May 15, 2025
A must do in any city - Wow , Big bus Chicago was a great way to see and learn about the city. I recommend it to anyone who wants to get to know the great landmarks wherever they visit
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 19, 2025
Good value way to get an overview of the city - As a way to get a good overview of the city this bus tour is a good value option and well organised. You can purchase a 24 or 48-hour ticket, given unlimited journeys in that time window. Note the first buses aren’t until 10am and they finish at 5pm though. I’d recommend downloading the app too, since you’re able to track where buses are on the route to avoid getting to a stop too early, and there’s a good overview of what’s around each of the stops. The full loop takes around two hours.
Free headphones are given out but you can also plug in your own and the entertaining commentary gives a good overview of the city and landmarks as you drive pass. The more major stops have friendly staff on hand to assist and even at peak times of the day the busses were never too full to get a seat on the open deck upstairs.
If it’s your first time in the city then doing this on your first day is a good option to get bearings and help plan what you want to do for the rest of your visit. Very touristy but recommended all the same!
Review provided by Tripadvisor
May 17, 2025
Good way of getting around Chicago. Candice was an added BONUS! - My husband and I purchased the 2 day ticket on Mother's Day, 5/11/25. It was our first time visiting Chicago and we wanted to get as much information as possible about this beautiful city. We were fortunate to have Candice as our first driver and as an added bonus, she actually did the tour live! She was very professional, polite, sweet and gave us lots of essential information about Chicago. Since it was Mother's Day, Candice went out of her way to give all mother's on the bus a beautiful red rose before the start of the tour. She is truly a professional and sweet person all around.
We stayed on Candice's bus and rode the entire tour on day 1. Candice has a very pleasant sounding voice and was courteous and polite as she asked the customers to please remain seated while the bus was in motion.
The following day we boarded the Big Bus at the Magnificent Mile bus stop. We had to wait about 45 minutes for the bus. There were about 8 of us waiting and no place to sit. I would have liked a bench to sit since I walk with a cane and have limited mobility. It was a very long wait for us. Finally the bus arrived. An African American male was the driver. He did not introduce himself so I do not know his name. He did not do the tour at all, it was an audio tape. He said the guides normally do not do the tour, only Candice does it. So we were very disappointed. The audio sound was not clear, jumbled and we could not understand anything it was saying. The driver let people stand up while the bus was moving and didn't seem to care. He did not make any safety announcements. We got off at the Willis (Sears Tower) stop.
We had a fabulous time at the Skydeck Observation and reboarded the bus about 2 hours later at the Willis stop.
This time the driver was an African American woman, who also did not announce her name, so I don't know what it is, but it was DEFINITELY NOT Candice.
She was the most unprofessional and rude driver. We were sitting downstairs this time and she was screaming and yelling on the microphone to the customers upstairs, "Hey you with the tan shirt, sit down now, do you want to get us all killed or what? Is it worth our lives for you to take a photo?" Then after she got off the mic she would start screaming downstairs and cursing out the customers. We could hear her because we were sitting downstairs. This went on the entire ride, about 1 hour, that we were on the bus.
I understand that she wanted everyone to be safe, but there is a professional way to say it. Not yelling and screaming like a maniac. She was totally rude, mean, and unprofessional. She definitely should not be working in hospitality.
In conclusion, we would recommend taking this hop on hop off bus tour as a means to get around Chicago, however, you must ride the bus with Candice to get a great experience, otherwise, you will be disappointed.
Areas for improvement: Buses should come more frequently, there should be benches at the bus stops while people wait, all guides should do the tour live, or be courteous to their customers, audio tech greatly needed to be upgraded.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
May 13, 2025
The earbud service needs an upgrade. The woman who took the time to narrate our trip needs a raise!! - For first-time travelers to Chicago, we were thrilled to see the sights. We felt the Hop-on Hop-off bus would be the best way to begin. But we had a hard time finding a pick-up spot. Once we did, we were set to go. The first driver was wonderful! She chatted about what we could see all around us and made the city come alive. Unfortunately, she was relieved 3 stops later by a driver who was non-communicative except to fuss at passengers on a regular basis. So, we had to resort to the earbuds which were hard to hear through - defeating their purpose.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
May 25, 2025
Poorly Managed and Unreliable – A Disappointing Experience in Chicago - I booked the 48-hour hop-on hop-off bus tour in Chicago for May 24th and 25th, hoping for a relaxing and informative way to explore the city. Unfortunately, my experience was far from what was promised.
Day 1 started off well. I arrived right on time at 10 a.m. and was pleasantly surprised by the first part of the tour. The guide was engaging and provided a great commentary on the city's history and architecture. However, things quickly went downhill after I got off at one of the stops and later boarded another bus. The new guide—who was simply a woman standing near the door—did not provide any commentary whatsoever. She only announced the stops, with no insight, context, or storytelling, which is the essence of what makes these tours enjoyable and worth the price.
Day 2 was even worse. I returned to the same pick-up spot around 11:15 a.m. and waited until nearly 12 p.m. No one in a red uniform (as I had seen the day before) was there, and no tour bus stopped. I did see buses driving by with passengers, but no staff or signs gave any indication of where to go. I'm not from the U.S. and didn’t have internet access, so I had no way to track the route or identify which bus I was supposed to take. After standing there for 45 minutes, completely confused and unattended, I gave up and decided to walk. I asked around and eventually managed to use public transportation to get back. After all the walking and stress, my feet are covered in blisters. I had to ask my hotel for Lidocaine and am now resting instead of enjoying my trip.
To make matters worse, on Day 1, after the first loop, I tipped the guide $5 and asked if I could quickly use the restroom. He told me to go to the restaurant across the street and assured me the next bus would leave in 10 minutes. I was back in under three minutes—but the bus was gone. When I asked him why, he just shrugged and said, “It’s not my fault.”
I've taken hop-on hop-off tours in New York City and Madrid and had great experiences both times. This was the first time I felt completely unsupported, misinformed, and let down.
This service lacked the basic organization and care a visitor expects. I would not recommend it, especially to travelers without internet or familiarity with the city.
Considering the unreliable service and the inconvenience it caused, I respectfully request a refund. Thank you for your attention.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Feb 15, 2025
Waste of money - I wasn't able to use this tour due to weather and long wait time for bus. If you are going to Chicago this is a waste of money. I asked for a refund and was denied as I was unable to use th service. I will be escalating this dispute.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Jan 5, 2025
Worst tour ever - I recently took a big bus tour in Chicago, and unfortunately, it was a total waste of time and money. The driver was incredibly unfriendly, which set the tone for the whole experience. The information provided about the city was sparse and superficial—barely scratching the surface of what I hoped to learn.
Midway through the tour, the driver unexpectedly shouted at us to leave the bus and transfer to a smaller one, with no explanation as to why. To make matters worse, it was freezing cold and pouring rain outside, so we were all soaking wet and uncomfortable. The new bus was crammed with people, and there was barely any space to hold on, let alone hear any audio. The whole thing felt rushed and chaotic, and the poor organization made it feel fraudulent.
After a few stops, we decided to cut our losses and leave the tour altogether, opting to take a taxi back. Honestly, it was the worst “tour” I’ve ever been on, and I really regret paying so much for it. Save your money and skip this one.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Dec 7, 2024
Left out in the cold - December 7th my wife and I decided to go on a hop on hop off bus tour in Chicago. The first part of the ride was perfect. We stopped at the planetarium for one of the stops. After leaving the planetarium we saw the buss on the app, estimated time was 2 minutes. The bus never showed up. Remember it’s December in Chicago, s it is cold. I contacted “Big Bus Tours and this is what they had to say “ I understand. I am sorry for the confusion created. Some buses are privately hired. Such buses do not follow the normal route unfortunately.” So next time you’re in Chicago DON’T TAKE THE HOP ON HOP OFF, you may or may not get picked up and it’s an OH WELL with the company.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Nov 27, 2024
Disappointed hoho bus ride Chicago - Unfortunately after reading the reviews here I thought it would be a great introduction to the Windy City.
How wrong I was. Due to matches stop 5,6 at Solider fields were not accessible.
I boarded the bus at stop 10. I had my earphones in ready to go but didn't get the information about where we were or what building/area we had passed till after we had driven pass. Then at stop 1 we changed buses. There was no commentary on either bus from the driver's except the obligatory bus stop number. We sat at two stops for 20mins to make up the time lost for not stopping at Solider field. The headphones piece played jazz and gave no information. To be honest I wouldn't recommend it based on my own experience but others have had fantastic drivers who have given an indepth commentary on the locations/areas travelled through. For me it was a waste of $55.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
Oct 6, 2024
Horrible, unprofessional business tour in Chicago - Horrible, horrible. Bus picked us up, standing room only no way to plug into audio tour. Next stop switched to upper level and audio didn't work. Driver skipped next stop because she didn't feel comfortable driving in that traffic. Next stop surprise the bus driver tells us she's going on break we have to all get off the bus and bord a different bus which is already 50% full. Stopped and got off and disgusted. BTW the "customer service" person could have not cared less.
Review provided by Tripadvisor
