It depends: 5 out of 10. A 24-hour Discover ticket is €31.50 against a €6.00 daily cap on a Leap card, more than five times the price, and buses come only every 20 to 30 minutes.
The numbers behind the verdict
The loop is well drawn, with eight of our ten sights within a 7 minute walk of a stop.
Central Dublin is small, though: 4.2 km separates the two farthest sights, and most of the others are within walking distance of each other.
You want the live guide. Every Dublin bus has an English-speaking guide on board, plus recorded commentary in 7 languages through headphones, and public buses have no commentary at all.
Your day includes the Guinness Storehouse, Phoenix Park and Collins Barracks, the three western stops that are a long walk from Trinity College.
You are travelling with children. For now one child rides free with each paying adult, and under 5s are always free.
You have two days and would take the 1-hour Night Tour anyway. It is €26 alone and the 48-hour ticket costs €5.40 more than the 24-hour one.
Skip it if
Your list is Trinity College, Dublin Castle, Temple Bar and the two cathedrals. They sit within 1.6 km of each other and you can walk between them.
Kilmainham Gaol is the main thing you came for. The nearest stop is a 14 minute walk away, and buses G1 and G2 stop closer.
You mind waiting up to 30 minutes each time you get back on.
You are comfortable using a Leap card, which stops charging at €6.00 a day on buses, Luas trams and DART trains.
Dublin sightseeing bus: the fact sheet
Routes and timetable
Route
Stops
Frequency
Full loop
First / last bus
Red Route
25
20–30 min
110 min
09:00 / 17:00
Red Route
Big Bus runs a single loop in Dublin: 25 stops from Upper O'Connell Street past Trinity College, Merrion Square, St Stephen's Green, Dublin Castle, both cathedrals and the Guinness Storehouse, then out to Phoenix Park and back along the quays.
It takes 1 hour 50 minutes without getting off.
Buses leave stop 1 every 20 to 30 minutes from 09:00 to 17:00, and the last one reaches stop 25 at 18:46.
These are the times published on 5 October 2026.
Audio guide in 7 languages. Wheelchair access: yes, according to the operator.
Ticket prices
Ticket
Adult
Child
24 hoursDiscover Ticket
€31.50
€17.10
48 hoursEssential Ticket
€36.90
€17.10
72 hoursExplore Ticket
€60.30
€44.10
Prices are Big Bus's online rates checked on 5 October 2026, which are 10% below the full prices of €35, €41 and €67.
The Discover ticket (€31.50 adult, €17.10 child) gives 24 hours on the Red Route with a live English-speaking guide.
The Essential ticket (€36.90 adult, €17.10 child) gives 48 hours and adds the 1-hour Night Tour, which costs €26 bought on its own.
The Explore ticket (€60.30 adult, €44.10 child) gives 72 hours and adds a full-day coach tour to Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains.
A guided walking tour is included with every ticket.
Child tickets are for ages 5 to 15, and for now one child travels free with each paying adult.
Child fare: ages 5 to 15.
The same day by public transport
Transport for Ireland (TFI)
Adult
Single ride
€2
One day, unlimited rides
€6
The day cost is the TFI Leap card daily cap of €6.00 for an adult.
The cap covers Dublin Bus, Luas, DART and commuter rail across the city.
A single journey on a Leap card is €2.00 and allows changes between services for 90 minutes.
A child Leap card for ages 5 to 18 pays €0.65 a journey and is capped at €1.95 a day.
Children under 5 travel free.
The Leap Visitor Card costs €8 for 24 hours of unlimited travel, which is €2 more than the cap.
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€31.50 Discover Ticket · €31.50 per day · 5.3 times public transport for the same days
48 hoursLowest cost per day€36.90 Essential Ticket · €18.45 per day · 3.1 times public transport for the same days
72 hours€60.30 Explore Ticket · €20.10 per day · 3.3 times public transport for the same days
Buy the 48-hour Essential ticket if you buy one at all. It costs €36.90 for adults, only €5.40 more than the €31.50 Discover ticket for 24 hours.
The Essential ticket adds a second day and the 1-hour Night Tour, which costs €26 on its own. The 72-hour Explore ticket costs €60.30 for adults and €44.10 for children, and the extra money pays for a day trip by coach to Glendalough and the Wicklow Mountains.
Take it only if you want that trip, which costs €39 booked separately. A child ticket is €17.10 for either 24 or 48 hours.
A Leap card does the same day for €6.00 at most. The Luas Red Line is the useful tram: from Abbey Street it stops at Smithfield for the Jameson Distillery, Museum for Collins Barracks, Heuston for Phoenix Park and James's for the Guinness Storehouse, a 7 minute walk.
Buses G1 and G2 run from Wellington Quay to Kilmainham Gaol, which the sightseeing bus leaves you 14 minutes short of. Bus 73 runs from Dame Street to James's Street for the Storehouse.
Each journey is €2.00 and the card stops charging after the third one. Two adults save €51 on the day compared with two Discover tickets.
Does it suit your trip?
With children
The sightseeing bus is unusually cheap for families at the moment. Big Bus gives one free child ticket with each adult Discover, Essential or Explore ticket, as a limited offer.
Without the offer a child aged 5 to 15 pays €17.10, and under 5s ride free. On public transport a child Leap card for ages 5 to 18 is capped at €1.95 a day.
Two adults and two children therefore pay €63 on the sightseeing bus with the offer and €15.90 on Leap cards. The full loop takes 1 hour 50 minutes, so plan to get off at Dublin Zoo or the Guinness Storehouse halfway round.
Expect rain and sit downstairs when it comes, because the top deck is open. Big Bus runs every day, rain or shine, and stops only in extreme weather.
The lower deck is enclosed on every bus. In poor weather the operator may send a closed bus instead of an open one.
A 20 to 30 minute wait at an uncovered stop is the worse part of a wet day. In a downpour the Luas shelters and a €2.00 tram ride are the drier option.
Start at 09:00 from stop 1 in July and August, when the buses fill up by late morning. With one bus every 20 to 30 minutes, a full bus at the Guinness Storehouse means up to half an hour more on the pavement.
The last bus leaves stop 1 at 17:00 and calls at the Guinness Storehouse at 18:02. Book a Storehouse entry time before 16:00 if you plan to ride the bus back.
If you cannot walk far
Check before you travel if you use a wheelchair. Big Bus says 85% of its Dublin buses are wheelchair accessible, so roughly one bus in seven is not.
The top deck is reached by stairs, and passengers who cannot climb ride downstairs. For people who can walk a little but not far, eight of the ten main sights are within a 7 minute walk of a stop.
Kilmainham Gaol is the exception, 14 minutes from stop 17. Luas trams have level boarding at every stop and cost €2.00 a journey.
Walk the centre and use a Leap card for the west. Trinity College, Temple Bar, Dublin Castle, Christ Church and St Patrick's Cathedral are strung along a 1.6 km walk that takes about 20 minutes without stops.
From Abbey Street the Luas Red Line reaches the Jameson Distillery, Collins Barracks and Heuston station, and James's stop is 7 minutes from the Guinness Storehouse. Buses G1 and G2 from Wellington Quay cover Kilmainham Gaol.
That day costs €6.00 at most. For a guided ride without the hopping, the Big Bus Night Tour takes 1 hour and costs €26.
Stop 1 is outside the Discover Ireland Centre at 13 Upper O'Connell Street. The first bus leaves at 09:00 and the last at 17:00.
For Kilmainham Gaol get off at stop 17 and walk 14 minutes through the Royal Hospital Kilmainham grounds. Gaol tours sell out, so book a time before you plan the bus around it.
Stops 19 and 21 are both on Parkgate Street, one on the way into Phoenix Park and one on the way out. Use stop 20 inside the park for Dublin Zoo.
The Night Tour that comes with the 48-hour and 72-hour tickets leaves stop 1 at 19:00 and 20:30. You choose the date in the Big Bus booking portal after you buy.
Recorded commentary comes in 7 languages through headphones. The live guide speaks English only.
Activate the ticket in the Big Bus phone app just before your first ride. The 24 or 48 hours count from that moment.
Dublin hop-on hop-off bus: quick answers
How much is the hop-on hop-off bus in Dublin?
Big Bus charges €31.50 for an adult 24-hour Discover ticket and €17.10 for a child aged 5 to 15 when booked online (checked 5 October 2026). The 48-hour Essential ticket is €36.90 and the 72-hour Explore ticket is €60.30.
How long does the full loop take?
The Red Route takes 1 hour 50 minutes without getting off and has 25 stops. It starts and ends on the north side of the city, near O'Connell Street.
How often do the buses come?
Every 20 to 30 minutes, from 09:00 to 17:00 at stop 1. The last bus of the day reaches the final stop, Parnell Square North, at 18:46.
Does the bus stop at the Guinness Storehouse?
Yes. Stop 15 is at St James's Gate, 1 minute from the Storehouse entrance. The first bus calls there at 10:02 and the last at 18:02.
Does the bus go to Kilmainham Gaol?
Not to the door. The nearest stop is stop 17 at the Royal Hospital Kilmainham, a 14 minute walk from the gaol. Dublin Bus routes G1 and G2 from Wellington Quay stop closer.
Is the sightseeing bus cheaper than public transport?
No. A Leap card is capped at €6.00 a day for an adult across buses, Luas trams and DART trains, and one journey is €2.00. The €31.50 Discover ticket costs about 5.3 times the daily cap.
Big Bus Tours · DublinOn Civitatis · rated 7.7/10 by 273 travellers
