseille.

Opting for a ticket that includes both routes will be an excellent decision, as at many of the common stops you will be able to switch between both routes to get close to some of Marseille' s best museums, which abound throughout the city and are located in relatively distant corners.

Using this means of transport to move around the city and to get to several of its main attractions is an excellent decision for those making a three-day trip to Marseille. This is because it is a relatively inexpensive service that will save you a lot of money in terms of taxi f ares to get you from one neighbourhood to another throughout this sprawling metropolis.

The Marseille tourist bus is not only a means of transport, but it also becomes an experience that offers advantages to its users with respect to the possibility of exploring the city through other similar alternatives. Marseille, being a modern and cosmopolitan city, has public buses of excellent quality as well as a metro system that has nothing to envy to other French cities.

However, this tourist bus year after year ends up captivating its users for the following characteristics that make it a means of transport that is also practical and favourable from different perspectives.

Economic savings

The economic saving is perhaps the most interesting feature of the Marbella tourist buses. They offer you the possibility to move around the city for 24 or 48 hours during the service hours at a unique and exclusive rate. This means that you can start using the bus at the beginning of the morning, get off at midday to make plans and still be able to continue your journey until the end of the service. This is due to the simple fact that you can hop on and off as many times as you like.

Logistical ease

The fact that the routes of these tourist buses are so well planned means that you can organise a tour that suits your pace, as well as your budget.

Throughout the bus tour, you'll find stops that take you to free attractions, as well as other important buildings that require a fee to enter. So you can choose between some of them strategically so that at the end of the day you'll have made the most of your budget and your time.

Guaranteed comfort

Comfort is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the Marseille sightseeing buses, especially in summer, as you will enjoy the best things to do in Marseille during the summer without having to walk around the city during the high temperatures of that time of the year.

All this while having a very entertaining way to experience what is usually a boring experience. It's no secret that being on a bus is as conventional as being in a taxi and in this case the open top and the audio guides provide a new and more entertaining outlook to this routine situation.

The full Marseille sightseeing bus tour depends directly on whether you decide to take one or two of the existing bus routes. If you only want to take the red route, which is a little shorter, it will probably take you about an hour to cover the 14 stops along the route. On the other hand, if you continue along the blue route, then it is likely to take about 15 minutes longer even though there are fewer stops.

This has to do with the fact that, in terms of mileage, the blue route is a little longer, as it is a little further away from the historic epicentre of the city. At the same time, when you combine the two routes on the same day, it will almost certainly take you 2 or even 3 hours to complete the journey, depending on the amount of traffic.

There are other factors that can affect the duration of this ride. You have the possibility to stay on the bus at all times, while it is also possible to get off at each of the stops and then catch the next bus which will take about 20 minutes to arrive.

Either way, you should know that the practicality and comfort that defines the use of these tour buses makes it one of the best things to do in Marseille with children, as it is a much more favourable alternative to walking through the city than walking through it. At least when travelling with children who are too young for whom medium to long distance walks can be a challenge.

From the Marseille tourist bus you should know that you will have the opportunity to visit some of the most representative areas of the city. One of the first places you will visit is the old port of Marseille where you will find great attractions such as the MUCEM or the famous and extensive marina of the city.

The Castellane district and the area around the city's velodrome are other great attractions that add to the interesting routes offered by these sightseeing buses. The seafront promenade, the financial centre, the famous Borely Park and many other urban wonders are also part of the things you will be able to appreciate when you take part in this type of tourist itinerary.

In any case, you should know that this type of tour can be complemented with other experiences that will also allow you to get to know the city in other, more peculiar ways. For example, the best gastronomic tours in Marseille can offer you the chance to familiarise yourself with the local cuisine that combines the best of French gastronomy with a wide variety of influences from Mediterranean communities.

Also, keep in mind that passing through some of the most important avenues of the city makes these buses one of the best things to do in Marseille during the Christmas season, as it allows you to comfortably enjoy the decorations of these public spaces for the end of the year festivities.

The price of the Marseille sightseeing bus ticket depends on the type of experience you want to have. For example, the pass that combines both the red and blue routes costs approximately 25 euros for an adult. On the other hand, the red route costs approximately 20 euros for an adult and the blue route costs approximately 15 euros.

At the same time, it is worth knowing that children between 4 and 13 years old pay a single rate of 8 euros regardless of whether it is a ticket for both routes or for one. Children under the age of three are free of charge on these buses.

There is a special fare with direct transfers from the cruise port to the departure point of the buses. This is about 30 euros per adult and about 13 euros for children. At the same time there is a family fare for the sightseeing buses of about 58 euros. It is available for two adults and two children. Either way, these prices are quite competitive and this allows you to supplement these tours with other fun experiences along the way such as the best bike tours of Marseille.

Finally, there is a pass that includes the two Marseille sightseeing bus routes with a two-hour Segway tour of the city centre with guide included. This experience costs approximately 45 euros per person.

The timetables of the Marseille sightseeing bus depend on the time of the year you decide to use this service. They change depending on the number of visitors arriving in the city. For example, the high season for this tourist service runs from April to November and during these months both routes usually operate non-stop from 10am until 5 or 6pm.

However, during the low season, which for the people of Marseille is between December and March, you will find fewer tourist buses on the streets. Therefore, the service will only be available from 10am to about 4pm. This is logical, as demand is lower due to the cold temperatures that make this city a less interesting destination for international tourism.

In any case, you should know that these timetables are quite favourable because they allow you to combine it with other activities that you can do at night or in the early hours of the morning. In fact, you can enjoy this city tour just before doing one of the best excursions in Provence from Marseille.

To understand how the bus works, you need to know that it is a service run by a private company that is also accredited by the city council to operate. This means that the circulation of these buses throughout the city is fully permitted by the competent authorities and has the necessary infrastructure to make the service comfortable and favourable for its users.

The stops are very well marked through an interactive map that is offered to users indicating the areas of the city where these boarding points are located as well as when the next bus will arrive at the stop where they are.

These two features make these buses an excellent resource for those day trips to Marseille. They tend to be very common among tourists arriving in the city, as they plan a route along the French Riviera that allows them to spend enough time in each of the cities, but without having to stay for more than 48 hours in each of them.

The buses also have the most technological innovations in this style of vehicle designed for urban tourism. Therefore, they are an excellent option for those for whom comfort is a decisive issue when choosing between different transport alternatives.