Hop bus - budapest

In a word .. No.

Those busses run the same routes as the trams and the M1 metro, but less frequently.

A 72-hour HOHO pass is 46 euro. A 72-hour public transportation travel card is 14 euro.

Public transportation is easy, flexible and sort of fun.

If you're looking for an option to take logistics off your hands and see some major sights in a short amount of time, I took a half day grand city tour the first time I was in Budapest for 3.5 days. The guided bus tour took us all around to the castle, Heroes' Square, Parliament (with entry tickets provided) and more.

Yes, it was a spin tour, fast and efficient. It helped me get oriented to the city, see a lot in a short amount of time, and let me focus on other plans for my short visit to Budapest and 4 other cities.

On my other days, I took the easy and fun public transit for my own sightseeing. I recall finding the tour on GetYourGuide.

ETA: this was my first trip to Central Europe and before I had found this forum, so I didn't have Mr E's most excellent guidance for a solo version! Though I might have done the bus tour anyway because I like that sort of thing to get my bearings in a new and big city. I've done similar highlights tours in Prague and Warsaw and enjoyed them all.

I just checked, the Grand City Tour was 16,500 HUF / €60 in 2018, including the ticket to Parliament. So even more than the HOHO bus and 4 times the cost of a transit pass. But priceless in terms of my travel time and planning time.

A dedicted tour does make more sense. But with 2 1/2 days a self guided tour is not a bad thing either. You just have to plan it out. But admittedly you dont get the comentary that a tour bus I assume provides. Still, with something like the DK Eyewitness Guide Top 10 for Budapest, which fits in your pocket, and a little advnace reading ... you can do well.

There are some basic routes using the tram system, for the most part, that will take a person in an orderly route to most every stop in Pest. Buda for most is jut a trip up the hill. But I like to warn people that right now there is so much construction up there it isnt as enjoyable as it once was. Still, a few stops on the hill are worth the effort. You will need a map of the trams and the M1 metro and a plan for each day.

If you are interested in trying that, then I can send you a little info that will help.

Not to discourage an organzied tour bus approach. I guess what I like the least about that is that i enjoy the places between the sights so much that its a shame to wizz past them. But this is all about stylle and what you might most enjoy so consider all the ways of doing it. The least valuable I still think remains the HOHO Bus.

CWSocial is a pro here, so her concepts are good. Another good member for Budapest is TexasTravelMom and if she chimes in she may have some ideas too. And there are a dozen more.

My comment is not based on experience - merely opinion. If you are using a Hoho bus to get from sight to sight, the answer for me is definitely no. If you plan to just get on and ride a whole loop, then I guess it depends on what you like. (For example, I like boats and water so don’t mind riding up and down the Danube a few times - others might not.)

In Budapest, the trams are part of the sightseeing and you miss that by using a bus for moving around. However an overview bus tour like CWsocial describes is a different thing. I still don’t know if I would do it, but the pros and cons are different.

Lots of words to say, I don’t use Hoho busses and I think with a short time, you can do better with trams and metro. But it’s only an opinion.

To be fair, the 1 day HOHO pass comes with a free walking tout (but you are expected to tip) and there is commentary on the bus and it's 30 euro. So not terrible and maybe a solution for some. So maybe as an orientation tour?