Hop On/Hop Off Bus Tour Madrid

We chose the 1 day pass since it gave us the opportunity to see the city with two infants without having to walk or take public transport. We bought our tickets from one of the Kiosks at Puerta Del Sol. They were 22 Euros each with kids under 6(I think?) riding free. When we looked it up online different sites sold it for anywhere from 19 euros and upward but we chose to buy it in person since we werent sure about the legitimacy of these sites and also since the tour company did not accept digital versions of the ticket(everything needs to be paper). We also figured that the folks that sold tickets at the kiosks probably made a little something and wanted to support them. However we werent going to pay more than 22 euros that were advertised at other locations.

We didnt have to wait long for the bus and were able to bring our stroller on board and leave it downstairs while we went to the upper deck. There is commentary in multiple languages and free earphones and maps given and the commentary lined up with our location. There are two loops, one going around historic Madrid and the other going around Modern Madrid. The map showed extended routes too but it wasnt clear how we could get on those. We had great views of the city from the top but highly recommend a jacket for the winter months.
We felt it was great value for money. The staff were courteous and we didnt have to wait long for a bus after the one time we got off.

We purchased a 2 day ticket and did both routes (one on each day). The bus trip itself was good - it was really helpful to get the stops read out in Spanish and English (this only happened on the modern route). Although finding the bus stops to initially board the bus was incredibly hard (we spoke some Spanish so were able to ask people around the city for directions, but i I hate to think how hard it would be for people who spoke none of the lingo!). Was nice to get the headphones and be able to have the guided tour at the same time and see some of the main sites and architecture! When we boarded the 2nd bus the roof was covered but we asked the driver to open it and he stopped and did this, no issue! (Need to have the roof off to experience the trip fully!)

A fair experience - tho areas of improvement needed. We were able to purchase senior discount tickets (11 Euros each) from our hotel. Finding where to pick up the bus was a frustrating hassle, but we figured it out.

2 routes: both just over an hour or so each depending on traffic. We took full round, then went again to hop on/hop off option.

First route was "old" Madrid. Facinacting and interesting part of the city! Descriptions were not always "in synch" or clear, but did include some history and interesting stories/context. Passed a number of areas and buildings that looked very interesting, but no information. Went by the Palace (not a great view) and it was never even mentioned? Strange.

2nd route was "new" Madrid. Yup, clearly the modern side of things. Audio was not as good as old side. At one point, the only commentary for several stops was the announcing of the stops -- like the tape was not working. Many of the audio stations did not work at all on this bus. Felt more like we were commuting to work through traffic vs touring.

All in all, a good way to get a good orientation of the city. Glad we had a senior discount!

I'm not a big fan of complaining. Everyone's doing their best. However, this is by far the worst hop on hop off-experience I've ever had.

First of all, you'll get much more value for your money by booking a cab or a Uber for an hour. Because everything with the tourist bus tour in Madrid was just a pity. Long lines, no seats available in the buses, unattractive destinations. I mean, when you're paying 22 Euro for a ticket it is allowed to be disappointed when parts of the trip are in random residential areas.

And yes, the long lines. The buses were crowded! So when I finally got into a bus, I got a seat at the back of the bus. On the lower floor! Where my view was dazzled with advertising and sun shading! And when I finally got on the bus, we all had to wait for another 10 minutes because of the driver's smoking break. Come on!!!

I guess a lot of tickets are sold in advance, and when the tour company is experiencing a high turnout, please put in extra buses! No matter how future routines will be, it will be without me as a passenger.

Whenever we stop in a city we always book to go on an open top bus tour as its a great way to see a city and aclimatise. We arrived at our stop and three of us went to get seats upstairs whilst our friend paid downstairs. Sadly the guide gave all our earphones to the friend that was paying , and there was a problem with their card machine not connecting with the internet . It took several attempts and using two cards before payment was taken, but the driver had started the tour and we had no earphones to listen to it. When he eventually got upstairs , we found that the earphone plugs did not fit the holes in the seat to plug them in. Our friend went downstairs to explain and she just said change seats, difficult on a nearly full bus. We tried several seats and eventually found two that did work but when we plugged our earsets in only one worked, so we each had one earplug each. Not great when other guests were talking constantly.Several people went downstairs to say that the English version wasn't working at all. The guide eventually came upstairs and just said I don't understand why its not working it normally does. When we said about only one earphone working, she went well that's ok then! The commentary was awful, most of the time it was out of synch with what you were looking at so made no sense. It was really boring not really talking about anything applicable to Madrid and what you were looking at , and you passed so many beautiful buildings that weren't mentioned at all. Most of the tour seemed to go along busy roads, shopping streets and nowhere of any interest.We got off at the botanical gardens , and we caught the bus back later, at least it was cool on the top deck in the breeze . This second half was a little better as we went past some interesting buildings but the commentary still wasn't great. Just not worth the money , guides were un interested and commentary dreadful. You can see just as much by taking one of the walking routes around the city . Don't waste your money

We were advised to go to the stop at Atocha as it was closest to our accommodation, got our tickets and were told to go to the Botanical gardens stop. We got there at about 10:30. 4 busses passed us without stopping, the 5th bus stopped, but said no one could get on as it was terminating at the next stop, 2 more busses passed without stopping. The 8th bus finally stopped after we had been waiting over 1.5 hours So, we were too afraid to hop off anywhere as there'd be another 1.5 hour or more wait! Every 8-15 minutes? Not likely!! So we paid €50 just to do a lap!! Really unimpressed with the service we received today!

Very difficult to find bus stops. Called booking office numerous times with no help. Most busses arriving at bus stops were full with no vacancy so we paid up front but couldn't get on many busses cuz full. Tour includes small ear phones with very little unclear info.Great concept but cannot recommend

A great way of getting your bearings in Madrid. I would recommend the 2 day ticket for about £4 extra. Informative without being bombarded with facts. We done both trips on day one and used day two to hop between locations. Finding the initial stop can be a problem, but once you find it everything was great. Staff friendly and helpful and plenty of buses on the routes would recommend. But I would imagine it can get busy at peak periods and weekends.

Basically threw away the money as it took close to 45 minutes to get onto a bus at any time (did not try to get back on after we got off, as it looked like it could have been longer), as it seems they just kept selling tickets, regardless of capacity, so obviously then we did not want to keep doing it. Interesting to note is we did the same hop on/hop off in Barcelona, and it was great! It worked the way it should, and we did both routes during the day. The other 1 star reviews for this for Madrid were correct, and I agree wholeheartedly, that you are better off looking to do a different tour.

I didn't have a nice experience. The staff was kind of rude, the buses where always full and half of the seats had the audio tour broken.
The frequency of the buses is also bad, you waste a lot of time trying to get on the other bus, and most of the times I had to take a taxi, because if I waited more I would be late for my other touristic visits.
Im sure you can find a better bus, because this one is not worth it at all.