It depends: 5 out of 10. The 24 hour ticket is €24.75 online against an €8.50 daily maximum on STIB-MIVB, and nine of our ten sights are within a 7 minute walk of a stop.
The numbers behind the verdict
The weak points are the wait and the size of the centre.
The Red Route comes every 20 to 30 minutes, the Atomium shuttle every 2 hours, and the central sights span only about 3 km.
You want the upper town, the European Quarter and the Cinquantenaire in one seated hour before choosing where to get off.
You would rather not climb. Place Royale sits well above the Grand-Place, and the bus does that hill for you.
You can catch the Atomium shuttle at 10:00 or 12:00 from Gare Centrale and are happy to plan the morning around it.
You are staying two days. The 48 hour ticket is €26.25, only €1.50 more than 24 hours.
Skip it if
You mostly want the Grand-Place, Manneken Pis and the Galeries Saint-Hubert. They are within about 500 metres of each other and the streets between them are pedestrian.
The Atomium is your main goal. Metro line 6 to Heysel runs all day, while the shuttle leaves every 2 hours and the last one goes at 16:00.
You dislike waiting. In the current timetable a missed Red Route bus can mean 30 minutes at the stop.
You sightsee late. The last Red Route bus leaves Gare Centrale at 17:00.
Brussels sightseeing bus: the fact sheet
Routes and timetable
Route
Stops
Frequency
Full loop
First / last bus
Central Red Route
6
20–30 min
60 min
10:00 / 17:00
Atomium Blue Shuttle
4
120 min
105 min
10:00 / 16:00
Central Red Route
The main loop: 6 stops from Gare Centrale past the Grand-Place and Manneken Pis, the Palais de Justice, the European Parliament and the Cinquantenaire, then back by Place Royale.
It takes about 1 hour without getting off.
In the timetable valid from 1 October 2026 to 3 January 2027 buses leave stop 1 between 10:00 and 17:00, every 20 to 30 minutes.
Tootbus's ticket page says every 30 to 40 minutes, so plan for the longer wait.
Atomium Blue Shuttle
A shuttle of 4 stops from Gare Centrale to Rogier, the Atomium and Mini-Europe, returning by De Brouckère.
A full circuit takes about 1 hour 45 minutes.
From 1 October 2026 to 3 January 2027 it leaves stop 1 every 2 hours between 10:00 and 16:00, which makes four departures a day.
In summer it ran every hour.
Audio guide in 11 languages. Wheelchair access: yes, according to the operator.
Ticket prices
Ticket
Adult
Child
24 hoursBrussels Discovery - 1 Day
€24.75
€17.25
48 hoursBrussels Discovery - 2 Days
€26.25
€18.75
72 hoursBrussels Discovery - 3 Days
€27.75
€20.25
Prices are Tootbus's online rates checked on 5 October 2026, shown with a 25% reduction.
The full prices are €33 for 1 day, €35 for 2 days and €37 for 3 days.
Every Brussels Discovery ticket covers both the Red Route and the Atomium Blue Shuttle, an audio guide in 11 languages and four self-guided walks in the Tootbus app.
A family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children aged 4 to 12 is €66.75 for 1 day.
Tootbus also sells versions of the bus ticket that add a ride on the Ferris wheel or entry to Mini-Europe.
Child fare: ages 4 to 12.
The same day by public transport
STIB-MIVB
Adult
Single ride
€2.40
One day, unlimited rides
€8.50
The day cost is STIB-MIVB's daily maximum of €8.50 when you pay by contactless bank card, phone or watch.
A single journey is €2.40 and includes changes within 60 minutes, so the maximum is reached after four journeys.
A Brupass 1 day ticket costs €9.50 and also covers SNCB trains, De Lijn and TEC buses inside Brussels.
Each traveller needs their own card or device for contactless.
Children under 6 travel free.
Children aged 6 to 11 travel free only with a STIB-MIVB pass loaded on a MOBIB card, which needs an identity document.
Do the sum for your trip
Change the numbers to match your group. Fares are adult fares from the tables above.
Sightseeing bus–
Public transport–
Public transport is charged per ride up to the daily maximum. Multi-day passes can be cheaper still.
24, 48 or 72 hours
24 hours€24.75 Brussels Discovery - 1 Day · €24.75 per day · 2.9 times public transport for the same days
48 hours€26.25 Brussels Discovery - 2 Days · €13.13 per day · 1.5 times public transport for the same days
72 hoursLowest cost per day€27.75 Brussels Discovery - 3 Days · €9.25 per day · 1.1 times public transport for the same days
Buy the 48 hour ticket if you are in Brussels for two days. It costs €26.25 for adults and €18.75 for children, against €24.75 and €17.25 for 24 hours.
The 72 hour ticket is €27.75 for adults and €20.25 for children. One day is enough for the Red Route, which takes about 1 hour and has 6 stops.
The Atomium shuttle takes about 1 hour 45 minutes for the circuit and leaves only four times a day, so it uses up half a day by itself. With a 24 hour ticket, start after lunch and you can ride the 10:00 shuttle the next morning.
Public transport costs about a third as much and runs far more often. Contactless payment on STIB-MIVB is €2.40 a journey and stops charging at €8.50 a day.
Metro lines 1 and 5 link Gare Centrale with Parc, Schuman and Merode, which covers the Royal Quarter, the European Quarter and the Cinquantenaire. Trams 92 and 93 run along Rue Royale and Rue de la Régence past Place Royale, the Sablon and the Palais de Justice.
Metro line 6 goes direct from Rogier, Arts-Loi or Louise to Heysel for the Atomium. Two adults save €32.50 on the day compared with two 24 hour Tootbus tickets.
Does it suit your trip?
With children
Buy the family ticket if you are two adults and two children. A child ticket for ages 4 to 12 is €17.25 for 24 hours and the family ticket for 2 adults and 2 children is €66.75.
Bought one by one, the same four tickets cost €84. Under 4s ride free on an adult's lap.
The audio guide has a separate children's commentary in English, French and Dutch. On STIB-MIVB children under 6 travel free, and those aged 6 to 11 need a free pass on a MOBIB card, issued against an identity document.
Sit downstairs in rain. Tootbus describes an open top deck on its Brussels buses and does not promise a cover, so bring a waterproof if you want the upper seats.
The lower deck is enclosed. The bigger problem in bad weather is the stop: with a bus every 20 to 30 minutes you can stand outside for a while.
The Tootbus app shows buses in real time, so wait in a museum or café until one is close. From October the last Red Route departure is 17:00, about the time it starts to get dark in December.
Summer is when the timetable is at its best. From April to the end of August 2026 the Red Route ran every 20 minutes from 09:40 to 18:00 and the Atomium shuttle every hour.
The top deck is open and has no shade, and the Red Route loop is about 1 hour. Tootbus does not run on 21 July, Belgium's national day.
On other days the Atomium and Mini-Europe stop is the busy one, so take a morning shuttle out and come back before mid-afternoon.
If you cannot walk far
Tootbus's 2026 route map marks the buses as wheelchair accessible. It puts the wheelchair symbol on four of the six Red Route stops: Gare Centrale, Poelaert, Luxembourg and Place Royale.
The Grand-Place / Manneken Pis and Cinquantenaire stops do not carry it. On the Blue Shuttle the symbol is on Gare Centrale, Atomium and De Brouckère, but not Rogier.
For people who cannot walk far, nine of the ten main sights are within 7 minutes of a stop. The bus also saves the climb from the Grand-Place up to Place Royale and the Palais de Justice.
Walk the lower town and use the metro for the rest. Grand-Place, Manneken Pis and the Galeries Saint-Hubert fit into a loop of about 1 km on foot.
From there the Mont des Arts steps lead up to Place Royale and the Magritte Museum in about 10 minutes. Take metro line 1 or 5 from Gare Centrale to Merode for the Cinquantenaire, and line 6 to Heysel for the Atomium.
A day of contactless travel stops at €8.50. Tootbus also sells a non-stop 1 hour Last Tour at 18:00 for €23 if all you want is the ride.
Stop 1 is at 33 Rue du Cardinal Mercier, beside Gare Centrale. The first and last buses of both routes leave from there.
The Atomium Blue Shuttle leaves stop 1 every 2 hours from 10:00 to 16:00 in the timetable valid until 3 January 2027. Miss one and the metro is quicker.
The 48 hour ticket costs €1.50 more than the 24 hour one, and the 72 hour ticket €3 more. Decide before you pay.
Use the Tootbus app to see where the buses are. With a gap of up to 30 minutes it saves standing at the stop.
At the Poelaert stop a free public lift goes down to the Marolles and its daily flea market on Place du Jeu de Balle.
Check the Tootbus service update page before you go. Stops in the centre can move while the Christmas markets are being set up.
Brussels hop-on hop-off bus: quick answers
How much is the hop-on hop-off bus in Brussels?
Tootbus charges €24.75 for an adult 24 hour ticket and €17.25 for a child aged 4 to 12 when booked online (checked 5 October 2026). The full price is €33. Two days cost €26.25 and three days €27.75.
How long does the Brussels bus tour take?
The Red Route takes about 1 hour without getting off and has 6 stops. The Atomium Blue Shuttle takes about 1 hour 45 minutes for the full circuit.
How often do the buses run?
From 1 October 2026 to 3 January 2027 the Red Route runs every 20 to 30 minutes between 10:00 and 17:00. The Atomium shuttle runs every 2 hours between 10:00 and 16:00.
Does the bus go to the Atomium?
Yes, on the Blue Shuttle, which is included in every Brussels Discovery ticket. The stop is about 3 minutes from the Atomium and 4 from Mini-Europe, but in autumn and winter there are only four departures a day.
Where does the Tootbus start in Brussels?
At stop 1, 33 Rue du Cardinal Mercier, next to Gare Centrale. You can board at any of the 9 stops on the two routes.
Is the sightseeing bus cheaper than public transport?
No. Contactless travel on STIB-MIVB costs €2.40 a journey and at most €8.50 a day. The €24.75 bus ticket is about 2.9 times that.
Tootbus Brussels · BrusselsOn Civitatis · rated 7.7/10 by 695 travellers
Could not be confirmed on an official page and may differ: stops (Central Red Route), stops (Atomium Blue Shuttle), full loop (Atomium Blue Shuttle), stops, wheelchair access.
